Oregon daily emerald., January 21, 1997, Page 13A, Image 13

Men’s volleyball begins season with tough matches
■ CLUB SPORTS: The Ducks lose to
Portland State but beat Pacific
By Rob Moseley
Freelance Sports Reporter
The Oregon men’s volleyball club team
got off to a 1-1 start this season after split
ting matches with Portland State and Pacif
ic over the weekend.
In Saturday’s contest, the Ducks faced a
Portland State team fresh off its first victory
in 38 matches, with a win over Lane Com
munity College.
Led by the play of hitters Brian Berdanier
and Chris Finseth, Oregon raced to a 15-5
victory in the first game. It appeared that
Portland State’s lack of a head coach and
bench players would not be too much to
overcome. However, the Ducks were un
able to match the intensity of the first game
through the rest of the match.
"We relaxed after the first game,” said
Oregon head coach Andy Isogai, “and they
stepped it up a notch. We just didn’t re
spond.”
In the second game, the teams traded
points. The Ducks struggled to maintain
momentum, and Portland State fought to
avoid a 2-0 deficit. Their efforts were suc
cessful as the Vikings took the set 17-16.
By the third game, it was clear that the
Ducks didn’t have what it took to overcome
the dispiriting loss of the second game. The
Vikings sailed to a 15-8 win and scored the
inevitable victory in the
match by capturing the
fourth game 15-7.
SRORftS
On Sunday, the
Ducks welcomed their
opponents from Pacific,
and the intense rivalry
between the teams was
obvious. Each game was a battle with the
teams trading points all afternoon.
Showing they had recovered from the
previous day’s loss, the Ducks flew out of
the blocks taking a quick 14-4 lead. Howev
er, Pacific gained 12 consecutive points,
and communication problems among the
Ducks became apparent. The Ducks de
buted their new setter Brian Riehm this
weekend, and mishaps between Riehm and
his hitters cost the Ducks points all day.
In the second game, the Ducks again
found themselves serving for the game but
could not seal the victory and lost 17-15.
After a stirring talk with the team be
tween games, Isogai attempted to overcome
a 2-0 deficit to Pacific.
And he did.
The Ducks took the next three games
from Pacific for the 3-2 win behind the
serve of Oregon’s Josh Eagle.
Fox expands its network into South
■ SPORTS NETWORK: Rupert
Murdoch launches new
network right under Ted
Turner’s nose
The Associated Press
ATLANTA — Ted Turner and
Rupert Murdoch don’t like each
other. Still, right there on the sixth
floor of Turner’s CNN Center is
Murdoch’s newest venture, Fox
Sports South.
How did Murdoch become a
tenant of his biggest nemesis?
How did Turner let Murdoch’s
Fox logo wind up in the down
town Atlanta building that houses
his broadcasting empire?
It all began when Turner, who
founded SportSouth in 1990 as a
regional cable TV outlet for his
sports programming, sold his in
terest in the network to alleviate
antitrust concerns while pushing
through his merger with Time
Warner.
SportSouth’s other owner, Lib
erty Media, entered into an agree
ment with the Murdoch-owned
Fox Network, which had been
gobbling up other regional sports
networks as well.
Now, joining Fox Sports Mid
west, Fox Sports Northwest, Fox
Sports Rocky Mountain and Fox
Sports West is Fox Sports South,
which makes its debut Tuesday as
part of Fox Sports Net. With 5.8
million subscribers in Georgia, Al
abama, Mississippi, Tennessee,
Kentucky, North Carolina and
South Carolina, Fox Sports South
edges out Madison Square Garden
Network with 5.4 million as the
largest regional sports network in
the country.
“We had a terrific launching
pad with Turner Broadcasting be
cause of its history and credibility
with professional and collegiate
sports in the Southeast,” said
Hunter Nickell, general manager
of the network. “For us, going
from SportSouth to Fox Sports
South works pretty well. It’s just
spelled a little differently.”
Two of Turner’s teams, base
ball’s Atlanta Braves and the NBA
Atlanta Hawks, will remain a vital
part of Fox Sports South’s pro
gramming, despite the feud that
looms over this new arrangement.
The enmity between Turner
and Murdoch became public last
year after Time Warner refused to
carry Murdoch’s Fox News Chan
nel on its important New York
City cable system. Turner has
gone so far as to compare Mur
doch to Adolf Hitler, saying he
“controls the media for his own
personal benefit.”
“I think the feud is really at the
top,” said Jamie Kimbrough, di
rector of public relations at Fox
Sports South. “The Turner people
are friends of ours and will contin
ue to be friends of ours. I don’t see
it bleeding down to our level.”
But, he added, “That doesn’t
mean there couldn’t be some deci
sions on high that could make it
like that.”
The tension created by the
Turner-Murdoch clash is evident
in Nickell’s voice when he’s asked
how it affects the newest Fox net
work.
“That's an appropriate ques
tion, but I just can’t comment on
it,” he said tersely. "I’m just trying
to do my job.”
In reality, both sides need each
other, at least when it comes to
Fox Sports South.
Baseball: Johnson still not 100 percent
■ Continued from Page 9A
four times a week at a therapy center here. He owns a
home in the Phoenix area.
Johnson admits he’s still not feeling 100 percent.
“I still have a few symptoms in my legs but noth
ing like I had prior to my surgery,” he said. “I occa
sionally have a burning sensation in my toes, usually
after I really fatigue my back.”
Mariners pitchers and catchers are scheduled to
report to Peoria on Feb. 14.
“I hope a lot of this irritation will be gone in the
next four weeks and dissipate even more in spring
training,” Johnson said. “I know I’m going to have to
take it slow in spring training, but the real test is go
ing to be when I start facing batters and even more
importantly, how I respond the following day.”
Johnson was a workhorse for Lou Piniella before
his back woes. In 1993, Piniella’s first season as Seat
tle manager, Johnson made 34 starts and pitched 255
1-3 innings in going 19-8.
He began experiencing discomfort in his back,
right thigh and calf last April 26, while pitching
against the Brewers in Milwaukee.
It wasn’t just one game though.
“Over the years, the constant pounding took its
toll,” he said. “It had a snowball effect.”
Johnson has had to change his lifestyle. He hasn’t
picked up a golf club since last April.
A 104-64 career pitcher, he’s looking at his future,
not his past. He can become a free agent after this sea
son and he’d like another big contract.
“This will be a year to prove to myself that I’m
healthy and to prove to other teams that I haven’t lost
anything and am as competitive as ever,” he said.
Have you considered studying in another state?
Why not transport yourself onto a different campus?
NEXT EXPLORATORY MEETING
National Student Exchange Program.
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24th Rnniuersary
Roe us. UJade Celebration
Commemorating the 1973 US Supreme
Court Decision Legalizing Abortion
Thursday, Jan. 23rd
Ben Linder Forum. EMU 12 00 p m.
Two Generations of Women Speak
About Their Experiences Before and
After the Passage of Roe vs. Wade
Followed by Group Discussion and Live Music
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