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Page 12 _____ Monday, September 13,1999
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■ Nebraska’s running
backs coach says Cal’s
defense dictated game
flow on Saturday.
By Joshua Camenzind
Staff writer
It would seem that Nebraskj
Running Backs Coach Dave Gillespie
might be a little upset following the
lack of ground production in the
California game.
I
But that is not the case.
Gillespie creditecHhe Golden
Bears’ defense
with dictating
the Cornhusker
offense.
“The majori
ty of the time
they had nine or
10 guys in the
box,” Gillespie
i said.
“We antici
pated that. That
is really how they
played us last year.”
The Huskers were led in rushing
by Dahrran Diedrick, who totaled 29
yards on 5 carries. DeAngelo Evans
and Dan Alexander, the No. 1 and 21
backs, combined for 32 yards on 12
carries. NU, as a team had only 114
yards on 48 rushing attempts.
Gillespie said there was more than
one reason for the inefficiency.
“A lot of factors went into it,”
Gillespie said. “We think that they are
a very good defense and playing with
a short field where we did not have to
go very far. Big plays, passing plays
had something to do with it as well.”
When asked if the coaching staff
would do anything different to get the
1-backs more carries against Southern
Mississippi, Gillespie said no. /
“We have a lot in our offense, and
we are just going to try to utilize out
offense according to how the defense
plays us,” Gillespie said.
That does not mean Gillespie
would not like to run the ball more
than what the HuskeTs have in theii
-first two games.
“We would certainly like to see us
run the ball more effectively,”
Gillespie said. “But certainly not al
the expense of scoring.”
As for the I-backs themselves.
Gillespie said their spirits were high
after the game.
“They are all team players, and
ultimately the bottom line is to win the
football game,” Gillespie said. “So I
think they felt good about that. 1 am
sure that in their minds they would
have liked to have been able to cany
the ball more and have done more
with the opportunities that they did
have.”
Gillespie summed up the Husker
philosophy on offensive balance in
one sentence.
“The bottom line is scoring
points,” Gillespie said.
Lane Hickenbottom/DN
Nebraska volleyball players Nancy Meandering, left, Jill McWilliams, Greichaly Cepero and Mandy Monson oelebrate Saturday night
after beating Arizona in three straight games at the Coliseum.
NU wins three in tourney
But Pettit not thrilled with inconsistency against Arizona
By John Gaskins
Staff writer
Dripping in sweat and gasping sighs of
relief, Nebraska outside hitter Mandy
Monson could only shake her head and smile
at the post-game press conference Saturday
night after the Comhusker volleyball team’s
three-game sweep of No. 15 Arizona.
Sitting right next to her, a grim NU Head
Coach Terry Pettit was far from cracking a
grin.
The fifth-ranked Huskers had just dug
themselves out of a hole once again against a
top-15 team, scraping back from a 9-2 deficit
in the second game en route to a 15-9,16-14,
15-6 victory in front of 3,874 fans at the
Nebraska Coliseum that clinched the US
Bank Invitational title.
The match followed NU’s three-game
strolls in the park over South Florida (15-3,
15-5,15-2) Friday night and San Diego State
(15-7,15-5,15-10) Saturday morning. With
the three weekend wins, Nebraska (7-2)
upped its winning streak to seven.
“Wow, that was quite a second game,” said
Monson, whose 10-kill, 12-dig performance
was the best on both offense and defense for
the Huskers.
66
I didn Y feel we were in sync for most of the night.
Our block set-up wasn Y there.”
Terry Pettit
N NU volleyball coach
“We just gutted it out and won it. I’m
proud we came back and won.”
Seconds later, Pettit marched in. For
someone who had been complimentary about
NU’s performances through the first eight
matches, proud was not exactly the word to
describe his demeanor.
“I didn’t feel we were in sync for most of
the night,” Pettit said. “Our block set-up was
n’t there, our ball handling and setting was
inconsistent, which resulted in an inconsis
tent attack. I think it was a good match in that
they played well enough to win, but I can see
that there are some issues we need to work
»>
on.
Although they fought their way back to
win the second game and coasted through die
third game to defeat one of college volley
ball’s blossoming powers, Nebraska was not
as sharp as it had been in the earlier matches
nor in its four-set win at No. 6 Florida last
week. r
The Huskers failed to keejudive a five
game streak of hitting .300 or higher. In fact,
NU’s .242 performance was its worst offen
sively since its loss to Pacific in the season
opener.
Junior outside hitter Nancy Meendering
wasn’t beaming about her team’s perfor
mance, either. Despite her. 118 hitting perfor
mance in the final matches, Meendering was
tournament MVP thanks to 10 kills against
UA (6-2).
And although it was a nice confidence
booster, the All-American didn’t consider her
team’s ability to come back in the second
game anything special. ^
“It’s a quality that every good team has,”
Meendering said. “They don’t get down on
themselves when the score has them down.”
Corner kicks
key Huskers’
tourney wins
By Darren Ivy
Senior staff writer
Connecticut goalkeeper Shanna Caldwell had
more Nebraska soccer players around her than she
knew what to do with Friday night
On 16 comer kicks, NU flooded the box with
five or six players trying to rattle the sophomore.
“I just saw a lot of black shirts in there,”
Caldwell said. “We gave them quite a few more
(comer kicks) than we would have liked.”
Caldwell stopped most of die shots, bid NU*
Amy Walsh and Kelly Rheem scored goals off
comer kicks. In its two games this weekend, NU
earned 35 comer kicks compared to three by
Connecticut and Portland.
NU knows it'has an advantage on coma* kicks
and works hard on them in practice, Assistant
Coach Megan Bechtold said.
The Huskers spend a half hour each day work*
ing on perfecting existing plays and adding new
wrinkles.
“It* one thing in practice that we try to make
sure the focus is there,” Bechtold said.
“Sometimes it is more mental. It is one thing
where you are stopped completely, and you have
to be mentally ready to shoot it if it comes to you.
“There has to be an urgency to finish when the
ball does come into the box.”
Nebraska has die advantage because its play
ers know where they are supposed to be.
For everyone else, it can be almost impossible
to draw up the X* and O* of a Husker comer kick.
Prior to the kick, two players are in the comer
of the f[eld, five players inside the penalty box, one
on the opposite side of the goal behind everyone
and one at the top of the penalty box.
As soon as the ball is put into play, mayhem
ensues with NU sending everyone to die front of
the net.
Aitnougn rseorasKa couian t rma me oacK or
toe net on 19 tries against the Pilots, Benson said,
it showed the Huskers were dominating the game
and were the more aggressive team. °
“Our goal is to get as many comers as we can,”
Benson said. “If we can’t get a cross, we try to
knock it off them and get a comer.
“A comer kick is basically like a free kick. We
have time to set up and pick someone out.
Anything can happen when the ball is bouncing
around in front of the net.”
aid it was frustrating to not finish
but she credited Portland^ defense
‘To have that many corners and not score says
they were playing great defense,” Benson said.
Twice in overtime, Pilot goalkeeper Cheryl
,? Loveless had to make stops cm comer kicks.
NU was one touch away from a goal several
other times as well.
Wh$ makes NU dangerous in the box is the
athletic and aerial ability of several players, said
Connedicut Captain Carey Dcm.
“Our problem was that they were better in the
air,” Dorn said. “They were overall bigger than us.
If you have size in the box, you are going to win
the ball”