Coliseum crowd
pushes NU in win
VOLLEY from page 10
much for ourselves tonight”
The No. 3 Huskers (19-0 over
all and 10-0 in the Big 12
Conference) cruised through
game one, but as the match wore
on die Jayhawks (13-9, 3-7) were
able to match the Huskers block
for block and dig for dig.
KU Coach Ray Bechard was
very pleased with his team’s per
formance as they outblocked NU
16-15 over the last three games.
“Any time you can stay some
what close (statistically in blocks),
it kind of evens the playing field,”
Bechard said. “But I don’t think
Nebraska was totally on their
game tonight.”
Playing without senior middle
blocker Megan Korver, the
Huskers struggled offensively, hit
ting a season low of .141 - well
below their season average of
.331.
Coach Terry Pettit said the
absence of Korver affected NU’s
passing more than anything else,
as nobody hit over .200 for the
match.
“We just played very fatigued
and tired,” Pettit said. “We were
certainly out of rhythm without
Megan. She could have played
tonight, but I was committed to
not playing her.”
Korver has been nagged the
last couple of weeks with various
ankle injuries.
On die court the Huskers were
noticeably tired; and Krondak,
who had 19 kills and 13 digs, said
the fatigue played a large part in
the team’s on-and-off play.
“We came out strong and
played really well, but we couldn’t
maintain it,” Krondak said. “We
can’t be up on teams and let them
back into it. That’s not going to cut
it down the stretch.”
The feisty Jayhawks wouldn’t
go away like most opponents usu
ally do at the coliseum, as it sided
out 12 times down 11-14 before a
Krondak kill gave NU the second
game.
After claiming the third game,
which marked the first time since
1990 a Kansas team had won a
game ai uic uunseum, me
Jay hawks were in a position to
force a game five, a place the
Huskers haven’t been all year.
“If we get to rally, who knows
what happens in rally,” Bechard
said.
“And that’s why (Nebraska’s) a
great team. It’s 14-11, and they
don’t even flinch, and the next
thing you know the match is over.”
The Jayhawks had just one
game point leading 14-10, as
Nebraska reeled off six points to
close the match.
Friday night, the Huskers
swept Oklahoma in three games
15-6,15-6,15-12.
In defensive struggle,
NU slides by Mizzou ,
mMEKS from page 8
Certainly, Nebraska had not been in
a game quite like this in 1998. Much of
what could have gone wrong for the
Huskers did.
With 12:07 left in the second quar
ter and NU leading 3-0, sophomore I
back Correll Buckhalter could not get
Ins hands on a pitch.
Missouri defensive tackle Steve
Erickson did and ran the ball 41 yards
for a touchdown. The Tigers; missed the
extra point
MU then blocked a Kris Brown
field goal and returned it to the NU 25
yard line. From here, Missouri took 10
plays and almost five minutes to score
its second touchdown. It took a Jones
run on fourth down and goal to push
Missouri ahead 13-3.
After another Brown field goal,
Nebraska went into halftime outgain
ing he Missouri offense 169-91, but it
was the Tigers who held a 13-6 lead on
he scoreboard.
“My mood (at halftime) was not
good, bolich said. I was concerned
that if we didn’t do some things that we
may not turn this thing around.”
At the start of the second half,
senior Monte Christo started at quarter
back in place of sophomore Bobby
Newcombe, who was ineffective with
an injured knee.
Christo answered the call, leading
the Husker offense in scoring drives in
both the third and fourth quarters.
Both drives were finished by
Christo. His 1-yard run, with 1:32 left
in the third quarter, tied the game at 13.
For Christo, it was his first career rush
ing touchdown in five years as a
Comhusker.
“It was a good feeling to get in
there,” Christo said. “It seems like my
whole career here has been like a roller
coaster.”
“(Christo) has the ability to run our
offense,” Solich said. “He ran very
strong and was very determined. He
made bad plays into good ones.”
Christo ended the game with a
career-high 79 rushing yards.
Buckhalter added 125 yards on 25 car
ries. It was his third 100-yard game this
season.
But Solich said NU was strongest
against Missouri on defense.
The defense followed its shutout
against Kansas a week ago by allowing
only 77 yards rushing against MU,
which was second in the Big 12 in rush
ing yards coming into Saturday’s game.
NU held running back Devin West,
who was averaging 175 yards per
game, to just 72 yards on 24 carries.
Jones ran for zero net yards against
a stingy Husker defense. He also threw
for only 89 yards. It was die first time
thi£ season the Huskers have allowed
fewer than 100 yards in both rushing
and passing.
