Our great fans aren't limited to football

[TheKiD]

http://www.dailynebraskan.com/vnews/displa...6/4337626654890

 

Saturday evening was just another reason Nebraska fans are considered among the classiest in collegiate sports.

 

Iowa State Coach Christy Johnson was gearing up her volleyball team for a match against the top-ranked Cornhuskers when a funny thing happened – the crowd gave the first-year coach a long and thunderous ovation.

 

This isn’t common treatment for greenhorns, especially those in the Big 12 Conference ranks. But the folks in the NU Coliseum weren’t comforting a rookie – they were welcoming home a champion.

 

Most fans remember the Omaha native for her back-to-back All-American performances for the Huskers in 1994 and 1995. They also recall her role on NU’s first national championship team as a setter 10 years ago.

 

Johnson herself said she was surprised by the warm reception she received during pre-game introductions.

 

“It was pretty amazing, pretty special,” the ex-Husker said. “I guess it’s nice to know that people still remember me and that those people are still around and love volleyball and Nebraska volleyball.”

 

But most of the sellout crowd of 4,149 probably didn’t realize Husker Coach John Cook recruited Johnson in 1991 before leaving to coach Wisconsin for seven years. Shortly after Johnson graduated from Nebraska in 1995, Cook convinced her to be his assistant with the Badgers, and the experience she gained there was invaluable in helping her land a head coaching job in a major conference, even if it was in the recruiting black hole that is Iowa State.

 

Cook said his former recruit has impressed him twice over – as a player and now as a coach.

 

“I’m extremely proud of the job she’s done, and I’ll root for her and Iowa State,” Cook said. “I think she’s off to a great start.”

 

With an 8-6 overall record and an even 2-2 mark in conference play, the Cyclones currently sit in sixth place in the 11-team league, a far cry from its 1-19 Big 12 record from 2004. With wins over No. 18 Texas and Baylor, ISU won consecutive conference matches for the first time since 1995, back when Johnson was NU’s starting setter.

 

Keep in mind five of the Cyclones’ six starters returned from last season’s disastrous campaign, lending more credit to the job Johnson has done so far.

 

“(Johnson) was a great setter and a great leader and now she’s instilling that in Iowa State,” Cook said. “It shows you how important the mental side of sports really is.”

 

Even NU fifth-year senior All-American Melissa Elmer has noticed a change in Cyclone play from years past.

 

“The players on the court are the same I’ve seen so they have experience,” the tri-captain said. “Now they have great coaching, so they’ve improved a lot from last year.”

 

With all her experience, from playing with NU to coaching for Wisconsin in the 2000 title game against the Huskers, Johnson has seen her share of championship teams. She said the 2005 Husker edition might be the best she’s seen for the simple reason she sees six All-American candidates ready to get physical.

 

“Most teams I’ve seen, even the great teams, have one or two positions where they are not very strong. This team doesn’t seem to have people that just fill roles,” Johnson said. “That’s a really rare thing, and we haven’t seen that very much in the history of college volleyball.”

[Eric the Red]

“Most teams I’ve seen, even the great teams, have one or two positions where they are not very strong. This team doesn’t seem to have people that just fill roles,” Johnson said. “That’s a really rare thing, and we haven’t seen that very much in the history of college volleyball.”

 

Get out and see this team if possible. We have somethin special in the coliseum

[Red November]

I've been to three games so far, just as fun as football