Post by GoBigRed on Apr 20, 2007 7:24:15 GMT -5
BY TODD HENRICHS / Lincoln Journal Star
Friday, Apr 20, 2007 - 12:04:03 am CDT
When it comes to volleyball, Sarah Pavan and Jordan Larson normally exude confidence.
After all, the Nebraska teammates won a national title last year. In three years at NU, Pavan has experienced a loss five times. For Larson, it’s been three losses and two trips to the national championship match in the last two seasons.
Yet, all of that success came indoors playing on a traditional volleyball court. Neither All-American knows exactly what to expect when they represent Nebraska this weekend in the Collegiate Beach Championships in San Diego.
“I think they will be great playing sand volleyball,” said Nebraska coach John Cook, himself a longtime sand player who paired Larson and Pavan because of their all-around skills.
“In beach volleyball, if you have a weakness, you can really exploit it,” Cook added. “We thought this would be the toughest team we could put together because both do a lot of things really well.”
Eight schools from last fall’s top 20 accepted invitations to participate in Sunday’s made-for-TV event. Nebraska will face Minnesota, Texas and Cal Poly in pool-play matches, with Stanford, Penn State, Florida and San Diego comprising the other pool.
The semifinals and finals will be featured in telecasts May 18-20 on CSTV (Lincoln Time Warner channel 305).
That kind of offseason national exposure, Cook said, is what has him most excited about the event. A CSTV crew spent the better part of two days in Lincoln last week to conduct interviews and shoot video of the Huskers’ finely manicured sand court located inside Hawks Championship Center.
It’s a unique training facility for the team and another sign to recruits of Nebraska’s commitment to the sport. Neither Pavan nor Larson has thought much about a sand volleyball career to this point, but they’re preparing this week by studying video, performing drills suggested by sand legend Misty May and playing in a tournament among teammates.
At Wednesday’s practice, Pavan and Larson edged fellow Huskers Tracy Stalls and Rachel Holloway in the finals. The doubles partners say they’re excited to see how they’ll match up against some of the other top players in the college game.
“All I know is Coach Cook said I’d be a pretty good sand player because I have all the shots,” Larson said last week. “We haven’t really practiced that much in the sand, so we’ll see what happens.”
Although the net is the same height as indoor volleyball, the sand court is smaller by three feet on both ends and both sidelines. The sand game doesn’t necessarily favor taller players, Cook said, but those who pass well, can serve, set, block and attack.
To gain NCAA approval for the event, participating schools had to first agree to use one of their four allotted spring competition dates for this weekend’s two-person event.
Stanford’s team will feature All-Americans Cynthia Barboza and Bryn Kehoe. Other stars on hand include Nicole Fawcett of Penn State, Rachel Hartmann of Minnesota, Ashley Engle of Texas and Angie McGinnis and Marcie Hampton of Florida.
New Nebraska assistant coach Lizzie Stemke will coach the Huskers this weekend.
Looking beyond Sunday’s tournament, some members of the American Volleyball Coaches Association would like to see beach volleyball become a sanctioned NCAA sport.
That would be fine with Cook, who has no concern that players in California can play on the beach year-round. Cook joked that the hardest adjustment for Pavan, a Canadian, and Larson, a native of Hooper, will be avoiding a sunburn.
“The wind and the sun,” Cook said. “We’re not used to being outside yet.”
Reach Todd Henrichs at 473-7320 or thenrichs@journalstar.com.
Friday, Apr 20, 2007 - 12:04:03 am CDT
When it comes to volleyball, Sarah Pavan and Jordan Larson normally exude confidence.
After all, the Nebraska teammates won a national title last year. In three years at NU, Pavan has experienced a loss five times. For Larson, it’s been three losses and two trips to the national championship match in the last two seasons.
Yet, all of that success came indoors playing on a traditional volleyball court. Neither All-American knows exactly what to expect when they represent Nebraska this weekend in the Collegiate Beach Championships in San Diego.
“I think they will be great playing sand volleyball,” said Nebraska coach John Cook, himself a longtime sand player who paired Larson and Pavan because of their all-around skills.
“In beach volleyball, if you have a weakness, you can really exploit it,” Cook added. “We thought this would be the toughest team we could put together because both do a lot of things really well.”
Eight schools from last fall’s top 20 accepted invitations to participate in Sunday’s made-for-TV event. Nebraska will face Minnesota, Texas and Cal Poly in pool-play matches, with Stanford, Penn State, Florida and San Diego comprising the other pool.
The semifinals and finals will be featured in telecasts May 18-20 on CSTV (Lincoln Time Warner channel 305).
That kind of offseason national exposure, Cook said, is what has him most excited about the event. A CSTV crew spent the better part of two days in Lincoln last week to conduct interviews and shoot video of the Huskers’ finely manicured sand court located inside Hawks Championship Center.
It’s a unique training facility for the team and another sign to recruits of Nebraska’s commitment to the sport. Neither Pavan nor Larson has thought much about a sand volleyball career to this point, but they’re preparing this week by studying video, performing drills suggested by sand legend Misty May and playing in a tournament among teammates.
At Wednesday’s practice, Pavan and Larson edged fellow Huskers Tracy Stalls and Rachel Holloway in the finals. The doubles partners say they’re excited to see how they’ll match up against some of the other top players in the college game.
“All I know is Coach Cook said I’d be a pretty good sand player because I have all the shots,” Larson said last week. “We haven’t really practiced that much in the sand, so we’ll see what happens.”
Although the net is the same height as indoor volleyball, the sand court is smaller by three feet on both ends and both sidelines. The sand game doesn’t necessarily favor taller players, Cook said, but those who pass well, can serve, set, block and attack.
To gain NCAA approval for the event, participating schools had to first agree to use one of their four allotted spring competition dates for this weekend’s two-person event.
Stanford’s team will feature All-Americans Cynthia Barboza and Bryn Kehoe. Other stars on hand include Nicole Fawcett of Penn State, Rachel Hartmann of Minnesota, Ashley Engle of Texas and Angie McGinnis and Marcie Hampton of Florida.
New Nebraska assistant coach Lizzie Stemke will coach the Huskers this weekend.
Looking beyond Sunday’s tournament, some members of the American Volleyball Coaches Association would like to see beach volleyball become a sanctioned NCAA sport.
That would be fine with Cook, who has no concern that players in California can play on the beach year-round. Cook joked that the hardest adjustment for Pavan, a Canadian, and Larson, a native of Hooper, will be avoiding a sunburn.
“The wind and the sun,” Cook said. “We’re not used to being outside yet.”
Reach Todd Henrichs at 473-7320 or thenrichs@journalstar.com.
