Tuesday, November 3,1987rfhe Battalion/Page 7
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Van Brandt at home with volleyball
Lady Ags 7 setter 'quarterbacks' young squad
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By Tammy Hedgpeth
Sports Writer
Dynamite comes in small pack
ages.
After inheriting the position of
_ setter from four-year starter Chris
lOmCl Zogata, 5-7 Yvonne Van Brandt is
handling the quarterbacking chores
in the A&M offensive scheme unsur-
prisingly well.
“Some think my height is a factor
volleyball,” Van Brandt said.
People always say, ‘You play volley-
I ball? You must be the setter!’ I just
’ tell them to come out, watch us play,
and then evaluate. They think if
you’re too short or too big then
you’re not supposed to be in that
i sport. That just makes me more de-
I termined to prove that not so tall
people can play volleyball. It’s all
mental not physical. Of course it
helps to be tall and thin, but you just
have to put your mind to it and a lot
of times I get aggravated.”
Van Brandt’s small size has not
t/'-'l rln\ stopped her from being at the top of
'dllUn: the Southwest Conference statistical
I charts. She takes the top seat in digs
average and the second seat in assists
average.
Van Brandt, a sophomore el
ementary education major, was a
| three-year letterwinner in volleyball
at Winston Churchill High School in
! San Antonio. She helped lead her
t- team to the 1985 Texas 5A state
; crown. Her performance in the 1986
I Texas Girls’ Coaches Association all-
star game resulted in her selection as
Most Valuable Player for the contest.
She also played basketball for two
f years, earning all-city and all-district
honors. However, she prefers volley
ball over basketball or softball. Ac-
[ live in the Fellowship of Christian
i Athletes, she was named “Athlete of
| the Year” for the state of Texas by
^ the FCA as a high school senior.
^ “I was six years old when I started
playing volleyball,” Van Brandt said.
“I played CYO (Catholic Youth Or-
ganization) when I was young and
IV./ I o that’s how I got interested in volley
ball. I grew up playing basketball,
volleyball and softball throughout
high school.
“I chose volleyball as a college
sport because of the atmosphere I
had in high school. I was a big time
basketball fanatic in middle school,
but when I got in high school the at-
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mosphere changed. I went through
three coaches in four years. That in
itself was a main effect. I was really
close to my volleyball coach and I
still am.”
Van Brandt’s attitude shows her
loyalty to Texas A&M and her blood
bleeds maroon.
“I love everything about A&M,”
she said. “The camaraderie is great.
I love the ‘Howdy!’ I don’t think I
could have gone to any other univer
sity.”
Van Brandt comes from a close-
knit family of four who has given
her all the inspiration she needs to
be the best that she can be.
“My parents were always there at
everything I did,” she said. “They
still try to come watch me as much as
possible. They have always been be
hind me in everything I do.”
As co-captain and one of the set
ters of the 1987 women’s volleyball
team, Van Brandt said she has a re
sponsibility to her team so she must
be aggressive.
“Being one of the setters of the
team, I have a lot of contacts with the
ball. I don’t mind throwing my body
on the floor and getting bruises.
Athletic wise, if the team is success
ful then individuals are successful.”
With the Lady Aggies’ record
standing at 11-19, Van Brandt said it
has been hard to get emotionally up
for a game.
“It’s been really hard lately to get
psyched up, since we’re losing, ” she
said. “It’s hard to keep a good atti
tude. It relates to life is too short. My
four years are going to be up before
I know it. To get psyched up for a
game, I try to see the game and
who’s playing — visualization in my
mind. The adrenaline comes as soon
as I start to put my uniform on. I’m
proud to wear a Texas A&M uni
form.”
Some people relax by being alone,
Van Brandt relaxes by being around
people.
“I never listen to the radio or
watch TV. I don’t have a TV in my
room so just being around people
helps me. I like to be alone some
times. I was into reading when I was
little but I don’t have time know.”
Van Brandt suggested to always
take parents’ advice.
“I never had to learn anything the
hard way,” she said. “I guess I was
Photo by Jay Janner
Yvonne Van Brandt sets a teammate against New Mexico State ear
lier this year at the Texas A&M Invitational Volleyball Tourna
ment. Michele Whitwell (No. 7) yells support from the side.
FM 105
pretty lucky. I stayed away from
drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. My
parents always taught me whatever I
stood for I needed to stand up and
believe that.
“They taught me not to let peers
pressure you into anything. I think
whatever you’re going to stand for
you need to know why you’re stand
ing for it, you need to believe in it,
and stand firm. You should have
something to back up what you
stand for.”
