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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
FRIDAY. NOVEMBER 4. 2005
TENNIS
One Super Challenge served to tennis team
The Jayhawks face tough competition at the fall season's final meet — but they're ready
BY ERIC JORGENSEN
ejorgensen@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
The Kansas tennis team will use this weekend's tournament, the Western Michigan Super Challenge, as a platform to leap past last year's results.
The tournament, at Kalamazoo, Mich., will mark the end of the fall season for the Jayhawks. As the team heads into the weekend's meet, Kansas could find itself with a brighter future than it had one year ago, when it lost in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament.
This weekend, Kansas will test its improved game against DePaul, Indiana, Northwestern, Purdue and Western Michigan, which will give the players one more opportunity to showcase their talents.
"There are lots of strong players at the tournament, and it should be a good chance for us to improve," sophomore Stephanie Smith said.
Six of the tournament players have Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles rankings, and
The tournament will mark the end of the fall season for the Jayhawks. As the team heads into the weekend's meet, Kansas could find itself with a brighter future than it had one year ago, when it lost in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament.
three doubles teams hold ITA rankings, including two in the top 20.
The talent-laden field does not faze the Jayhawks. Junior Brittany Brown and senior Christine Skoda will play doubles together, like they have all season.
"We can beat them," Brown said. "Skoda has been playing well, and I've been playing better in practice."
The proficient opposition
will test the players more than it will intimidate them. The team wants to end the final meet with peak performance.
"We've worked this whole fall," Brown said. "Since it's the last tournament of the fall, everyone wants to end on a good note. All of us will have a lot of energy."
Kansas has excelled against talented challengers this season. Freshman Ksenia Bukina upset the No. 1-seeded player, Maja Kovacek of New Mexico, in the ITA regional championship two weekends ago.
The Super Challenge provides ample opportunity for the Jayhawks to surprise more audiences.
"The level of competition is good," Smith said. "It will test us. We're excited about ending the fall at this level."
The tournament lasts from Friday, Nov. 4, through Sunday, Nov. 6. Following the tournament's conclusion, the team will not play until Jan. 22 against Ball State at the start of the spring season.
— Edited by Becca Evanhoe
been a lot of coaches that have come off the field and said 'You guys are a great team, one of the best we've seen' and those are people in our conference and outside of it."
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Besides simply wanting to advance further into the post-season, Smith joins four other seniors in their last run at the national title. Although they never let their focus slip from what's best for the team, Francis said
EXIT
he thought there might be a little more anxiety for his seniors.
Senior forward Jessica Smith put Kansas' fate in perspective, keeping in mind that although the team's numbers were solid, a tournament bid wasn't automatic.
"As of right now, we're not even sure if we're going to go," Jessica Smith said. "At this point, you can't take anything for granted."
If the Jayhawks fail to advance, Kansas has to look at a 2006 squad minus four forwards and one goalkeeper. A majority of the team's offensive production, including all-time leading scorer Caroline Smith, will graduate this May, and the seniors want to see that talent put to use for a final time.
"Losing us five seniors will be tough to replace, but they're only going to be better next year than they were this year," Caroline Smith said.
NFL
"I just want to be successful with this team," she said. "I want to be a part of some of the stuff they get to do and help them set the standard."
— Edited by Anne Burgard
Denis Porov/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kansas Chiefs quarterback Trent Green, right, throws a pass under pressure from San Diego Chargers' Luis Castillo, left, during the Chargers 28-20 victory Sunday in San Diego. Green's father died three days earlier.
Several Chiefs questionable for match-up with Raiders
BY DOUG TUCKER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Coach Dick Vermeil raised the possibility Thursday that quarterback Trent Green may not start for Kansas City on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders.
Green was in St. Louis on Wednesday for services for his father and was expected to return the next day and dive into game preparation. But Vermei said Green also was absent from a practice on Thursday that was scaled-down, anyway, because of a swath of injuries that's hit both offense and defense.
Green has made a team-record 71 starts and been one of the most efficient passers in the league since coming over from St. Louis in a trade in 2001.
Jim Green died suddenly at the age of 58 on Oct. 27. Three days later, in a display of courage and professionalism that drew praise from both teams, his son had his best game of the year, throwing for 347 yards and two touchdowns against San Diego.
Vermeil declined to address the question when asked if backup Todd Collins might start.
"I'm not going to say" he told reporters at his post-practice news conference.
veteran such as Green would have much to digest in just a couple of days.
But Vermeil admitted he was concerned about Green trying to start against the Raiders after missing so much practice time this week.
"I'll have to talk with him about it," he said. "When he gets in, we'll discuss it."
The Chiefs run a complicated system that utilizes different shifts and motions, and even a
"We aren't doing anything he hasn't done before within the offense. Now, he might not have done it the last two or three weeks or four weeks or whatever." Vermei said.
"We have a huge volume of offense that's been coached all through the (offseason) and the minicamp and training camp that he's been involved in," he said. "I just want to see how he feels and then go from there."
In the meantime, many of Green's key teammates are hobbled and may not be ready for the Raiders.
"They're not all out yet," Vermeil said. "We're preparing to play without certain people and it'll be a plus if they can play."
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