Section B·Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
Friday, April 28, 2000
Sophomore tennis player Alex Barragan returns a shot. Barragan won 17-17 in singles competition his first year but is only 7-20 this season. Kansas file photo
Barragan suffers case of slumps
Men's tennis sophomore tries to regain early success
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
By Brent Wasko
Alex Barragan has been walking away from tennis matches with his head down more often than he would like to this season.
Barragan had a successful freshman season as a member of the Kansas men's tennis team. But this year has been a stark contrast for the sophomore. He went 17-17 in singles competition during his first year. This season, however, he has the worst record on the squad at 7-20.
"This season has been really tough for me," he said. "I haven't been able to play at 100 percent because of some injuries. I've been trying every day to get everything in my game back together."
In 1998, Barragan, a native of Toluca,
Mexico, began his jayhawk tennis career by
winning the Middle Tennessee State Fall
Classic. He also advanced to round 16 at the
Region Five Championships.
So what happened? Kansas coach Mark
Riley said he thought Barragan's early success might be part of his problem this sea son.
"After you have a good year, you sometimes set too many goals for yourself," he said. "He's just in a slump right now, but it only takes one or two matches to break out of it."
Barragan came into the spring season with a 2-6 record but was still placed in the team's No. 3 singles position. As the season progressed, Riley decided to drop Barragan to the No. 5 spot in the lineup. His confidence has dropped to the point that Barragan questions every aspect of his game.
"Sometimes I feel like I left him at the No. 3 spot for too long." Riley said. "I still think he's hitting the ball the same, but he doesn't have the same confidence."
Barragan began his spring season by losing four straight matches, and he continued to struggle. The change to No. 5 singles has helped him a bit, with a 2-3 record since the change.
"I sometimes feel like I'm not motivated enough out there," Barragan said. "I think part of my problem is that I didn't work hard enough on my fitness during the summer."
Injuries have plagued Barragan all spring. He suffered from pain in his lower back, forearms and knees at different times throughout the season. Barragan said he planned to work out this summer to avoid the injury problems next year.
"I'm going to work a lot harder during this summer on my fitness," Barragan said. "I plan on playing in some tournaments too."
Barragan said he also needed to work on other parts of his game if he hoped to break out of his slump.
"My serve and volley are going to have to get a lot stronger," he said. "I also need to be more prepared physically and mentally for my matches."
Riley added that despite Barragan's recent slump, he sees a bright future ahead for the player.
"We've been trying to get him to go back to the basics," he said. "Sometimes if you try to do too much too quickly, it can make the situation worse. He just needs to get his confidence back."
Barragan and the Jayhawks will be back in action today against Oklahoma State starting at 11 a.m. at the Big 12 Championships in Kansas City, Mo.
By Brent Wasko
Kansan sports writer
The Kansas men's tennis team is set to face Oklahoma State, one of its biggest rivals, today in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championships in Kansas City, Mo.
Controversy surrounded the Jayhawks' match with the Cowboys earlier this season. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association overturned the Cowboys' 4-3 victory on April 2 against the Jayhawks because of illegal lineup changes. Kansas coach Mark Riley said that decision should make today's 11 a.m. contest at the Plaza Tennis Center even more competitive.
"There's bad blood between these two teams any way you look at it," Riley said. "They've always been one of our oldest rivals. Whoever keeps their poise will win this match."
The Big 12 Championships are significant for the fourth-seeded Jayhawks. They are heading into today's contest with a 9-11 record and are on the qualifying bubble for the NCAA Tournament. Riley said if the Jayhawks beat fifth-seeded Oklahoma State, Kansas could make it into the tournament.
"If we are able to get by Oklahoma State, we are putting ourselves in the final four of one of the
strongest conferences in the country," Riley said. "Hopefully, we'll be selected because of our strength of schedule."
there's one problem though: The Jayhawks haven't been playing their best tennis the last few weeks, losing three consecutive matches. Oklahoma State, on the other hand, is 11-7 overall and has moved its national rank up to No. 50.
Leading the way for the Cowbys will be their No. 1 doubles squad of Eru Lyndon and Matt Prentice. The pair, 13-5, is ranked No. 46 in the country.
Team captain Bryan Maier, the lone senior for the Jayhawks this season, will be honored before today's match.
"We are going to have to come out and win the doubles point," Maier said. "We need to lay everything out on the line. I would assume they are not happy about what happened with our match earlier this season."
If Kansas were to defeat the Cowboys, the Jayhawks would face the winner of the No. 8 Colorado-No.1 Baylor match-up at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
The No. 8 Buffaloes squeaked by Nebraska 4-3 yesterday and advanced to the quarterfinals, while Baylor is the tournament's No. 1 seed. The Big 12 championship match is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Softball sets sights on stopping Sooners
By Rebecca Barlow
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
With a four-game winning streak on the line and the possible satisfaction of beating the No. 5 team in the nation, the Kansas softball team would like nothing better than to hand Oklahoma a loss.
But a win won't come easy. Nebraska, No. 2 in the Big 12, is the only team in the conference that has defeated the Sooners, which are 53-6 and 15-1 in the Big 12.
Both Kansas and Oklahoma are coming off a pair of wins earlier this week. Kansas beat Wichita State on Wednesday and Oklahoma shut out Oklahoma City on Tuesday.
"I think we are definitely out of our slump and everybody is feeling good," said right fielder Katie Malone. "We need to put things together this weekend in all parts of the game."
The Sooners shut out the Jayhawks 30 earlier this season in the Adidas
Classic tournament in Norman, Okla. on February 26.
Wings won't be any easier now. The Sooners have a powerhouse offense and a pitching staff that doesn't give up many hits.
Oklahoma bats .336 as a team and has two players hitting better than .400 and six players hitting better than .300.
They are led by junior shortstop Lisa Carey, who is batting .408. She has tallened 71 hits, 50 runs and 54 RB. She's scored 17 runs in conference games, which is more than Kansas has scored as a team during conference play.
Oklahoma's pitching staff is loaded, too, with a 1.45 ERA average among three pitchers. Jennifer Stewart leads the Sooners with a record of 26-5 and a 1.19 ERA. Pitcher Lana Moran follows closely with a 21-1 record and a 1.39 ERA.
In the Feb. 26 loss, shortstop Christy McPhail was the only Jayhawk to get a hit on Moran.
"Their pitchers have done really
KANSAS VS. OKLAHOMA
KANSAS VS. OKLAHOMA
Records: Kansas, 30-27 overall and 5-
9 in the Big 12, vs. Oklahoma, 53-6
overall and 15-1 in the Big 12
When: 2 p.m. tomorrow and 1 p.m.
Sunday in Norman, Okla.
Probable Starters:
Sarah Clopton, 15-11
Melanie DeWinter, 8-15
well," said catcher and designated player Leah Tabb. "They also have been able to execute and play good offense. Many of the girls have played with each other before playing for Oklahoma."
Tabb said she was looking forward to playing the Sooners because four of them were former teammates of hers from the Oklahoma Jitterbugs club team.
"I think it will be fun," Tabb said. "We wish the best of luck to each other."
The first game will be played at 2 p.m. tomorrow, and the second game will be at 1 p.m. Sunday in Norman.
kansan.com
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