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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 2000)
Buffs come to Lincoln on a roll ■Huskers play at home, but instead of the Coliseum, they'll play at the Devaney Center. BRIAN CHRBTOPHERSON The Nebraska Volleyball team is going out on a limb this weekend, taking one on the chin for the sake of its fans. The Cornhuskers have agreed to play Colorado away from the friendly confines of the NU Coliseum this Saturday and take on the Buffs in unfamiliar territory. The Huskers will pack the equipment and move from 14th and Vine to the Bob Devaney Sports Center on 17th and Court streets for the 7:30 p.m. match. Hie extra fans that pack the Devaney Center will be appreci ated, but Cook said the new set ting could take away from the home-court advantage that NU maintains at the Coliseum. “It presents issues for us in that it’s at the Devaney, and we really don’t get to practice in there," Cook said. “It’s kind of a different environment than what we are used to at the Coliseum, but it’s a match we need to take care of.” Nebraska had no problem taking care of Colorado earlier in the year, sweeping the Buffs in Boulder. However, CU comes into Lincoln on a roll, routing its last two opponents, including a whipping of No. 21 Texas A&M on Wednesday night. The win upped the Buffs record to 10-9 overall, 6-6 in conference, and provided a jolt of confidence to both players and coaches. “I think the effort we put in tonight can win against Nebraska,” Colorado Coach Pi’i Aiu said following the A&M win. CU freshman outside hitter Sara Villwock, who pounded down 21 career-high kills against A&M, said the Buffs won’t hurt themselves in the rematch with NU. “If we lose at Nebraska, it will be because they beat us, not because we beat ourselves with errors,” Villwock said. Cook said CU could indeed “If we lose at Nebraska, it will be because they beat us, not because we beat ourselves with errors,’ Sara Villwock 'CU freshman outside hitter be an obstacle. NU’s conference romp thus far suggests other wise. Big 12 teams have had trou ble even taking a game from NU, let alone a match. Nebraska has only lost two games in confer ence play. “I think we will get chal lenged,” Cook said. “However, we are going to make sure as a coaching staff to challenge this team to be prepared for whatev er we face.” It also will give more Nebraska volleyball fans the opportunity to see the 22-0 Huskers, making not playing at the Coliseum bearable. “The trade-off is worth it because it provides the oppor tunity for high-school kids to come and see us because of their high-school season and because it's hard to get tickets,” Cook said. “I know a lot of schools and towns are coming in from all over the place for that match." Anywhere from 7,000 to 11,000 fans are expected to fill the Devaney Center. Cook hopes the large-crowd atmosphere will serve as a warm-up for bigger Nebraska matches down the road, in par ticular, a hopeful Final Four trip to Richmond, Va. “The Final Four will be played in a bigger arena in front of a lot of people, so we’re going to sell it to the team as kind of a Final Four atmosphere," Cook said. Senior moves to next round in tourney ■Three others fall in the women's tennis regional championships in Omaha. BYVHCEKUPPIG Ndali Ijomah is leading the way for the Nebraska women's tennis team at the ITA Central Regional Championships in Omaha. Ijomah, a senior, blew by Oklahoma State’s Ashleigh Dolman in Thursday's first round of the singles main draw, winning 6-3,6-0. With the win, Ijomah advances to the round of 32. She now faces lS^-seeded Monica Sekulov of Kahsas today at 2:30 p.m. Nebraska’s three other com petitors, juniors Katarina Balan and Amy Frisch and freshman Leslie Harvey, fell to seeded players in the first round of the singles main draw. The singles main draw con sists of the top 64 players from 26 schools around the region. Balan, Frisch and Harvey will each be competing in the consolations today, starting at 8 a.nri In doubles action, the duos of Balan and freshman Rose Ketmayura, Ijomah and Frisch, and freshmen Leslie and Rebecca Harvey competed late Thursday night The doubles team of Balan Kansas in way of angry NU FOCUSfrompagelO Jayfaawks in Lawrence last year 24-17 after it trailed 9-0 at the half. Had NU not pulled off the comeback it would have been only the 12th time since 1962 NU had lost two in a row. “I think they felt we kind of stole one last year,” Vanden Bosch said. “They really out played us for most of die game.” Similar ghosts haunt Nebraska this year as in 1999. Nebraska had lost to Texas 24-20 die week before the seven-point win in Lawrence. NU is coming off a 31-14 loss at Oklahoma this week, its first lost to the Sooners since 1990, when NU lost its next game, the Citrus Bowl, to Georgia Tech. Coach Frank Solich said that this team isn’t suffering a hang over from the loss at Oklahoma unlike last season before