The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

Salukis aim to shuck the Huskers

The Salukis will play David to the Huskers' Goliath when Big 12 powerhouse Nebraska comes to Carbondale Saturday.

The women's swimming and diving team will host Nebraska, a substantially larger school with a very competent team that handed the Salukis a loss last season.

But Rick Walker said if the Huskers make the mistake of being cocky as they step into the pool, the Salukis will quickly capitalize on it, no matter how large the school is.

Walker, head coach for SIU's swimming and diving teams, said he isn't intimidated and neither are the Saluki women.

"As a coach, I'm not intimidated by anybody," Walker said. "The size of their school only makes me drool more. The size of their budget only makes me drool more."

Walker's salivation aside, he knows avenging last season's defeat will be a difficult task.

The Huskers are coached by Pablo Morales, a 1992 Olympic gold medallist in the 100-meter butterfly and former world record holder in the same event. His leadership could be a huge factor.

Should the Salukis lose, it wouldn't distance them from their ultimate goal of a Missouri Valley Conference championship at the end of the season.

The thought of losing may motivate the Saluki women to prove themselves against a team with more resources available, which is exactly what Walker wants.

"I've always said about our guys that we're a better hungry team than we ever were the prey," Walker said. "I think these girls are equally good hunting as when they are the prey."

Senior Nadine Shawah won the three-meter dive against Nebraska last season and said she is optimistic about facing it again.

"It's good to go against better teams, because they make us better in the long run," Shawah said.

It's almost a certainty the Salukis won't be able to dominate the Huskers like they did against Evansville last Saturday, where they made a clean sweep of all 13 events.

However, the Salukis have the advantage of being home Saturday, with familiarity adding to their chances of victory.

"Being at home is great," Shawah said. "Knowing the diving boards going in is a huge advantage."

Saturday's event is between the women only, so the men's teams will not be competing. Shawah said it will be a little strange without the men warming up with them before the meet.

"They always pump us up before the meets," Shawah said. "But I'm sure the men will come here and cheer us on."