Texas A&M
The Battalion Sports
September 9, 1982 Page 17
leAggie Ladies’ volleyball
ltln gtk
,er -n%|
are prosj
ks,”
earn excited about ’82
by John P. Lopez
Battalion Staff
go d When most coaches lead a
‘ or tleam to a 40-16 record, a
scond-place finish in confer-
a [( nee action and a ninth-place tie
ens t the NCAA tournament,
, r f 0 | hey’re content to have an “off’
re thai
ear! to rebuild.
abando;
R But not
ie volleyball
Agg*
oach Terry Condon
“WeTl be a lot better this
eai|” she said. “Our main goal
t line
i to seti
; toj reach the final four of the
ational tournament. And I
link that if we play like I know
( /e can, reaching the tourna-
l i (i nent is a realistic goal.
Assistant volleyball coach Lin-
ly Vivas agreed with Condon,
aying the Aggie Ladies should
" e JOO percent better. She cited
11 everal reasons for the improve-
)aw ^' nent.
“One reason is because the
eople that are returning have
otten better talent-wise over
ie summer,” she said. “A lot of
te players played on teams dur-
ig the summer and some stayed
n ere and worked out with Dave
Villiams, who is the strength
oach. Also, we have more ex-
erience coming back. Most of
bereturning players arejuniors
aid rr nl seniors.”
intciJThe Aggies should also be im-
;rower iroved, she said, because they
ystry'
Fhev ftn
i they
Jennifer Giese
have acquired several talented
recruits and transfers.
“Joey Vrazel and Sherri
Brinkman are two new people
with a lot of talent,” she said.
“For her size, Brinkman is prob
ably the most agile player I’ve
ever seen. And Vrazel is very,
very good.”
How good is Vrazel?
“We call her ‘Razzle Dazzle
Vrazel’,” she said.
Condon said Vrazel is exactly
the type of player the volleyball
team needs.
Susan Wetzel
“Joey is probably our best,”
she said. “She played on the na
tional championship team at
Utah State and on the Olympic
team in 1980. She’ll be our cap
tain because she’s a motivator
and a real good leader, which is
one thing this team hasn’t had in
a while. Having a leader should
help because every team needs
someone to lead them.”
Condon said two other play
ers that have improved over the
summer are Cathy Frederick
and Lisa Johnson.
“Their improvement has
been dramatic,” she said. “Cathy
is just a good steady setter and
Lisa has gotten physically stron
ger which has made her a better
overall player. She’s hitting the
ball a lot harder.”
Other returning starters in
clude junior Jennifer Giese and
senior Sue Wetzel.
The Aggie Ladies, Condon
said, are all anxious to start play
and prove just how much they
have improved since last year.
“We’ve looked real good in
practice, but practice and the
games are a lot different from
each other,” she said. “Attitude
is our biggest asset this year. Ev
erybody’s working harder, con
centrating more, they’re back
ing each other up and theyre
just real gung ho about the up
coming season.
The only aspect of the Aggie
Ladies’ game that worries Con
don is their blocking ability.
“We have the personnel for
blocking,” she said, “but we still
need to work on it a little more.
Chemine Doty was going to start
for us as a blocker but she mes
sed up a knee at the national
sports festival this summer.
That really hurt us.”
The Aggie Ladies open the
season tonight when they face
Illinois State at 7:30 in G. Rollie
White Coliseum.
Cowboy receiver opportunistic
Johnson plays key role
fitt, Marino face challenge
mng t
grove
ploym
'klanott,
13 erefe United Press International
Those expecting a one quarterback show
hen they tune in to tonight’s nationally
leVised Pittsburgh-North Carolina game
lay be in for a slight surprise,
ry rapj For months before the season, talk has
tes, een centered around Pitt quarterback Dan
,n— larino as a genuine Heisman Trophy can-
ion u: Hate. But the sixth-ranked Tar Heels have
I saidTpretty fair quarterback of their own in
ave an wf
1.”
ie dim f
i souib
drawn
lifornia
t herea
senior Rod Elkins.
“I’m expecting a big year from Rod,”
North Carolina Coach Denny Crum said.
“He’s the kind of competitor who always
thinks he can do better.”
Crum expects Elkins’ senior year to re
semble his sophomore season, when he led
the Atlantic Coast Conference in passing.
But the top-rated Panthers have more to
worry about than just Elkins — they have
tailback Kelvin Bryant, the nation’s third
leading rusher last year, to contend with as
well.
Marino, already the Panthers’ all-time
leading passer, will have a dynamic receiv
ing trio of flanker Dwight Collins, split end
Julius Dawkins and tight end John Brown to
pick from.
United Press International
DALLAS — Even Butch
Johnson feels his personality is
one for study in some psycholo
gy class.
Off the field he’s a basically
gentle soul who is quick with a
one-liner and is neck-deep in
civic enterprise. He is, for inst
ance, on the board of directors
of the Dallas child abuse center.
On the field, however, he re
lishes the opportunity to take
out his frustrations on his fellow
man and admits to gaining re
venge on one particular foe by
blocking him at knee level on a
kick return, an incident which
put that player out for the
season.
“I guess I’m a schizophrenic,”
said Johnson. “Off the field I’m
Dr. Jekyll. But on the field I’m
Mr. Hyde.”
Well, maybe. But what Butch
Johnson really seems to be is
opportunistic. And he has par
layed that opportunism into a
reputation as one of the best-
known non-starting players in
the National Football League.
Once again he will be on the
bench when the Dallas Cowboys
open their season against the
Pittsburgh Steelers Monday
night. Drew Pearson and Tony
Hill will be the Cowboys’ starting
wide receivers. But because the
game will come in for quite a bit
of attention, there is every
chance that Johnson will play a
key role in it.
All five of Johnson’s touch
down catches in 1981 came in
games that were televised coast
to coast. His spectacular touch
down catch in Super Bowl XII
against Denver ranks as one of
the highlights in the history of
the Cowboys. When a network
beams a Cowboys’ game nation
wide, Johnson just seems to
naturally show up on the screen.
“I crave the big game,” said
Johnson. “I can’t wait until they
(the Steelers) get to town. It’s my
natural expression, I guess. I
like to make things happen.
“It’s been that way all
through my career. I’ve never
shied away from the big game.
When people are afraid of get
ting hit,- I want to be in there.
Games like that send me to a
different level. I forget about ev-
See JOHNSON page 18
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7*
13-11
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The Student Aggie Club
Organizational Meeting
with Guest Speaker
MEETING WITH
COACH SHERRILL
Thursday, Sept. 9
7 p.m.
Cain Hall Film Room
- Everyone Welcome! —
BEAT t.u. arlington!