the Kansas game. “When we look back at the Kansas game last year, in the early part of the week it was a struggle to get that team to prac tice well,” Solich said. “They were in a state they had trouble getting themselves out of.” That hasn’t been the case this week, players and coaches said. Nebraska realizes that the world didn’t end after last week’s “We didn't recover from the Texas loss. That's what we’ve been really working on this week, getting our heads back into it." Kyle Vanden Bosch •NU rush end loss, unlike last year after the loss in Austin. "We didn’t recover from the Texas loss,” Vanden Bosch said. “That’s what we’ve been really working on this week, getting our heads back into it” Kansas may need to do the same; it suffered a 45-39 setback to Texas Tech last weekend, its most tightly contested loss of the year. A lot of KU’s offensive suc cess in that game hinged on quarterback Dylen Smith, a sen ior who marked career highs in completions and passing yards against the Red Raiders. Smith singed NU for 217 passing yards and two TD’s last year. Vanden Bosch and Solich pointed him out as KU’s biggest gun. “He's dangerous,” Vanden Bosch said. “He hurt us last year. He scrambles really well and runs draws really well, and those are the things on defense that we've struggled with all year more than anything.” Smith has been leading a KU offense that has put up three straight 400-yard games and averaged 302 yards of total offense those games. “As most offenses do,” Solich said, “it starts with the quarter back. If you just look at our game lastyear, you saw him do it all” Team aims for championship RIFLE from page 10 season. Now the Huskers, who fin ished third in last year’s national tournament, have their sights set on challenging Alaska, the nation’s top rifling squad. And while Anthony said her team has a ways to go, it won’t backdown. “We may not have experience or depth yet to (beat Alaska),” she said. “We’re still fairly young, but that’s definitely who we’re after.” Richards also shares her coach’s confidence in the team. "I’m very excited so far,” said Richards, who is one of the four original walk-ons from NU’s first season. “I think we’ll have ah awe some season. This year we’ve had the high goals. We’ve got some more experience and some younger shooters shooting well.” One younger shooter who has definitely stood out in this young season is Brush, Colo., native, Amanda Thijillo. In the Huskers' first meet, Trujillo finished second in the individual smallbore competi tion, firing a 1,162. In smallbore, shooters fire .22 caliber rifles placed 50 feet away, from prone, kneeling and stand ing positions. Smallbore’s perfect match score is 1,200. NU has performed well early in smallbore and air rifle compe titions. Richards said the team’s suc cessful early returns, and any progress, lies with the rifle team’s unity. “Our team’s success is based on the fact that we’re close,” Richards said. “I know it sounds corny, but we can all depend on each other.” and Ketmayura won their first round match before falling to the 8th seeded team from Oklahoma of Melissa Mendieta and Viviana Mracnova, 8-5. The duos of Ijomah and Frisch and the Harvey sisters lost their first-round match. Kansas is perfect antidote to losses KU from page 10 phases of the game, is no pushover. Just once again the poor souls who catch NU in rehab - very angry rehab. It has been 10 years since the Huskers have lost back-to-back games - and that was the most god-awful NU squad this side of ’68. That’s no fluke. This coach ing staff knows how to wake its players up after losses. They don’t take them well, and they don’t let losses happen the next week. “Anytime you are in a pro gram where losses come spar ingly, that they are non-existent to a degree, then it is very diffi cult to accept the loss and come back off of it,” Coach Frank Solich said. Please your Daily Nebraskan. N Night Any Movie 31% Discount Adult Price with Student ID www.douglastheatres.com Movie Info Line: 441*0222 ... “Fortunately, we have recruited the kind of players that have great character. There should be no lack of drive on our end of it to get it done. We are not worried about losses. We want to win.” Yes, Kansas runs a spread offense that will be tough for the Huskers to stop after OU burned them. Yes, there are problems in all three NU phases of the game. Yes, KU has a chance. But, face it Kansas: Now that K-State has beaten NU after a 30 year drought, you’re the oldest dog on Nebraska’s leash. And you’re on a choke collar follow ing Husker losses. You had your chance last year. Hangover done. Recovery underway. I’m a sucker for history. Nebraska 37, Kansas 8. 626'P’StrMt • (402)477-2277 ■ IN OMAHA: Old Market 1114 Howard St. Orchard Plaza 2457 S. 132nd St. Saddle Creek 530 N. Saddle Creek Rd Bellevue 1015 Galvin Road S. IN LINCOLN: North 27th 1228 N. 27th St. East 6105 aO" St. Dewatewa 14th 1339 “0" St. - • v . • • . • ; > -!