SPORTS UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, February 16, 1994
11
Women's tennis proves it's a match for Texas Longhorns
Team displays strength in loss
The official score book from yesterday's women's tennis match between No.15 Kansas and No.1 Texas reads: Texas 6, Kansas3.
However, that tells only part of the story.
"If they're the No. I team in the country, then I don't think we are that far behind." Kansas coach Chuck Merzbacher said.
Merzbacher said he felt that way because the matches had been so close, especially the No. 1 and No. 4 singles matches. Junior Nora Koves, playing in the No. 1 singles spot for Kansas, had the ardous task of trying to defeat the No. 1 player in the nation, junior Lucid Ludivgova. She almost pulled off the upset, falling 6-2, 4-6, 4-6. Likewise, senior Kim Rogers, playing at the No. 4 spot, had opportunities to win against Texas' sophomore Jill Craybas before succumbing in two set tiebreakers 6-7 (6-7), 6-7 (5).
"Kim had set points in the first set and was leading in the second," Merzbacher said. "Nora's match was very winnable. If we win those, it's 3-3 heading into doubles play."
Doubles play it turned out, was the area in which Kansas had the most success. Coming into the match, Kansas had not lost a doubles match all season. Though that streak was broken, the team of senior Abby Woods and Rogers, playing in the No. 2 doubles spot, beat the fourth-ranked doubles team in the nation. And Kansas' No. 1 team of Koves and junior Rebecca Jensen beat the No. 8 doubles team in the nation.
"Ihad to win something today," Koves said. "We played them pretty even. It seemed like all the little points went Texas' way today. But I guess on this level the little points make a big difference."
Kansas came into doubles play knowing it could not win the overall match because it trailed 5-1. The lone victory in singles came from Jensen, who played in the 3. spot. She defeated Texas senior Joe Miek 6-0, 6-3. With her doubles match victory, Jensen was the only Kansas player who did not lose. But the team's loss soured some of her personal accomplishments.
"I could do no wrong during my singles
match," Jensen said. "I was on fire. But I'm disappointed that we lost the match. We're better than the No. 15 team in the nation. We're at least in the top eight. You have to come here to play, or you're going to go home with a loss."
Texas came to play. The Longhorns showed the kind of determination and mettle that earned them the No.1 ranking in the nation.
"We had heard about how well they did against Notre Dame and how pumped up they were to play us," Cribs said. "That pumped us up."
Merzbacher said Kansas would take the day off tomorrow and then prepare for the weekend's matches, which include a match against No. 9 Mississippi.
"We showed a lot of character and picked up some great doubles wins," Merzbacher said. "Nora and Rebecca beat Moe and Kelly Pace last week. I always say it is hard to beat a good team twice. Rogers and Woods beat No. 4 Ludvigova and Taylor. Ludvigova is tough to beat anywhere, she is like a pro. The girls are excited to be playing because we are playing so well, but we still have a lot to prove."
Richard Devinki / KANSU
Kansas junior Nora Kove, who was ranked 17th nationally going into yesterday's match against Texas, lost to Texas junior Lucie Ludigova, who is ranked first in the nation, 6-2, 4-6, 4-6.
Cowboys to battle injured Jayhawks
By Gerry Fey
Kansan sportswriter
Injuries continue to plague the No. 4 Kansas basketball team as it prepares for its game against Oklahoma State at 7 tonight in Stillwater, Okla.
The game will pair the second and third place teams in the Big Eight Conference. Oklahoma State is 16-7 overall and 5-3 in the conference. The Jayhawks are 21-3 and 6-2, but they may be without senior forward Richard Scott for the second consecutive game. Scott sat out the Kansas State game Saturday and continues to be hampered by a shoulder injury he suffered in a practice Jan. 24.
Kansas coach Roy Williams said he and the trainers would look at Scott before the game and would make a decision on whether he would play.
"We're coming in a little wounded," Williams said. "We're a little banged up right now."
Scott's injury is not Kansas' only worry. Kansas forward Patrick Richey and guard Steve Woodberry, both seniors, also suffered injuries in previous games.
Woodberry is the team's leading scorer, averaging 15.6 points a game, but he too has been stung by the injury bug. Williams said Woodberry was having back problems.
"Patrick injured his ribs in the Nebraska game," Williams said. "But he did a heck of a job for us. He got nine rebounds, but he beat up a little bit."
