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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 24, 1998)
Matt Miller/DN NEBRASKA FRESHMAN Jorge Abos Sanchez lost 7-5, 6-3 in No. 3 singles action to Texas Tech’s Ryan Shupe. The Comhuskers ended their season with a 4-0 loss to the Red Raiders in the Big 12 Championships Thursday. NU sees red in loss to Raiders By Sam McKewon Senior Reporter For the second straight day, the Nebraska men's tennis team didn’t have an answer for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders, who beat the Cornhuskers 6-1 Wednesday, defeated NU 4-0 in the first round ! of the Big 12 Championships Thursday in front of 150 fans at the Cather-Pound tennis courts. “We played better today than we did Wednesday,” NU Coach Kerry McDermott said. “We fought hard but I think the better team showed today.” Nebraska, which ended its sea son 13-12 overall, lost the doubles point 2-1 to Texas Tech (11 -15) to fall behind 1-0. The Red Raiders then won three singles matches before the match was stopped. Red Raider Peter Danolic defeated NU’s Dinko Verzi 6-4, 6-4 in the No. 1 singles. Verzi held the upper hand in both sets before Danolic came back. Verzi led 3-1 in the first set and was serving for the game at 40-15, but Danolic came back to win five of the next six games. In the second set, Verzi was up a break and serving to go up 5-3 when Danolic called what looked to be a service ace wide. Verzi argued but the cal! stood and Danolic eventu ally won the game, closing out the set two games later. “Dinko had a chance there,” McDermott said of the No. 1 sin gles match. “Especially in the first set. But he didn't get it.” In No. 3 singles, freshman Jorge Abos Sanchez seemed to have a chance, frustrating Texas Tech’s Ryan Shupe in the first set. But Sanchez lost his serve at 5-6 of the first set and then lost the second set for a 7-5, 6-3 loss. Texas Tech Assistant Coach Steve Moore said Shupe's and Danolic's performances typified his team’s effort. “Our willingness to fight and leadership is what won us the matches,” Moore said. “Peter’s not a Our willingness to fight and leadership is what won us the matches0 Steve Moore Texas Tech assistant coach guy who's the most talented in the world, but there's never a match where he didn't show up and fight.” Texas Tech closed out the victo ry with Casey Biorkman’s 6-1, 6-1 win over NU sophomore Andrew Wiese. Tomorrow, Texas Tech will face No. 1 seed Texas, a top 10 team. Moore said he expects to have a tough match against the Longhorns. “I can’t think of anybody who expects us to win except ourselves,” he said. “We’ll need to play great tomorrow to beat a great team like that.” McDermott said he is proud of the Huskers this season, as they went through several lineup changes and injuries. Overall, McDermott said NU lacked the aggressiveness they needed to beat the Red Raiders. “We played back a little bit, and that hurt us,” he said Magnus Grahn, a senior on the NU team, said he was happy to see the team stick through adversity. “We’ve have some ups and downs this season, some good and bad times,” Grahn said. “But we kept fighting hard the entire year.” NCAA says athletes can work By Sarah Baker Senior Reporter Clint Finley doesn’t want a job. But between workouts, classes and homework, it’s not a matter of wanting a Byrne a job. It’s a matter of time. Time that he | doesn’t have. Finley, a | sophomore free I safety on the foot ball team, said he probably wouldn’t take advantage of the new NCAA rule that allows athletes to work during the August-May school year. “I have enough to do as it is,” Finley said. “1 think it’ll be just fine - for those who can handle it.” “Prop 62” was approved this week by the NCAA Board of Directors, which is made up of a group of college presidents. The new procedure allows Division I athletes to work, even though they may be on full scholarship. The rule permits earnings of up to $2,000 over the value of a full scholarship. The athletes can work at jobs lmed up by the athlete, boosters or athletic department. Other athletes can earn $2,000 plus the difference between their partial scholarship and a full scholarship. The new rules go into effect Aug. 1. NU Athletic Director Bill Byrne said although he thinks the measure is a good idea, he doesn’t know how impor tant it will be for NU athletes. “We voted for it when it was part of the NCAA convention,” Byrne said. “I think it can work, but I don’t think many will take advantage of it.” He said most athletes are already devoted to training, practice and class. “There aren’t many more hours in the day,” Byrne said. “It could offer opportunities for those athletes whose training schedules aren’t as busy.” Tonia Tauke, a junior volleyball player, said most student athletes are pressed for time now, and allowing them to work will only make that worse. Please see WORK on 12 Tickets still remain for NU championship celebration From Staff Reports More than 35,000 tickets have been sold for tonight’s “National Championship Celebration and Farewell to Coach Tom Osborne,” but tickets still remain. The $6 tickets also are good for admission to Saturday’s Red White Spring Game at Memorial Stadium. All seats are reserved. Tonight’s celebration also will be held at Memorial Stadium, and the gates will open at 5:30 p.m. HuskerVision will present an hourlong video at 6 p.m. before the team’s entrance at 7 p.m. A rededication of Memorial Stadium will follow, before the national championship celebra tion, a farewell to Coach Osborne and the dedication of Tom Osborne Field. The red team in Saturday’s 12:30 p.m. spring game will be led offensively by quarterbacks Frankie London and Jay Runty. The white team will be led offen sively by quarterbacks Bobby Newcombe and Eric Crouch. Next fall’s starting quarter back could be determined in meetings after the spring game. Doubles spell NU trouble By James Nicas Staff Reporter This season has seemingly been one heartbreak after another for the Nebraska women’s tennis team. Thursday afternoon was no different in the Big 12 Championships. Leading 4-2 after the singles matches, the eighth-seeded Comhuskers could not put ninth-seed Texas Tech away as they lost all three doubles matches to fall 5-4 at the Woods Tennis Center. “Unbelievable,” Husker freshman Ndali Ijomah said “This is one of those nightmares that you think will never happen.” The loss was even more painful because of the way the doubles matches ended Ijomah said. In the fust doubles match to end the No. 2 team of Ijomah and senior Lisa Hart lost 8-5. The duo was up a break at 5-3 before losing the next five games and the match. The final two matches were even more devastating for NU. Both ended in close 9-7 decisions. In the No. 3 group, the Husker duo of Kelli Clark and Gina Pelazini were also up a break at 5-2. The Red Raiders tied the match at six, and won three of the next four games to take*the match. While that match ended the No. 1 doubles match was just as close. Sophomore Sandra Noetzel and freshman Jennifer Thoste were up 4-1 with two break points in the sixth game. Nebraska was unable to get another point, and Texas Tech rallied to eventu ally tie the set at five. After trading the next four games, Nebraska did not capitalize on another break point as Red Raiders Zana Zlebnik and Amanda Earhart went up 8-7. Zlebnik and Earhart were able to finish what Nebraska could not. The Texas Tech duo won its third break point, in the 16th game, to end the match and season for the Huskers. “Hats off to Texas Tech,” Nebraska Coach Scott Jacobson said. “There is no quit in them. They are a team with a lot of fight and spirit.” In the singles matches, two Huskers defeated opponents they had lost to ear lier in the season. No. 3 seed Jennifer Thoste rallied to defeat Laleshmi Rivindra 6-3,4-6,7-5. Please see WOMEN on 12