To know Van Brandt is to live
with her.
“People say I fold my dirty cloth
es,” she laughed, “but I don’t. Well, I
guess I do have a pretty neat room. I
like everything to be organized. My
roommate last year told me ‘You can
be neat. I can try to be neat. But
when you get to the point of folding
your dirty clothes, you’ve gone a
little bit too far.’ ”
“Sexually Speaking”
with
Dr. Ruth
Nov. 13th 2:00 p.m. Rudder Auditorium
Students $4.00 Non-Students $5.00
Tickets on Sale Now
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
MBA
A&M back in AP Top 20 after 4-week absence
Texas A&M replaced Ohio State
in the Associated Press college foot
ball poll Monday, while second-
ranked Nebraska cut into top-rated
Oklahoma’s lead for the third week
Ohio State dropped out following
a 13-7 loss to Michigan State. Texas
A&M won its fourth straight game,
defeating Louisiana Tech 32-3, and
made the Top 20 after a four-week
absence. The Southwest Conference
had not been represented in the Top
20 the last two weeks.
Oklahoma, which has been No. 1
in every poll this season, pounded
Kansas 71-10 and received 38 of 60
first-place votes and 1,173 of a possi
ble 1,200 points from a nationwide
panel of sports writers and sports-
casters.
Nebraska, which defeated Mis
souri 42-7, received 15 first-place
ballots and 1,137 points. The Corn-
huskers have been No. 2 all season
although both teams have identical
8-0 records.
Last week, Oklahoma led Ne
braska 40-13 in first-place votes and
1,176-1,134 in points. The previous
week, it was 42-12 and 1,179-1,134
and the week before that 47-7 and
1,184-1,122.
The remaining seven first-place
votes and 1,108 points went to Mi
ami (Fla.), which is No. 3 for the
sixth consecutive week after defeat
ing East Carolina 41-3.
The top nine teams are the same
as last week. Fourth-ranked Florida
State walloped Tulane 73-14 and re
ceived 987 points, No. 5 LSU beat
Mississippi 42-13 and received 943
points and No. 6 Auburn trimmed
Florida 29-6 and received 906
points.
Seventh-ranked UCLA received
835 points after downing Arizona
State 31-23, No. 8 Syracuse beat Pitt
24-10 and received 798 points and
No. 9 Notre Dame crushed Navy 56-
13 and received 751 points.
Florida, No. 10 last week, slipped
to 17th after losing to Auburn.
Georgia and Clemson, 12th and
14th, respectively, a week ago, are
tied for 10th this week. Georgia was
idle while Clemson beat Wake Forest
31-17.
Oklahoma State is 12th, with Ala
bama and South Carolina tied for
13th, followed by Michigan State,
Penn State, Florida, Indiana, Ten
nessee and A&M.
Last week’s Second Ten consisted
of Indiana, Georgia, Tennessee,
Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama, Ok
lahoma State, Penn State, South Car
olina and Michigan State.
Discuss opportunities for graduate studies
in Business Administration with a
representative.
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 1987
Blocker Building, Room 156
6:00 pm
Ruzek’s 3 field goals
keys Cowboys to win
IRVING (AP) — Roger Ru
zek’s three field goals in the final
4:11 after Jim Jeffcoafs 26-yard
interception return had tied the
game Monday night rallied the
Dallas Cowboys to a 33-24 victory
over the New York Giants, se
verely damaging the playoff
chances of the defending Super
Bowl champions.
The Cowboys improved to a 4-
3 record while the Giants
dropped to 1-6. Washington
leads the NFC East with a 6-1 re
cord.
Ruzek kicked field goals of 34,
49, 40 and 35 yards and Jones, a
defensive end, tipped two passes
that the Cowboys turned into in
terceptions in the fourth quarter.
Ruzek’s four field goals in the
fourth quarter tied a record set by
Garo Yepremian of Detroit in
1966 and Curt Knight of Wash
ington in 1970.
Ruzek’s first field goal of the fi
nal quarter, a 34-yarder with
11:58 left, was followed by a 49-
yarder with 4:11 to play, a 40-
yarder with 2:54 left and a 35-
yarder with 46 seconds to play.
The fickle Dallas fans proved a
big factor in rattling the Giants,
who lost to the Cowboys 16-14 in
September. New York has lost
five of its last six games against
Dallas.
