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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 1999)
Wednesday, November 3,1999 Page 7 - —--——-——■■ ■ ■ --- 12 player of the year ■ Nebraska dominates the Big 12 soccer lists after finishing the conference season undefeated. From staff reports The Nebraska women’s soccer team, undefeated in conference play and the No. 4 team in the nation, dominated the Big 12 All-Conference teams, released Tuesday. The Cornhuskers captured two of the three major awards and placed eight players on the All-Conference squads. Senior defender Sharolta Nonen was named the 1999 Big 12 Player of the Year. Nonen, a two-time All-American, was a first-team All-Big 12 defender in both 1997 and 1998. The native of British Columbia played for Canada in last year’s World Cup. For the second time in four years, Head Coach John Walker was hon ored as die Big 12 Coach of die Year. Walker last received the award in 1996, the conference’s inaugural sea son. The coach has compiled a 99-22 2 overall record since taking the helm for the Huskers. Six Nebraska players earned first team All-Conference awards. Senior Amy Walsh, junior Jenny Benson and sophomore Meghan Anderson swept the midfielder position for NU. Anderson leads Nebraska and is sec ond in the conference with 46 points. Nonen and senior Isabelle Morneau, a four-time All-Big 12 selection, were selected as first-team defenders. Senior forward Lindsey Eddleman also received a spot on the team for the fourth consecutive year. Christine Latham and Kelly Rheem, a sophomore forward, were selected to the All-Big 12 Second Team. Latham was one of only two freshman picked for the squad. She finished second to Iowa State mid fielder Karie Antongiovanni in the Rookie of the Year voting. After Nebraska’s eight selections, no other Big 12 team had more than four players earn spots on the squads. The Huskers’ six first-team honorees also easily distanced runner-ups Texas A&M and Baylor, which had two All-Big 12 first-teamers. Husker standouts SaK^MtnSSnSSP HntTaaa Pet Isabelle Momeau, Sr. D Sharolta Nonen, Sr. D Amy Walsh, Sr. MF Jenny Benson,Jr. MF Meghan Anderson, So. MF Lindsay Eddleman, Sr. F SMMMTMi N& Kelly Rheem, So. F Chnstine Latham, Fr. F Huskers open Big 12 tournament play- see story on page 8 _ _ Matthew Hansen Davison, Newcombe propel NU Without the brilliant performance of split end and punt returner Bobby Newcombe, Nebraska loses to Kansas on Saturday night Erase wideout Matt Davison’s predictably steady play against die Jayhawks. Again, the Comhuskers exit KU’s Manorial Field just minutes before the goal posts. For the first time in recent memory, the Huskers’ win belonged not to Milt Tenopir’s linemen, Charlie McBride’s defense or Dave Gillespie’s running backs. In fact, at varying stages of die game, those three coaches’ units did all they could to hand the Jayhawks the win. Instead, the game ball goes to Receivers Coach Ron Brown’s starters. On a strange night in Lawrence, Kan., the strangest Act of all was that Nebraska’s two starting wide receivers were quite possibly the two most valuable Huskers on the field It’s not to say that Husker wideouts have never played a major role in the past- its just that the role was blocking. On several occasions in the Solich era, though, the offense has been opened up and receivers have played a big part in the offense. It was that way at Texas A&M last year (loss), against Arizona in the Holiday Bowl (loss), and this year against Texas (loss). You following? NU has only thrown when it was playing from behind, or when it couldn’t get anything going on the ground. In other words, only when it was despenjtfc^ - ^ Of course, Nebraska was a little desperate - s on Saturday, too. There was one majpf differ ence, though: the Newcombe and Davison duo, Eric Crouch agreed that Aeduougs ^ Nebraska’s key to victory against KU, “Matt and Bobby were on the field a lot more than they normally were,” the quarter back said “They did a tot of different tfcingsjo raise our confidence level. That high confi dence was the difference ” Look at the package. Davison is Nebraska’s Rock of Gibraltar: He has been for ova: a year. * The consummate possession receiver, Davison was about 7 years old the last timehe dropped a pass. Barring injury, he will end his career second on Nebraska’s all-time receptions list, behind only the immortal Johnny Rodgers. Speaking of Rodgers: Newcombe is Rodgers Lite. He may not have quite the speed Please see DUO on 8 rUM/UiN Monson, Oxley bolster NLTs left side By John Gaskins Staff writer There are three things that are almost inevitable when the Nebraska volleyball team takes the court in 1999. Head Coach Terry Pettit will most likely wear a sweater. The Comhuskers will rotate players into and out of the game-as if there is an invisible revolving door on die sideline. And NU setters will set as many balls as possible to All-American outside hitter Nancy Meendering, who will inevitably scorch other teams’ defenses with a barrage of kills. But, as-dangerous as she is, the right-side attacker won’t beat teams, especially tough teams - like Kansas State last Saturday - alone. She needs a little help frbm her friends. Enter her left-side buddies, senior co-cap , tain Mandy Monson and junior Angie Oxley. When those two have big nights to go along 2 with Meendering’s days at the office, the liuskers teem unstoppable - like they were Saturday night. . “What you Want to do is have Meendering be the-difference-maker, not the person who gets you to that point;” Pettit said. “Because, if she has to carry you there, it’s awful hard for her, at the end, to go ahead and do what she’s done." “There’s no question that, if Angie and Mandy are playing well, we’re very difficult to beat.” Consider this: when K-State beat NU in five games at the Coliseum last month, Oxley •• Everyone was on the same wavelength. It was comforting - like we were in a zone ” MandyMonson NU volleyball player hit .089, while Monson managed just a .043 hit ting percentage. Last Saturday, die two com bined for 17 kills, 21 digs and a.410 hitting per centage in what they considered NU’s finest team effort of die year. The result? The Huskers rolled in three sets. “In the matches we’ve lost, we’ve lacked continuity as a team,” Oxley said. “There was a lot of good individual effort, like Nancy, but not enough effort as a team.” “It’s like we were synchronized (at Kansas State),” Monson said. “Everyone was on the same wavelength. It was comforting - like we wore in a zone. Indie games we lost, it’s not that we weren’t playing hard, but some people were just looking at balls and letting stuff happen that can’t happen.” It’s no secret that die two, especially Oxley, were playing below their potential in some matches - particularly NU’s losses - for two veterans in what is considered to be a well-oiled offensive machine. But lately the two have been working extra hard in practice with Associate Head Coach John Cook to prevent so many attacks from sailing wide or long. Their defense has improved as well. Monson has always been known as a feisty dig ger, but Pettit said a key point in the KSU match may have been a deep Oxley dig off Wildcat outside hitter Dawn Cady in die third game. What looked like another spike-in-the-face from the player that burned the Huskers for 37 kills in Lincoln, turned out to a symbolic turn ing point in NU’s season. The veterans, who have played and compet ed together on the left for three years, feel a vibe with each other on and off the court. That may not seem easy when you talk to Monson and Oxley individually. They are two different people, two different players. Monson is like a yard dog cm the court - intense, fiery, screaming her way through games. Oxley is calculated, deliberate, storing her sneaky power only to release it at the right time. In interviews, Monson is animated, speaks her mind, wears her emotions on her sleeve and lets her words charge out of her mouth. Oxley ponders and chooses her words carefully. Please see VOLLEY on 8