"He was in quite a bit of pain Friday afternoon in practice before the Kansas State game," Williams said. "We're just trying to get him better every game."
Besides injuries, Kansas will have to deal with an Oklahoma State team that is first in the conference in three-point shooting percentage. Oklahoma State senior guard Randy Rutherford made eight three-pointers against Oklahoma on Feb. 7. The Cowboys won 86-68, and Rutherford set a new Cowboy's single-game record.
Kansas tried to recruit Rutherford during Williams' first year as coach. Williams said he had liked Rutherford's abilities back then but that he really liked them now.
"He has improved since then," he said.
"He can handle the basketball and shoot from the outside."
Combine the Cowboys' outside shooting with their inside game, namely junior center Bryant Reeves, and it adds up to a tough game on the road for Kansas.
When these two teams played Jan. 26, Kansas defeated Oklahoma State 62-61 in overtime on a last-second three-pointer by Woodberry in Allen Field House.
Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton said he was happy with the play from his 7-foot center, nicknamed "Big Country."
"The area where he continues to improve, and people don't give him much credit for, is defense," Sutton said. "He becoming a much better defensive player."
Sutton said both Oklahoma State and Kansas played basically the same type of team defense.
"Roy sprinkles in a little more zone defense than we do," he said. "But the man-to-man philosophies are pretty much the same."
Reeves always has been dominant in the middle on offense, which causes problems for most teams. Big Country is averaging 20.5 points and 9.8 rebounds a game.
"I continue to be amazed at the double and triple teaming he gets," Sutton said. "And he still scores about 20 points a game."
The game will showcase the conference's two tallest players in Reeves and Kansas junior center Greg Ostertag at 7-2. In the teams' previous game, Ostertag scored nine points, grabbed 11 rebounds and held Reeves to 13 points.
Williams said that Ostertag had received some undue criticism from the media for not playing every game as intensely as he did against Oklahoma State. He has recorded double-digit points and rebounds in seven games this season.
"He has quite a few of those double-doubles this season," Williams said. "I think he gets a bad rap sometimes. Yeah, there have been times that I've been unhappy with Greg's performance, but then there have been many times when I've been ecstatic."
"There are two big guys in this conference," Oostert said. "I just wanted to show that he wasn't the only 7-footer in the league."
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Kansas junior center Greg Ostertag blocks a shot by Oklahoma State junior center Bryant Erenes. Kansas won 62-11 in overtime during the game Jan.26 in Lawrence.
Big Eight, SWC linked by possible TV football deal
By Andrew Gilman
Kansan sportswriter
The Big Eight Conference is in the midst of settling a new television contract for the 1996 football season with the Southwest Conference that is estimated at $60 million.
Although the two conferences have decided to merge on the television set, it does not mean that the two will form one conference.
"The TV contract does not require a change in conferences," said Bob Frederick, athletic director. "It may come later, whether that's weeks, months or years, we don't know."
Kansas has received between $800,000 and $1
million from the contract a year, Fredrick said.
With its current contract, the Big Eight Conference receives an average of $7.5 million a year from the College Football Association.
"Starting in 1996, we won't have that money in place," Frederick said. "This will help keep us in business."
The Big Eight and the SWC have no actual deal in place at the moment, Frederick said.
"At this point we're in the information stage," he said. "Right now we're looking for the best offer. We're dealing with ESPN and ABC."
The proposed merger with the SWC comes on the heels of the Southeastern Conference breaking away from the College Football Association.
"The CFA is no longer a viable TV entity beyond 1996," Frederick said.
CBS will be televising SEC games.
The Big Eight also was dealing with both the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big East Conference, as far as TV was concerned, Frederick said. But he said that they have zone their own way.
The ACC is no longer affiliated with the association and has agreed to terms with ABC, ESPN and Jefferson Pilot from 1996 to 2000.
The Big East has agreed to terms with CBS, but the terms of the contract were not announced.
The Big Eight and the SWC merged for television to make their position more attractive, Frederick said, but he was quefk to add that a merger on television did not necessarily lead to a merger on the field.
"The first thing we'll address is the TV situation," he said of the Big Eight athletic directors.
Frederick said that the Conference was not discussing a league change or a realignment at this time.
The Associated Press contributed information to this story.
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