“The defense played tremendous
football the entire game,” Solich said.
“They kept us in it when we struggled
on offense.” ,f
Solich also gave credit to the spe
cial teams. Even though NU missed a
field goal and had another one blocked,
NU wingback Shevin Wiggins once
again silenced Missouri fans.
Wiggins returned a punt 53 yards in
me unra quarter mat set up nu s nrst
touchdown. It helped turn the tide for
the rest of the game.
“I was just looking to make some
thing happen,” said Wiggins, who also
caught two passes for 20 yards. “We
needed something big, and our job
playing on the special teams is to make
something happen.”
Return yards helped Nebraska win
the battle of field position. The
Huskers’ average starting field position
was their own 38-yard line, compared
to Missouri, which averaged starting at
its own 25.
“I talked to the players all week that
field position would be important in
this game,” Solich said. “The special
teams were great for us in that regard.”
For the Huskers, it was the 2CF con
secutive win against Missouri. The win
also marks the 46* consecutive time
NU has won at home,
Kelsay said that streak was inspira
tion for the Huskers’ comeback in the
second half.
“It was on the minds of everyone
that we don’t lose at home,” Kelsay
said.
Women’s rifle team
places 3rd in debut
■ The Huskers come in
behind Austin Peay and
UMKC in Saturday’s
University of Missouri at
Kansas City triangular.
From staff reports
The Nebraska women’s rifle team
began its inaugural season last week
end with a third-place performance in
the UMKC triangular on Saturday.
Austin Peay won die invitational,
while UMKC finished second.
The Comhuskers ended up with
1,276 points in the air rifle competi
tion, while they had 1,786 points in the
smallbore competition, which utilizes
a 22-caliber rifle.
NU was led by freshman Rachel
Spiry in both competitions. Spiry,
from Lincoln, finished with528points
in the smallbore competition, includ
ing 187 points in die prone position.
Spiry also had the most points for
theHuskersinthe
air rifle, where
she finished with
351 points.
NU Rifle
Coach Karen
Anthony said it
was a good begin
ning to the season
considering NU
Aathoay had to have try
outs to fill out the
team.
“I am very happy with the way we
shot,” Anthony said. “We weren’t
completely satisfiedlbecause we
would have liked to score higher and
placed better. We did well considering
the fact that we have had very little
practice time.”
Swim teams
open season
with wins
SWIM from page 10
said. “I can’t say enough about where
the diving team is at this point in the
season. “For the men to win one event
and the women to win the other in this
conference is terrific.”
Rogis anchored the 300-yard fly
and the 500-yard crescendo relays
holding off strong challenges in both
races. Rogis, from Weetangeram,
Australia, is a veteran of international
and national competitions. He said he
liked the atmosphere of the event
“The atmosphere is good here,
Rogis said. “The swimmers got into it,
and it helped me swim well.”
Brock, from Allen, Texas, helped
the Huskers to a first-place finish in
the 300 breaststroke; and Emma
Johnson, from Sydney, Australia,
aided the first-place 500 free relay.
Tigers frustrated in narrow loss
MIZZOU from page 9
going all day. You can’t win football
games if you don’t get your offense
going.”
The Tigers looked like they were on
their way to winning in the first half,
taking a 13-6 halftime lead. They
scored all their points in the second
quarter, despite gaining just two first
downs. Missouri was aided by its spe
cial teams and defense.
Steve Erickson, a 6-foot-4, 280
pound lineman, picked up a Correll
Buckhalter fumble and rumbled 41
yards for a touchdown.
The second big play was Jeff
Marriot’s block of Kris Brown’s punt.
Then Wade Peridns picked it up and ran
10 or 15 yards before he threw a lateral
tb Harold Piersey, vifco'tbok itto theMJ
25-yard line. After being stuffed on three
straight runs up the middle, Jones went
into the aid zone on fourth and one.
The Tiger defense kept NU in
check most of the game, surrendering
328 yards of total offense. Smith was
particularly happy with the defensive
play in the second half.
“They forced plays and made plays
and basically kept us in the ball game,”
Smith said. ‘1 think our defense played
super. Our kicking game got a tie and
offensively, we just didn’t do much.
“We lost as a team, so I’m not blam
ing the offense. We went through some
sour periods, and I know we’re better
than this offensively.
“We just have to go out and find
ourselves and get it clicking.”
I I" . 11. .
ilfl
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it
You can’t win
football games if you
don’t get your
offense going.’’
Larry Smith
MU head coach
. .1
