2008 Woodie Awards
Bowlers stay focused for weekend, April championships
Tyler Bassinger
Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: Sports
It has been nearly two weeks since the Nebraska bowling team has competed, and the Cornhuskers are ready to get back into the action on Friday at the Mid-Winter Classic in Jonesboro, Ark.
If the Huskers are able to follow up their Ozark Invitational title with yet another victory this weekend, they could possibly secure the No. 1 national ranking for the rest of the season. NU will play in a field of 19 teams, which includes every team in the National Tenpin Coaches Association Top 10.
Nebraska sophomore Cassandra Leuthold, who took home individual honors at the Ozark Invitational, said she felt that the practices leading up to the competition have prepared the team well.
"It depends on how we feel that day," Leuthold said. "If we feel good, we will take it out on (other teams) as much as we can. So far, from what I've seen in practice, I think we will do really well this weekend. My teammates are going to do an excellent job."
Nebraska Coach Bill Straub agreed with Leuthold, saying he hopes NU's recent good stretch in practice carries over into the weekend.
"Right now the team is in pretty good shape," Straub said. "It will all depend on how we can manage our shots, physically and emotionally."
The key for the Huskers will be a good start Friday to the three-day tournament. NU has started slowly in some meets, only to overcome the disadvantage and wind up victorious. Straub would rather have his team lead all the way through, and for that to happen he said he will have to do a better job of making adjustments.
"This type of thing has been going on since 1992," Straub said. "It has to be a concern when we don't have a good start. It takes a little while to figure out what the lanes are asking us to do from an adjustment perspective. Hopefully we make those adjustments and do fine, but it comes back to the coach. It's hard to blame the players for that, and I take full responsibility."
His star sophomore said she thinks some of the team's early struggles come from the long process of building team relationships and establishing a strong lane of communication.
"We're still working on team chemistry, but as each tournament goes on, the team chemistry is getting stronger and stronger compared to the beginning of the year," Leuthold said. "We struggled to win those early tournaments, and we didn't win by a lot. We worked and fought back, and each time we go out there we get better as a team."
Despite the early struggles, the Huskers feel that their season goal is within their grasp. The No. 1 ranking has been a bonus, and the bowlers don't feel any burden with the tag.
"There is no pressure from that," Straub said. "It was a belief of the players that it was overdue, but they didn't lose sleep over being not ranked where they thought they should be. Now they're not losing sleep thinking about how they are where they should be. Really, it all comes down to Elkhorn and if we can succeed there."
Elkhorn is where the NCAA Championships will be held in April. With the season nearly half over, Nebraska has tried to focus on improving and zoning out everything else.
"We try to judge how we're doing individually and not how the competition is doing," Straub said. "I think you always have the goal in mind. If you think you are successful because you beat the competition, then you lose the focus on how good you can be."
That focus has held up well up to this point, and if it continues to do so, Straub said major changes won't be necessary in the long run.
As far as this weekend goes, the team's adjustments will be minimal.
"Hopefully in Arkansas, we don't need so many clothes," he said. "Any time we go south in the middle of the winter we're looking forward to the trip."
TYLERBASSINGER@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM
If the Huskers are able to follow up their Ozark Invitational title with yet another victory this weekend, they could possibly secure the No. 1 national ranking for the rest of the season. NU will play in a field of 19 teams, which includes every team in the National Tenpin Coaches Association Top 10.
Nebraska sophomore Cassandra Leuthold, who took home individual honors at the Ozark Invitational, said she felt that the practices leading up to the competition have prepared the team well.
"It depends on how we feel that day," Leuthold said. "If we feel good, we will take it out on (other teams) as much as we can. So far, from what I've seen in practice, I think we will do really well this weekend. My teammates are going to do an excellent job."
Nebraska Coach Bill Straub agreed with Leuthold, saying he hopes NU's recent good stretch in practice carries over into the weekend.
"Right now the team is in pretty good shape," Straub said. "It will all depend on how we can manage our shots, physically and emotionally."
The key for the Huskers will be a good start Friday to the three-day tournament. NU has started slowly in some meets, only to overcome the disadvantage and wind up victorious. Straub would rather have his team lead all the way through, and for that to happen he said he will have to do a better job of making adjustments.
"This type of thing has been going on since 1992," Straub said. "It has to be a concern when we don't have a good start. It takes a little while to figure out what the lanes are asking us to do from an adjustment perspective. Hopefully we make those adjustments and do fine, but it comes back to the coach. It's hard to blame the players for that, and I take full responsibility."
His star sophomore said she thinks some of the team's early struggles come from the long process of building team relationships and establishing a strong lane of communication.
"We're still working on team chemistry, but as each tournament goes on, the team chemistry is getting stronger and stronger compared to the beginning of the year," Leuthold said. "We struggled to win those early tournaments, and we didn't win by a lot. We worked and fought back, and each time we go out there we get better as a team."
Despite the early struggles, the Huskers feel that their season goal is within their grasp. The No. 1 ranking has been a bonus, and the bowlers don't feel any burden with the tag.
"There is no pressure from that," Straub said. "It was a belief of the players that it was overdue, but they didn't lose sleep over being not ranked where they thought they should be. Now they're not losing sleep thinking about how they are where they should be. Really, it all comes down to Elkhorn and if we can succeed there."
Elkhorn is where the NCAA Championships will be held in April. With the season nearly half over, Nebraska has tried to focus on improving and zoning out everything else.
"We try to judge how we're doing individually and not how the competition is doing," Straub said. "I think you always have the goal in mind. If you think you are successful because you beat the competition, then you lose the focus on how good you can be."
That focus has held up well up to this point, and if it continues to do so, Straub said major changes won't be necessary in the long run.
As far as this weekend goes, the team's adjustments will be minimal.
"Hopefully in Arkansas, we don't need so many clothes," he said. "Any time we go south in the middle of the winter we're looking forward to the trip."
TYLERBASSINGER@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM
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