THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WISH
FIND
US
OM
THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2013
VOLLEYBALL
PAGE 9B
2013 NCAA VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Arizona vs. Morgan State - 8/30 @ 1:30 p.m.
Kansas vs. Central Arkansas - 8/30 @ 1 p.m.
Central Arkansas vs. Arizona - 8/31 @ 10:30 a.m.
Kansas vs. Morgan State - 8/31 @ 2:30 p.m.
Central Arkansas vs. Morgan State-8/31 @ 4:30 p.m.
Kansas vs. Arizona-8/31 @ 9 p.m.
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
KANSAS
- 2012 record: 26-7
- Returns five starters
- No. 20 ranking in AVCA preseason poll
- Three players on preseason All-Big 12 team
Senior middle blocker Caroline Jarmoc prepares to serve the ball in the game against Texas on Nov. 5, 2011 in Lawrence Jarmoc said the team is looking to start the season off on the right foot in 2013.
ARIZONA
CENTRAL ARKANSAS
- 2012 record: 16-15
- Southland Conference regular season champion
- Projected 8th place finish in Pac-12
- 2012 record: 30-5
- Returns six starters
- One player on preseason All-Pac-12 team
- Southland Conference tournament champion
- 2012 NCAA Tournament appearance
- Projected 1st place finish in Southland Conference
- Three players on preseason All Southland Conference team
MORGAN STATE
- 2012 record: 26-7
- Returns five starters
- No. 20 ranking in AVCA preseason poll
- Three players on preseason All-Big 12 team
BRIAN HILLIX
bhillix@kansan.com
The Kansas women's volleyball team divides its season into three parts: non-conference, conference and the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks play in the Arizona Invitational in Tucson, Ariz., this weekend, which will begin a stretch of 13 non-conference matches (and an exhibition contest against the Italian 23-and-under national team). These matches will be their first of the 2013 season as the squad prepares for conference play and the postseason.
were looking to start the season with momentum and set a good tone," said Caroline Jarmoc, senior middle blocker.
Along with Kansas, teams competing in the invitational include Arizona, Central Arkansas and Morgan State.
Arizona is projected to finish No. 8 in a loaded Pac 12 conference that features 5 teams in the top 15 of the American Volleyball Coaches Association preseason poll. Central Arkansas is a talented mid-major team that won its third Southland
Conference regular season title in the last four years and made the NCAA Tournament. Morgan State will look to bounce back this season after finishing 5-21 last year.
After an intense preseason schedule that included multiple weeks of two-a-day practices, the Jayhawks are ready to get their season underway. Freshman middle blocker Taylor Soucie is excited to compete in her first collegiate match after a successful high school career at Osawatomie High School. This tournament will be her first real glimpse of the fast-paced college matches.
Even with the tough matchups ahead, Coach Bechard isn't placing too much of an emphasis on scouting the competition.
"The first tournament out we've got to worry about what we do on our side of the net and focus on what we do well," Bechard said.
"The speed of the game is a lot different from high school, especially my high school, which is in a really small town," Soucie said.
The Jayhawks went 12-2 in the non-conference schedule in 2012 and will have a chance to avenge
both losses this season. Kansas plays two matches against Arkansas—one home and one away—and a home match against Notre Dame.
On Saturday, Aug. 24, the players got a taste of competition as the Crimson team defeated the Blue team in the annual Crimson and Blue scrimmage match. The team used it as an opportunity to prepare for this weekend's matches and fine-tune its mechanics and rotations.
The invitational will be played using a round-robin format. In the case of a tiebreaker, the team with the fewest number of sets lost will win the title. If a tie remains, the team who surrendered the fewest number of points wins the tiebreaker.
The team finished 2nd in the Arkansas Invitational to begin the 2012 season.
For match notes, stats and results, follow Brian Hillix (@DoubleHillx) on Twitter.
Edited by Sarah Kramer
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