PAGE 4C
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WOMEN'S GOLF
Jayhawks hope to continue last season's success
Kansas comes off historic season with confidence
MADELINE MALONEY
@madmaloneyUDK
The women's golf team is set to tee up for another successful season. Riding high on the success of last year's historic season at the NCAA tournament, where the team ranked 24th, the Jayhawks are ready for another deep run in the postseason.
Coach Erin O'Neil said the team had really good chemistry last year and everything just clicked. Her team worked hard on the golf course, in the weight room and in the classroom to make it one of the best seasons in the school's history.
"Last year was a tremendous accomplishment and it certainly helps our confidence going into this year," O'Neil said. "Even though we didn't
nnish as high as we would have liked to at that tournament. I know we learned a lot and we will use that to make us that much better this year. The girls are really excited to get back to work and make it back there again."
O'Neil said that the
"Last year was a tremendous accomplishment and it certainly helps our confidence going into this year."
ERIN O'NEIL Golf coach
transition from last year's success to the expectations of a new year will be a difficult adjustment for the team.
"Once you go to NCAA
then obviously the bar in your head gets higher, so that is something we will have to adjust to," O'Neil said. "We will have to embrace that mentality and wrap our arms around it and be good with it and not be scared of it."
With seven returning players and three new additions to the team, O'Neil said that they have a lot of experience going into this season.
"With recruiting we have been hearing from better and better players," O'Neil said. "They have a lot of experience, they are good kids, hard workers, good
students and just all around good additions to the team." O'Neil said she believes the team will be highly successful this year. Three of the returning players have played
at regionals and nationals. Along with them, there are two seniors who have been working on their game and will definitely contribute, O'Neil said.
O'Neil said the team is ready for its first tournament. The Jayhawks will take on Alvamar Golf Club in Lawrence on Sept. 8 and 9 for the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational.
"It is awesome to play at home," O'Neil said. "You are very familiar with the course. It is a definite advantage because the greens at Alvamar can be a little tricky. It is nice to play at home the first tournament to get some confidence going again and then head out on to the road those next two weekends."
Edited by Paige Lytle
Women's golf coach Erin O'Neil said last year's accomplishments have rolled over and made this year's team more confident.
VOLLEYBALL
BEN LIPOWITZ/KANSAN
Chelsea Albers (1) prepares to block against Wichita State in Kansas' first round NCAA Tournament game at Allen Fieldhouse on Dec. 6, 2013. Kansas won 3-1.
High-ranked recruits replenish Kansas' court
MATTHEW CORTE
news@kansan.com
Losing seven seniors and the most successful class in Jayhawks history may have been a burden for Coach Ray Bechard in past years, but not this time around.
Like Bill Self and basketball, Kansas volleyball is coming back every season with high-ranked recruits, and other coaches are starting to take notice. Although Kansas lost multiple start ing seniors, coaches in the Big 12 still selected the team to finish second in the preseason poll after a program best second-place finish last season. The Jayhawks also received praise by being ranked No. 22 in the national poll, the second consecutive year they've started in the preseason top 25.
There are several reasons for this preseason recognition, including the country's No. 15-ranked recruiting class and prized recruit Ainise Havili, ranked No. 39 by PrepVolleyball.com. More responsible for this high preseason ranking are the only two seniors on the roster, outside hitters Chelsea Albers and Sara McClinton. Both players were named to the Big 12 All-Preseason Team after earning All-Big 12 First Team
last year. Both played key roles in the Jayhawks making the Sweet 16 last season.
Her departure left a gaping hole in the starting lineup. The two candidates to replace her will be either sophomore Maggie Anderson or Havili, who became the first Kansas freshman to receive the honor of Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year.
If Anderson or Havili can make a smooth enough transition and run the offense to its potential, look for Kansas to compete for first place in the Big 12 and make another deep run in the NCAA tournament.
With prestigious accolades and experience to back them, these two seniors hope to lead a young Jayhawk squad on another deep run in the NCAA tournament. Expectations for this 2014 team will be high after the success of last year, but a lot of questions still remain as to how they can replace so many key players, namely Erin McNorton, last season's Big 12 Setter of the Year. Like a quarterback in football, the setter runs the whole offense, calling plays and controlling the tempo as she sees fit. McNorton did this as well as anyone in the country.
Edited by Madison Schultz
McClinton had an incredible 2013 season, finishing with the second most kills on the team at 354, helping her earn First Team All-Big 12 for the second consecutive year. She is just 45 kills away from a career 1,000.
SARA MCCLINTON, SENIOR OUTSIDE HITTER
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
CHELSEA ALBERS, SENIOR OUTSIDE HITTER
Albers was the jack of all trades on last year's team, finishing with 339 kills, 293 digs and 110 blocks, making her the first Jayhawk to put up those stats since 1993. Albers was honored with an All-Big 12 First Team selection.
Kansas Volleyball will host its annual Crimson and Blue intrasquad match Saturday at 1 p.m. inside of Horejsi Family Athletic Center, and it's also free for anyone to attend. The team begins the regular season by hosting Utah Valley, Lipscomb and Creighton at this year's Kansas Invitational on Aug. 29 and 30. Look for the young Jayhawks to be tested often at this tournament, especially against Creighton as the Bluejays rank just one spot behind Kansas in the national poll.
MEN'S GOLF
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Players excel during offseason tournaments
CONNOR OBERKROM
@coberkro
The Kansas men's golf team returns all but two players from last year's roster after finishing eighth out of nine teams in the Big 12 conference.
Headlining this year's team is sophomore Chase Hanna and juniors Ben Welle and Connor Peck. Senior Logan Philley rounds out the top of the team.
Hanna led the team with the lowest average individual round score at 73.24. Hanna is coming off a summer in which he qualified for the U.S. Amateur Public Links championship. He failed to make the cut however, after shooting a 73 and 78 totaling 9-over.
Welle had the top individual performances for the Jayhawks in three out of 11 tournaments last season, while Hanna had the best
performance seven times.
Other jayhawks with notable summers playing in offseason tournaments include redshirt senior Bryce Brown, redshirt freshman Brock Drogosch and sophomore Jacques Wilson.
Brown qualified for the Nebraska Match Play Championship on June 23. The tournament culminated in a title victory for Brown, winning six matches en route to the 47th Nebraska Match Play Championship.
Drogosch shot a 67-66 133 to qualify for the U.S. Amateur. Fellow teammate and incoming freshman Daniel Hudson shot a two round 141 at Hidden Glen Golf Club to also qualify for the U.S. Amateur. Once they got there, Hudson missed the cut by two strokes while Drogosch missed the cut by 10 strokes.
Wilson won the 2014 Resorters Golf Tournament
in Alexandria, Minn., in early August. Wilson won four matches to reach the final, where he prevailed by one-stroke.
Kansas' men's golf coach Jamie Bermel is entering his third season as the coach and is looking for a finish better than eighth this time around.
The Jayhawks begin the season at the Wolverine Intercollegiate Tournament, which spans from Sept. 6 to Sept. 7 in Ann Arbor, Mich. They will play a total of six tournaments in the fall and four in the spring, excluding the Big 12 Tournament.
Kansas returns four of its top five scorers last year and will feature a young core with four incoming freshman. Spencer Paiton, Gary Daoust, Daniel Hudson and redshirt Brock Drogosch will constitute the new faces of the team.
— Edited by Paige Lytle
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