THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
AGE 6A
WEDNESDAY. OCTOBER 26. 2005
WWW.KANSAN.COM
SOCCER
Broken record
Statistics show two KU players can kick it
BY ALISSA BAUER
abauer@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
Senior forward Caroline Smith broke the Kansas all-time assist record earlier this season.
Smith also leads Kansas in all-time career points, game-winning goals and shots, and holds single-season records in points, goals, game-winning goals and shots.
Smith started as a freshman and has started every game she has played, missing about
Among the most notable record is her dominating hold as the Jayhawks' all-time leading scorer. For her most recent record, she broke the career assist record when she tallied number 20 after feeding a pass to senior forward Jessica Smith, clinching her hat trick against Oklahoma State on Oct. 7.
In her four-year career, Smith has placed herself at the top of nine different categories.
10 matches along the way, she said.
Hilla Rantala, former recordholder and graduate student from Helsinki, Finland, didn't have that much time. Rantala took fewer than 27 games.
"I don't care." Rantala said of the individual record. "I mean, I was a forward, so if I didn't have any, then I wasn't doing my job. Obviously, no one is going to have a lot of assists and goals if you don't have a solid defense and a solid midfield who gets you the ball. It's really not an individual sport."
Although today Rantala spends her days at Kansas teaching economics as a graduate teaching assistant while working toward her Ph.D., she once led the program that Smith now commands.
"I didn't even know I had it," Rantala said of her former status as all-time career assist leader. She laughed when she realized she didn't even know where to find her stats.
Between the 1999 and 2001 seasons, Rantala accumulated
Rantala cited the importance of stats as a major difference between American and European soccer.
"Stats only tell one story." Smith said referring to the U.S.'s obsession with numbers.
19 assists, excluding the entire 2000 season when she took a redshirt because of injury.
The knee injury that provoked missing Rantala's original senior season added to the broken ankle that kept her on the sidelines for half of her junior year, when she broke her ankle 30 seconds into the first game. The forward continued to play on it for six more games.
"You can't tell how good a player is by their stats," Smith said. "It's stupid the way that they do it. The only thing that should matter is whether you get the 'W' or the 'L.'"
"It was pretty painful, and it was my right leg," she said. "So, I couldn't really shoot the ball. It almost seemed like a waste of a year."
SEE RECORD ON PAGE 3B
FOOTBALL
Rylan Howe/KANSAN
Senior linebacker Banks Floodman tackles Colorado senior running back Lawrence Vickers during the second half Saturday in Boulder, Colo. Floodman recorded six tackles during the game while Colorado gained a total of 104 yards rushing.
'Hawks return to home turf
BY RVAN COLAIIANNI
rcolaiani@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Six weeks and four losses. That's what has happened since Kansas last played at Memorial Stadium.
When Kansas left its home field after a 34-14 victory against Louisiana Tech on Sept. 17, the Jayhawks seemed to be in perfect position to qualify for a bowl game.
"It is obviously very nice to get back home and play in front of your fans again," senior linebacker Banks Floodman said. "There couldn't be a better time to come home and play against Mizzou."
The Jayhawks were then outscored 105-36 in their four conference games, three of which were on the road. The other was at a neutral site at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
While Floodman was happy to return to Memorial Stadium he said he enjoyed playing games on the road in hostile environments.
"We have been gone so long we are excited to play anybody," Kansas football coach Mark Mangino said. "We do play well at home, that's good. The downside is that we haven't played as well as we need to on the
road."
Kansas has been a much stronger team at home under Mangino. The Jayhawks are just 3-16 on the road under Mangino while being 12-10 at Memorial Stadium.
Team members are looking at the rest of the season as a four-game season, hoping to qualify for that bowl game. To do that, they will likely have to win all three home games against Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa State.
Because of the road struggles Kansas needs to win three of its last four games to make its second bowl appearance in three years.
"It is going to be nice because you kind of miss the home turf and you kind of miss playing at home and playing in front of your home fans," sophomore running back Brandon McAnderson said. "It will be great to get that feeling again."
McAnderson said the team felt more confident when it played at home.
"We got to get something," senior safety Rodney Fowler said. "We got to get at least six games to get us bowl eligible. That is what us seniors are trying to do."
SEE HOME ON PAGE 3B
VOLLEYBALL
Kansan file photo
PAGE 1B
Set for an upset
Kansas heads to top-ranked Nebraska
BY MATT WILSON
mwilson@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
The Kansas volleyball team will try to reverse its recent fortunes against Nebraska when it takes on the No. 1 Huskers tonight at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln, Neb.
Senior setter Andi Rozum reaches to block a tip by Nebraska freshman outside hitter Jordan Larson during a game at Horejsi Family Athletics Center. The Kansas volleyball team travels to Lincoln, Neb., tonight to battle the No. 1-ranked Cornhuskers again.
Nebraska's athletics department claims that the Huskers have never lost to the Jayhawks in 75 meetings between the two teams. Kansas' records show the Jayhawks winning a match against the Huskers on Oct. 17, 1975 at the Graceland Invitational in Lamoni, Iowa, and trailing the series 74-1-1.
