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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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Volleyball sets sights on Villanova Classic
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KYLE PAPPAS
@KvlePap
After defeating UMKC in four sets Tuesday night, the No. 24 Kansas volleyball team (6-1) will travel to Pennsylvania where it will take part in the Villanova Classic this weekend. The pre-conference tournament boasts some of the stiffest competition in the nation, and is considered one of the most difficult tournaments the Jayhawks have participated in during the Ray Bechard era.
"We're going to tell the team, forget what the uniform says, we've gotta earn everybody's respect when we go out there," Bechard said after the UMKC win. "If it's Villanova, Yale, American or Penn State, it doesn't matter. Just forget the uniform. We have to play at our standard."
Kansas kicks off the invitational by taking on host Villanova (4-3) on Friday at 11 a.m. The Wildcats have struggled out of the cats, dropping all three of their matches in last weekend's SDSU-USD Challenge, winning only two sets along the way. The Wildcats
are led by junior outside hitter Colleen Hickey, who has recorded at least seven kills in each of her last four games on her way to leading the team in that category.
The Jayhawks then square off against four-time Ivy League defending champions, Yale (1-2), later in the day. The Bulldogs have also got out to a bit of a rocky start in 2014 they've lost their two matches to Minnesota and Boston College in straight sets. They're led by junior setter Kelly Johnson, a two-time All-Ivy First Team selection who leads the Bulldogs in kills and ranks second in assists this season.
2014.
It doesn't get any easier for Kansas on Saturday when they face American (4-2). The champions of the Patriot league last season, the Eagles finished 2013 with an impressive 34-3 record before being bounced out of the NCAA tournament in the Sweet 16 by Texas. Junior middle blocker Kelly McCaddin should be an impact performer — she's second on the team with 43 kills while maintaining an impressive .386 kill percentage in
Lastly, the Jayhawks will presumably face their toughest test of the weekend if they take on defending NCAA champion Penn State. The Nittany Lions (4-1) have started out the year strong, picking up wins against TCU and UCLA before falling to Stanford last weekend. Freshman outside hitter Ali Frantti, 2013 Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year, is the player to watch for Penn State as her 67 kills and. 479 kill percentage both lead the team.
For Kansas, its chances will likely hinge on the play of senior outside hitters Sara McClinton and Chelsea Albers. The lone seniors on a freshman-heavy squad, the two have been relied upon heavily thus far to come up with big kills at key moments for the layhawks. Freshman setter Anise Havilli will also be crucial, as her 287 assists this season have created most of McClinton's and Albers' opportunities.
Edited by Casey Hutchins
Senior outside hitter Chelsea Albers goes for a kill during Tuesday's volleyball match against UMKC at the Horejsi Family Athletic Center. The team will play at the Villanova Classic in Pennsylvania this weekend.
MICHAEL O'BRIEN/KANSAN
Undefeated soccer team returns home for two matches
LIZ KUHLMANN
@LizKuhlmannUDK
Two wins in Colorado last weekend bumped the women's soccer team to an undefeated
6-0 record, the best start to the program's season in a decade. The layjawks enter the weekend determined, focused and looking to improve on their early success with two home games against Cal State
University Northridge and UMKC.
"We want to win," Liana Salazar, a junior midfielder, said. "Nothing else, just win. Winning is the most important thing right now for us, and I
think we have a big responsibility right now because we are 6-0, and we are playing here at home next. We are excited. The mentality is to keep fighting and keep winning."
Along with an undefeated
Junior midfielder Liana Salazar and her teammates celebrate after her goal against Wake Forest. Kansas soccer played against No. 24 Wake Forest on Aug. 31, defeating the Deacons 4-1 at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex.
FRANK WEIRICH/KANSAN
The team has tallied 16 goals, averaged 12.7 shots a game, and has yet to trail at any point in six games. Salazar leads both the offense and the Big 12 with her six goals, 13 points and 20 shots.
record and the longest winning streak to date in the program's history, the team picked up a No.20 national ranking this week. While the news was very exciting, head coach Mark Francis said it did not phase his team.
"The personal success comes with the team success," Salazar said. "I think, without my team, I wouldn't be able to score or do many things. So pretty much everything comes from them."
"We've got a whole lot of soccer left to play and what it really means is that whoever we play, we are going to get their best game," Francis said. "Whenever you're ranked, everyone brings all they've got against you. So it just means we have to be that much more focused."
Despite a difficult start
to their season, Cal-State Northridge will hit the turf at Jayhawk Soccer Complex feeling the momentum of two wins on their backs. The Matadors take over 14 shots a game, and their defense has only allowed four opponent goals. Francis has told his team to expect a physical game.
"I watched them on tape," Francis said. "Very good, very athletic, and probably the most athletic we've seen yet. It'll be hard, but we're looking forward to the challenge."
He said offense has been reviewing what to do to counteract the challenge and maximize their chances to be confident in Friday's game.
Even with a hard game ahead, Salazar said her team is well-prepared to take on the Matadors.
"The games will be very physical," Salazar said. "I imagine it's going to be hard. But we're prepared, we know how to play and be strong. It's going to be fun."
Edited by Amelia Arvesen
Young women's tennis team begins season on the road
SKYLAR ROLSTAD
@SkyRolSports
@SkyRolSports
The Kansas tennis team will begin its season this weekend with tournaments in Texas and Arkansas. Saturday will also mark the beginning of the second year for the team under coach Todd Chapman.
Kansas tennis will send four players to Arkansas for the
CCLR Collegiate Invitational in Little Rock, Ark., and seven to Midland, Texas, for the Midland Invitational. Chapman will coach the players who travel to Arkansas and his assistant, Aaron Fuller, will coach in Texas.
The team is almost brand new in Chapman's second season in charge, with only two returning players, senior Maria Luduena and junior Maria Cordona.
"My two returners are very key because they've been with me for my whole first year so they know what I expect," Chapman said. "They know what I demand each day."
For Chapman, it was important to establish a team with players he recruited after several graduated in 2013.
"Recruiting is the lifeblood of a program," Chapman said. "It helps as you're recruiting players that they know what you expect from day one... The mentality is already set, you're not trying to reteach something or create a different culture."
Both tournaments will be gauges for how well the team will start this season. Chapman has different goals for each group of players. For underclassmen, the tournament is a chance to get their feet wet and face good competition. Chapman said the rest of the team will have the chance to play ranked opponents and possibly get in the national rankings themselves.
The Kansas tennis team has not competed in the NCAA
"We have high expectations," Chapman said, "Our goal is at the end of the season to be in contention and be in the conversation for having a chance to go to the NCAA tournament."
tournament for 16 years.
- Edited by Sarah Kramer
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