Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
SEE PAGE 3B
Monday
November 29,1999
Section:
B
Page 1
Senior Tori Holtmeier started for only the second time in her Kansas career during Saturday's 3-0 loss to Colorado.
Big 12 football
SEE PAGE 4B
Nebraska kept its slim chances for a spot in the Sugar Bowl alive with a 33-30 overtime win against Colorado on Friday.
Kansas golf
Kansas golfer Ryan Vermeer finished fifth Tuesday at the All-American tournament in El Paso, Texas.
SEE PAGE 2B
Contact the Kansan
(785) 004-6011
(785) 864-0391
ports@kansan.com
Sports Desk:
Sports Fax:
Sports e-mail:
Kansas senior Mary Beth Albrecht soars sending a spike into Colorado territory. The Jayhawks celebrated night last Saturday but fell short against the Buffaloes losing three games to none. Photo by Chad Cummings/KANSAN
Loss ends five Kansas careers
"I really am proud that I played volleyball at the University of Kansas and that I am a Jayhawk."
Mary Beth Albrecht
Senior outside hitter
By Shawn Hutchinson
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
In the aftermath of the Kansas volleyball team's season-ending loss to No. 21 Colorado Saturday night at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center, all senior Mary Beth Albrecht could do was think positive.
"Of course we wanted to win," said Albrecht, an outside hitter. "Every game you want to win. But for me now, it's over. I just want to enjoy it, and I want to focus on the great teammates that I had and all the sentimental things."
The Jayhawks were sentimental on Saturday night, when they bid farewell to five seniors and watched their once-promising season come to a close in with a 3-0 loss to Colorado.
Kansas, which finished its season at 17-14 overall and 8-12 in the Big 12 Conference, entered the match on the heels of a 3-2 loss at Iowa State Wednesday night in Ames. The Cyclones celebrated their first victory since Sept. 4 and their only Big 12 victory this season.
Because of that loss, Kansas knew its NCAA tournament hopes likely had vanished.
Essentially, the Jayhawks were playing for pride against Colorado.
However, pride didn't factor much into games one and two, when Colorado dominated on its way to 15-9 and 15-11 victories.
The problem for the Jayhawks was stopping Colorado middle blocker Kristin Engelking, who had 22 kills and no errors on the night. Settler Kelly Campbell, a 6-foot-1 All-America candidate, also provided a spark for the Buffaloes with 61 assists and seven digs.
"Engeling got away from us a little bit," Kansas coach Ray Bechard said. "The adjustment that was difficult was Kelly Campbell being so tall that she takes the ball so high. When she sets it quick there's not enough time for us to adjust."
of our season," Bechard said. "Just on the edge. On the edge of being a top 25 and a NCAA tournament team. Obviously those are games that you have to finish."
The defeat, which was the Jayhawk's fifth straight, signaled the finish to the careers of Albrecht, middle blockers Amanda Reves and Anné Kreimer, outside hitter Tori Holtmeier, and defensive specialist Kristi Kiyabu. All five were honored after the match in a senior night ceremony.
The Jayhawks started to adjust in the third game, jumping out to a 4-10 lead and serving with a 14-10 lead. But Colorado bounced back behind three kills from outside hitter Josee Roberge and captured a 17-15 victory.
"That third game was somewhat of a microcosm
Reves had a team-high 19 kills, while Kreimer added 11. Albrecht and Holmmeier had nine and seven kills, respectively. Kilyabu played in one game and picked up an ace and a dig.
"I'm so proud of everything that team stands for," Albrecht said. "I really am proud that I played volleyball at the University of Kansas and that I am a Jawkah."
Volleyball notes:
■ Last night, Reves was selected to the Big 12 first team by the conference's coaches. Also, junior outside hitter Amy Meyt received honorable mention.
—Edited by Katrina Hull
Kansas wins shootout title for first time
Batt Tait
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
After two previously unsuccessful trips to the Last Frontier, the Kansas men's basketball team won its first Great Alaska Shootout title this holiday weekend, winning three games by an average of 22 points per game.
Saturday's championship game against unranked and previously undefeated Georgia Tech completed the tournament as the No. 10 Jachayns hawks staved off a couple
5
of Yellow Jacket attacks and captured the book 84-70.
"We feel great about winning the championship and playing three games against top competition," Kansas coach Roy Williams said.
The story of the tournament, particularly the final game, was the play of freshman Drew Gooden, who was
Gooden: Named tournament's Most Valuable Player
named the tournament's most valuable player.
"For a freshman to come here and win the MVP in a tournament of this quality really says a lot for his ability," Williams said.