The Huskers also have not lost a match at home since Sept. 11, 2004, a stretch of 24 matches. They have lost only one game total during their streak. They have won 33 consecutive
In that match the Jayhawks held the Huskers to one of their lowest attack percentages of the season. They hit just .292, but they stymied the Jayhawks' attack as well. Kansas hit a meager .071. Nebraska also outblocked Kansas 22.0-4.0. The Huskers have not so much as lost a game in their four matches since that encounter at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center.
Either way it's sliced, it has been total domination by the ladies from Nebraska. Kansas volleyball coach Ray Bechard said he thought this year's team had a chance to end it.
"It seems like they've had their way with everybody," Bechard said. "Arguably, their toughest match was against us this year. Obviously it's going to take a great effort over an extended period of time for it to work out that way."
The Huskers are 19-0 overall and 10-0 in the Big 12 Conference. They defeated the Jayhawks 3-1 on Oct. 8 in Lawrence.
Nebraska has held down the nation's top ranking since the preseason College Sports TV/American Volleyball Coaches Association poll was released in August.
Nebraska senior middle blocker Melissa Elmer leads the country in blocks with 2.38 per game. In addition she leads the Big 12 with a gaudy .450 attack percentage. In her last 10 matches she is averaging 3.21 kills per game while posting a .521 mark.
With such a daunting task ahead, Kansas senior setter Andi Rozum said the Jayhawks prepared the same as they would against any other team, but there was more fire in their time leading up to the match.
"We know that we are capable of playing with them," Rozum said. "We look at what worked and didn't work last time and try to use that to get ready."
The Jayhawks' recent struggles are well-documented. Five straight losses, one victory in their last seven matches and a
conference matches overall.
4-7 conference record are all statistics that the team would rather not think about. In order to reverse the trend, Rozum said the Jayhawks would have to play their best match of the season.
Junior outside hitter Megan Hill, who has started the last four matches in the absence of injured junior Jana Correa, is feeling more comfortable with every match. She recorded a career-high 13 kills in the Jayhawks' loss to Baylor last Saturday.
As for what the Jayhawks need to do to steal one in Lincoln. Hill made it sound simple.
"Everything is starting to go a little smoother," Hill said. "I got thrown into a good mix of matches, so I feel like I got broken in."
"We just need to be fearless," Hill said. "We've got nothing to lose."
- Edited by Alison Peterson
▼ 'HORN BORN,
'HAWK BRED
TRAVIS ROBINETT
TROBINETT@KANSAN.COM
Jayhawks can make bowl game
Football fans might have difficulty finding reasons to care about the rest of the season now that Kansas has suffered four straight losses. But as slim as the chances may seem, bowl eligibility is still a real possibility.
The rest of the schedule includes three home games: Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa State. The only road game is Texas, which is now No. 1 in the BCS poll. Realistically, Kansas can win only its remaining home games — and Kansas must if it wishes to reach the six victories required to play in a bowl game.
The key for the Jayhawks will be motivation. Football games can work in mysterious ways. Sometimes the outcome is decided by more than the talent on the field. Underdogs can use extra motivation to gain a victory.
First up against the Jayhawks are the Tigers. Don't count Kansas out, even though Missouri has looked much better this year. Missouri is Kansas' biggest rival, which equates to plenty of motivation.
Last season, Kansas went into a game against Missouri with a four-game losing streak and no chance at a bowl game. The Jayhawks won by 17 points. In 2003 they won by 21 points at home when the Tigers had a national ranking. In both games the KU defense all but shut down Missouri's best weapon, senior quarterback Brad Smith, and in both games Kansas was underdog.
Let's assume Kansas defeats Missouri on Saturday. Next up will be Nebraska. The Cornhuskers have defeated the Jayhawks 56 games in a row. After the season, many fans saw this year's game as the best opportunity in a long time to end it.
Without going into more detail about how embarrassing the streak is, the Jayhawks should have no trouble finding extra motivation. Will that carry them to a victory? It's possible. If Kansas can defeat Missouri, it can defeat Nebraska too. Missouri already won 41-24 against Nebraska.
Again, let's assume Kansas wins. Its next game is at Texas, which is the closest thing to a sure loss Kansas will find this season. But forget about Texas; the season finale at home against Iowa State will be for a bowl game and a regular season winning record.
Kansas has been to one bowl game since 1995 and has no winning regular seasons. In 2003, Kansas notched six victories but also had six losses. With such a pivotal accomplishment on the line for the program, motivation will again be easy to find. Also, Iowa State is the easiest opponent left on Kansas' schedule. Iowa State is only 1-3 in conference play, with its only victory against Oklahoma State, which is winless in the Big 12.
For Kansas to reach six victories, it must start by defeating Missouri on Saturday. The Jayhawks should forget about what has already happened and focus on the Tigers, a team they have had no trouble with the last two seasons. A victory might prove to be the turning point for Kansas. The Jayhawks' schedule couldn't have worked out any better.
♦ Robinett is an Austin, Texas,
junior in journalism.