THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014
PAGE 11
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Freshmen Havili, Rigdon impress at scrimmage
Crimson and Blue Alumni Match sets stage for season opener next weekend
MATT CORTE
@Corte_UDK
At Saturday's Crimson and Blue Alumni Match, the players stretched as if it were a regular season match, hydrated as if it were a regular season match, and sweated as if it were, you guessed it, a regular season match. For many, the scrimmage, and 3-1 Crimson team victory, was just as significant.
At this point almost all of the starting lineup is set for the season opener next weekend, but that doesn't mean it's set in stone. This match was the first in front of the fans and a first test for the freshmen, with all of them looking to prove they can play this season. There were a couple of freshmen who took advantage of this preseason match and either boosted or secured their starting spot this season, the first one being freshman setter Ainise Havili from Fort
Worth, Texas.
Right from the start, Havili was intense and communicative with her teammates, showing maturity well beyond that of a freshman. Her 43 assists led the team and she coupled that with 14 digs for a double-double. More impressive was Havili's ability to set crosscourt to the weaker side when she was pushed out of her normal setting spot, allowing her hitters to swing against one blocker multiple times. Her odds of being the starting setter look great after this match, as she played with all the upperclassmen for the first game and was also the winning setter in every game.
Another freshman who impressed was Madison Rigdon. The outside hitter from Pflugerville, Texas, finished the match with a team high 18 kills and 11 digs to notch a double-double. Unlike other positions, the ascent to a starting spot
will be harder for Rigdon as she plays outside hitter, a position which saw all three upperclassmen return this year. A performance like hers will not go unnoticed by Coach Ray Bechard, and it should give him confidence going into the season that Rigdon can fill the outside spot if needed.
The team held a pregame ceremony where it unveiled the 2013 NCAA Sweet 16 banner. Seven seniors who achieved that award were not there to accept it. Instead, their freshman counterparts were. And as the sheet came down, one couldn't help but notice a passing of the torch feeling. The banner wasn't just a symbol of achievement, but also a message from the 2013 seniors to future Jayhawks: These are now the expectations of the Kansas volleyball program.
Edited by Benjamin Carroll
Senior outside hitter Tiana Dockery prepares to serve the ball during a scrimmage on Saturday at the Horejsi Family Athletic Center. Split into two teams, players battled it out in front of an intimate crowd, the Crimson team eventually winning three sets against the Blue team.
FRANK WFIRICH/KANSAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Royals fall to Rangers in 3-1 loss
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Jason Vargas throws during the first inning gainst the Texas Rangers on Sunday. The Rangers avoided a sweep with the 3-1 victory.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Scott Baker won as a starter for the first time in more than three years, and the Texas Rangers beat the AL Central-leading Kansas City Royals 3-1 Sunday to avoid a series sweep.
Adrian Beltre put Texas ahead to stay with an RBI double in the first. Beltre had his fifth straight multihit game, including all three games against Kansas City to extend his hitting streak against the Royals to 17 games.
Baker (2-3) went five innings in a spot start, 12 days after winning with two relief innings against Tampa Bay on Aug. 12.
That was his first victory since a start for Minnesota against Detroit on July 23, 2011.
The 32-year-old right-hander missed all of 2012 after Tommy John surgery. He made three starts for the Chicago Cubs at the end of last season and has started five of his 22 games since joining the Rangers in June. He had made six relief appearances since his last start July 13.
With Yu Darvish still on the disabled list and Miles Mikolas pushed back a day, Baker threw 51 of his 71 pitches for strikes on a day when the temperature was near 100 degrees. The only run on his
line was Billy. Butler's leadoff homer in the fourth.
Nefali Feliz worked the ninth for his sixth save in seven chances since reassuming the closer role a month ago after Joakim Soria was traded to Detroit.
Jason Vargas (10-6) allowed 11 hits and walked four in his six innings, though the Rangers only managed three runs (two earned) against the left-hander. Vargas had walked only one in 25 1-3 innings previously this month.
The Rangers had five doubles off Vargas, including a runscoring hit for Adam Rosales in the second. Alex Rios had a
leadoff double in the third, and scored on a single by Robinson Chirinos.
Chirinos was put in the starting lineup after Geovany Soto was a late scratch. The Rangers announced during the game that Soto was traded to Oakland for cash.
Kansas City will start a 10-game homestand on what originally was a scheduled day off Monday. James Shields (12-6) pitches for the Royals against the New York Yankees in the makeup of a game postponed June 9 because of rain. They then have three-game series against Minnesota, Cleveland and Texas.
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