Giants quarterback Phil Simms
was carried off the field with a
sprained medial colateral liga
ment in his left knee with 2:38 to
play after a high-low tackle by
Jeffcoat and Ed “Too Tall” Jones.
The Giants said the injury was
not considered serious and Jeff
Rutledge finished the game.
Simms’ two second-half touch
down passes to Lionel Manuel,
who was wearing a cast for a bro
ken left thumb, gave the Giants a
24-14 lead.
But with 9:53 to play, Jeffcoat
took a deflected pass and re
turned it 26 yards for a touch
down to tie the game 24-24. Jones
tipped the ball just like he did in
1985 against the Giants and
Simms when Jeffcoat ran 65
yards for a touchdown.
Manuel, who broke his thumb
early in the season, caught scor
ing passes of 50 and 33 yards af
ter Dallas had built a 14-10 half
time lead.
Dallas parlayed a big break into
the four-point lead when Tony
Galbreath fumbled and line
backer Jesse Penn recovered at
the New York 18. Dallas quar
terback Danny White hit tight
end Doug Cosbie with a two-yard
scoring pass with 26 seconds left
in the half.
The Cowboys had turned the
critical crowd quickly in their fa
vor by scoring the second time
they had the ball on Herschel
Walker’s one-yard dive.
Pokes' Gogan inherits
Pozderac's job on line
MSC JORDAN INSTITUTE
for
INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS
General Committee Meeting
Wednesday, November 4,1987 7:15 p.m.
Rudder Tower Room 308
Committee Picture will be taken on
Wednesday, Nov. 4 1987 at 6:30 p.m.
on Zachry Engineering Steps
Offices located in the MSC Browsing Library
2nd Floor MSC Telephone 845-8770
IRVING (AP) — Rookie Kevin
Gogan has inherited one of the alba
tross positions of the Dallas Cow
boys: offensive right tackle.
The Cowboys’ haven’t had a Pro
Bowl performer there since Rayfield
(The Big Cat) Wright in the early
1970s.
Dallas thought Phil Pozderac, 6-9,
280-pounder from Notre Dame
might be the answer of the 1980s but
his No. 75 jersey became more fa
mous for other things. Like, “Hold
ing No. 75.”
“He was the most famous lineman
in the NFL for all the wrong rea
sons,” said offensive line Coach Jim
Erkenbeck. “There’s no question
Phil was a marked man.”
Pozderac, a fifth-round draft pick
in 1983, suffered two critical holding
calls that negated big Dallas gains in
a 17-14 loss to the eventual Super
Bowl champion New York Giants.
“The referees just started looking
for me,” he said. “It was a reputation
I guess I would have had for my en
tire playing career. ”
Two weeks ago Pozderac retired
to enter into private business. No
other player was given his number.
Gogan has number 66.
Gogan, a 1986 eighth-round draft
pick from the University of Wash
ington, was thrust into the fray last
week in a 37-20 loss to Philadelphia.
“Kevin did very, very well,” said
Erkenbeck. “He’s a big strong Irish
kid with a nasty temper. He’s got a
great attitude. He just needs some
help on his techniques. He needs a
lot of work, but he’s not playing that
bad for a rookie.”
Gogan said he didn’t figure he
could crack into the starting lineup
this year.
“I was surprised at Phil’s deci
sion,” Gogan said. “I thought he was
looking pretty good. But now that I
have my chance I’m going to try to
make the most of it. I don’t want to
look bad on national television
across the nation.”
He added, “football is football and
I think I’m catching on fast. The
problem is that there is so much to
learn.”
The Cowboys (3-3) could have two
rookies in their offensive line going
into tonight’s critical NFC East show
down with the Giants, who are 1-5
and hoping to stay alive for the play
offs.
Guard Jeff Zimmerman, a third-
round draft choice from Florida,
was a starting left guard last week
because Nate Newton underwent ar
throscopic surgery for a knee injury.
“I thought Jeff handled himself
well in his first game,” said Dallas
Coach Tom Landry. “Of course, the
Giants have the best defense in our
division. We’ll have to see how well
he does against their great front
line.”
Zimmerman reported to camp
overweight and caught considerable
heat from Erkenbeck.
“He was out of shape but he’s
really coming around now,” said Er
kenbeck.
D
MSC
Political
Forum
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the next
President
of the
United States?
Come find out how at
MSC Political Forum's
General Committee Meeting!
Tuesday, November 3
8:30 P.M.
410 Rudder
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political programming committee whose goals are to bring quality
political programs to the University and to promote
student development among our members.
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