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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Freshman Soucie fills big shoes on the court
IBLAIR SHEADE
bsheade@kansan.com
Freshman Tayler Soucie (10) celebrates with her team during the Sept. 22 game against Notre Dame. Soucie earned Big 12 Conference player of the week honors three times this seas
Coming off a road win against TCU on Saturday, the No. 24 Jayhawks (18-5, 8-2) will host the West Virginia Mountaineers (17-8, 3-6) tonight at the Horejsi Athletic Center.
During the TCU game, freshman middle blocker Tayler Soucie recorded 16 kills on 21 swings with no errors and a 571 hitting percentage, which was her best hitting percentage all season
inning percentage. Soucie was named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week for her performance against Baylor and TCU. She had 22 kills on 37 swings with just one error and four blocks in seven games last week. Soucie earned Big 12 Conference player of the week honors three times this season.
Soucie is only a freshman and she's been given a lot of opportunities to help the Jayhawks this season, but it's normal for new freshmen to contribute quickly. The difference this year is that Soucie is filling Kansas the shoes of standout Taylor Tolefree from last season.
times this season.
"Souci is a little ahead of the curve," coach Ray Beachard said at media day on Monday. "She wants the ball in a big moment ... We knew that shed compete hard and help us, but hitting .350 and blocking almost 1.25 are solid numbers for anyone, let alone a freshman."
"The first day of practice, Coach has expected a lot from me and expected me to step up to play the position Tayler Tolefree played last year," Soucie said. "Her shoes are big shoes to fill in and I was overwhelmed at first, but I'm getting there and getting better."
Soucie and Tolefree coincidental ly spell their first name the same
and play the same position. Their dominance in the middle is also very similar.
"Coaches say 'Taylor taking over for Tayler,' Soucie said.
Soucie, who is the second leading blocker for the Jayhawks behind senior middle blocker Caroline Jarmoc, attributes her success this season to Jarmoc's leadership and guidance from the team seniors.
"It has been good to have Caroline to learn from and have the support from the rest of the team," Soucie said.
The road hasn't always been smooth for the freshman middle blocker, but she's learned a lot so far.
"I have to shake off mistakes and keep going," Soucie said. "You're going to have ups and you're goin'
to have downs, but you have to keep playing. Keep working hard and it will pay off.
Soucie, who had three consecutive double-digit kill games against Iowa State, Baylor and TCU, was the seventh Jayhawk to receive Big 12 Player of the Week this season. Earlier this season, Kansas almost faced a 2-0 deficit before the Jayhawks won three straight sets to
win 3-1 in Morgantown, W. Va. Since joining the Big 12 Conference, the West Virginia Mountaineers, who are currently No. 6 in the Big 12 Conference, are 5-0 against the Jayhawks. Mountainer junior Eynn McCoy leads the Big 12 Conference with 1.5 blocks per set during Big 12 matches. The Mountainers are fifth in blocks per set and third in kills allowed
per set among Big 12 Conference teams.
Soucie and the Jayhawks will try to win their third straight conference game against West Virginia tonight at 6:30 p.m.
— Edited by Kayla Overbey
NEW STRATEGIES
FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK
The Jayhawks hope for their first win against Oklahoma State since 2007.
MATT CORTE
mcorte@kansan.com
Pierson's Potential
Coach Charlie Weis is implementing new strategies for the last four games of the season to help the Jayhawks end this year on a higher note.
If you don't practice, you don't play. This seems to be an age-old rule followed by many coaches and it's no different with Charlie Weis. Last week against Texas, Tony Pierson warmed up and stretched in uniform hoping to play after not participating in practice all week. It seems he never got Weis' memo. Pierson instead rode the bench as the Jayhawks fell 35-13. One has to question whether Tony could have helped a Kansas offense struggling to produce points, but coming off a concussion, it was smart for Weis to protect the short- and long-term health of his player rather than risk it for a win.
Splitting Field Goals
This week Pierson practiced without a red jersey, meaning he's cleared from being monitored. It seems he'll play this Saturday. The timing couldn't be better for Kansas as they prepare to face Oklahoma State — a team scoring just over 40 points per game, good for No.14 in the country. Pierson
still leads the team in receptions with 21 after missing most of the Baylor game and all of the Texas game, so it's no shock that Heaps and the Jayhawk offense desperately needed No. 3 back.
James Sims and Darrian Miller will handle most of the carries in the back field, but if neither prove to be effective Pierson is more than capable of handling the rock. He averaged 6.5 yards per carry last season on 117 carries and has improved this year, averaging 6.7 yards per carry, albeit on only 12 carries.
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Simply put, Tony Pierson is the most diverse, dynamic player on this offense. Every coach loves an athlete with big play potential and Pierson has proved he can be that man in this offense. He hauled in the longest touchdown of the year for Kansas: a 77-yarder against Rice, which is 47 yards longer than any other Kansas touchdown on offense. The Jayhawks hope to use that big play potential against Oklahoma State this weekend in an attempt to beat the Cowboys for the first time since 2007.
Splitting Field Goals Charlie Weis practiced two different field goal units last Wednesday for the first time in his 34-year coaching career, with Matthew Wyman taking first team reps. This week he will continue that trend by practicing two separate teams on field goals. However, heading into Stillwater, Okla., this Saturday, Ron Doherty will be the starting place kicker for Kansas.
The switch happened after the first drive against Texas last Saturday when Wyman missed a 31-yard field goal with the ball hooking left from contact. Putting Doherty in proved to be the right decision, as the senior went 2-2 on field goals and knocked through his only extra point.
Boone Pickens Stadium proved to be a tough environment to play in, and kicking will be no easy task against the Cowboys with 60,000 screaming fans. Every point is crucial in a football game and whether it's Doherty or Wyman out there, they'll have to be on target if the Jayhawks want to come away with a victory.
Come gametime, Doherty will handle the short yardage field goals, but Wyman may be able to redeem himself and help Kansas by making the long ones. Weis stated in his press conference on Tuesday that if there was a field goal from around 55 yards in the Texas game, Wyman would have been sent out to kick it.
Of course, the Jayhawks have a solid rushing attack of their own, ranking No. 96 in the country, which places them in the top third
**Annepaicing the Cowboys**
Running the ball against Oklahoma State may prove to be tough for Kansas, with the Cowboys holding NCAA teams this season to 122.9 yards per game, good for No. 18 in the country. Weis was quick to point out in his press conference that Oklahoma State excels in defense because their best players are all right in the middle. This should be no surprise as the Cowboys had two players from their starting interior lineman, safety and middle linebacker positions selected to a Preseason All-Big 12 team.
The Jayhawks' run defense will also be tested on Saturday, as Oklahoma State boasts the 55th best rushing boost in the country, churning out 180 yards per game. Although Big 12 teams are known to spread out the ball and
of D-1 teams. Pierson's return should also help Kansas run the ball more effectively, as his speed in the passing game will keep most of the secondary from creeping up to stop the run.
throw, it's the run game that opens the opportunity to make plays downfield.
If Kansas is able to outrush Oklahoma State and give Heaps chances to throw, it could mean a win for the Jayhawks. If not, and Oklahoma State bullies Kansas to the ground, look for the Cowboys to control the ball and stay on cruise control all game.
Edited by Kayla Overbey
The University of Kansas School of Business presents Global Entrepreneurship Week
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