Gooden's 20 points and 11 rebounds Saturday locked up the MVP honor, but his play in the previous two games laid the foundation.
In Wednesday's tournament opener, an 88-78 win against Georgia, Gooden chipped in 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
Following an explosive second-half performance in a 111-70 victory against Xavier on Friday, the 'Hawks jumped out early against Georgia Tech, building a 13-5 lead. From there, the Jayhawks controlled the tempo, except for the final two minutes of the first half.
Although Kansas led by 14 with less than two minutes remaining in the half, Georgia Tech scored four points, cut Kansas' lead to 10 and had the momentum going into the locker room
But the 'Hawks countered at the start of the second half. Upping its lead to 22 at one point, Kansas continued to use a pressure defense and a relentless rotation of fresh bodies to wear down the Yellow Jackets.
Georgia Tech, however, managed to produce one final run that lasted about three minutes midway through the second half. Kansas turnovers and dead-eye three-point shooting by Georgia Tech guard Tony Akins, who
See BIG on page 2B
Jayhawks feast on foes in holiday victory
Bv Melinda Weaver
Though members of the Kansas women's basketball team could not spend Thanksgiving with
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
their families, it was a great holiday for them as they defeated Louisville 78-68 in the championship game of the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, Alaska.
Led by the tournament's most outstanding player, senior forward Lynn Pride, who scored 19 points in eight of 12 shooting, Kansas broke six tournament records: points scored (147), fewest points allowed (108), field-goal percentage (48 percent), free-throw percentage (80 percent), most rebounds (81) and most assists (33).
Pride: Scored 19 points in championship game
Louisville was led by guard Jill Morton, who scored a tournament-high 33 points in her two
games, and only trailed at halftime by four points. 38-34.
Louisville never could close the gap in the second half, and the Jayhawks' scoring attack took off. With 11:49 remaining, Kansas captured an 11-point lead, 58-47. The closest Louisville would come was five points with 9:14 remaining and again with 3:05 remaining.
"It was good to see us run our offensive options," Coach Marian Washington said. "Against Houston, we ran the options through a few times, but in the second game, every time we went up the floor, we were getting ourselves in the position to run the options. We had a lot of people play well and contribute."
After Louisville closed the Kansas lead to five the second time, senior guard Suzi Raymant hit a three-pointer, giving Kansas an eight-point lead.
Four Kansas players scored in double figures against Louisville. Raymant had 17 points and 13
rebounds, and junior guard Jennifer Jackson and junior forward Brooke Reves each scored 13 points.
"The best thing that we looked at after the Louisville game was how Lynn (Pride) didn't have nearly as much problem scoring because Louisville had to concentrate on everyone." Jackson said. "Suzi (Raymant) had a great game, and Brooke (Reves) had a great tournament. We were really able to take the ball to the basket with authority."
Reves also was a key player in Kansas' 69-40 victory against Northern Arizona in the tournament opener on Tuesday. She led the team in scoring, with 19 points in seven of 14 shooting and five of six from the free-throw line.
Pride added 11 points and eight rebounds, and junior forward Jaclyn Johnson scored nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Kansas' next match will be at home where it will play host to the Jayhawk Classic Friday and Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas will play against Loyola Marymount Friday and either UC-Santa Barbara or Brigham Young on Saturday.
—Edited by Mike Loader
By Mike Miller
By Mike Miller
sports@kanson.com
Kansas sportswriter
Senior guard Dameon Hunt, junior fullback Moran Norris and junior punter Joey Pelfarian were
Twelve Kansas players were named to the coaches' 1999 Big-12
named to the third-team All-Big 12. Senior center Chris Enneking, junior quarterback Dylen Smith, senior wide receiver Michael Chandler and sophomore Harrison
Nesnith: Nicknamed "The Butcher" by his teammate
team, including Carl Nesmith,
who is the first Jayhawk to be
selected for the first team since
linebacker Ron Warner in 1997.
Hill were selected honorable mention All-Big 12 offense, and senior defensive ends Dion Rayford and Dion Johnson, sophomore linebacker Andrew LeClair and junior linebacker Tim Bowers were selected honorable mention All-Big 12 defense.
Nesmith and Smith, both junior college transfers, didn't even start until midway through the season, but they finished among the Big 12's statistical leaders.
Nesmith, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound safety, played wide receiver at Butler County Community College, but the coaching staff moved him to defense before the season to take advantage of his size and aggressiveness. He was second among the Jayhawks in total tackles with 89, and he led the team with three interceptions, but his hitting ability was probably what impressed the coaches the most.
Nicknamed "The Butcher" by his teammates, Nesmith emerged as
See ALL-CONFERENCE on page 3B
1.
---