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SPORTS
1B
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
THE U IVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER16, 2001
Commentary
Chris
Wristen
Columnist
sportskansan.com
Don't miss the last chance to see LaMere play at home
You might not have heard, but when the Kansas volleyball team plays Texas at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Horejsi Family Athletic Center, it will be senior setter Molly LaMere's final home match.
If you read the sports page often, you probably recognize her name because it's been a mainstay in volleyball stories for the last four years. If you've ever been to a match, there's no doubt she's stood out.
She will take her final bow at home and quietly wind down one of the finest careers in Kansas volleyball history.
Molly's the one wearing the No. 8 jersey. She's the one quick enough to cover the entire court in an instant because of her foot speed. She's the one crashing into the scorer's table while trying to keep the ball alive. She's the one making the belly-flop dive on the floor to dig the undigable ball pounded by a Nebaska outside hitter.
She's also the one with the deadly dink and set kills. When opponents started controlling the net and taking momentum, Molly would knock them back on their heels with her patented move. She'd set the ball just over the front blockers' hands, and it would drop like a rock to the floor. Point Kansas.
She also never comes out of the game. She's sat down just once in the last three years. She plays every point, every game. Period.
The Jayhawks need her in the game at all times because she's their most skilled player and their best passer Heck, she's ninth in career digs with 899 and No.2 in career assists with 4,016 and will end her career just shy of Jule Woodruff's school record 4,209 from 1988-91.
Those contributions are just a few of the hundreds of little things Molly, a Papillion, Neb., native, has done to affect the volleyball team, and you can learn about them by reading and watching.
But ask her about herself and she'll leave you in the dark. She won't brag, although she easily could with the resume she's built. But she not like that.
Ask her a question about why she sets the ball so well and she'll tell you about Kansas career kills leader Amanda Reves' ability to put the ball away or about Sarah Rome's constant improvement. Ask her enthusiasm during matches, and she'll tell you it's a response to her teammates' hard work.
She keeps the attention on others and diligently does her job in the shadows. She had the assist on 4,016 kills — the volleyball equivalent of a dunk in basketball. That's what setters do; they're like the point guard that lobs the alley-oop pass. The player who dunks it gets the oohs and aahs, but the point guard really made it happen. That's Molly.
To find out about her, you have to ask someone else.
And you won't be able to find her after tomorrow night. Her final match as a Jayhawk is at Colorado next Saturday, so unless you're in Boulder, Colo., you won't get to see her play again.
"She's way up there in digs, games played, matches played, assists," coach Ray Bechard said of his lone senior. "You don't find 'em any better as far as quality and character."
So spread the word and come support Molly in her final home match as a jayhawk. She might not say it, but it would mean a lot to her.
Wristen is a Leawood senior in journalism.
Freshman forward hurts knee
Wayne Simien will miss two to four weeks of his first season at Kansas
By Ryan Malashock
Kansan sportswriter
Wayne Simien's regular season debut will have to wait for now.
Simien hyperextended his left knee in practice Wednesday and had arthroscopic surgery yesterday.
Kansas men's basketball coach Roy Williams said the freshman forward and the team's leading scorer in the exhibition season would be out two to four weeks after hyperextending his left knee.
Simien injured his knee midway through practice Wednesday but still finished playing. Doctors took an MRI after practice and discovered some torn and loose cartilage, which led to the surgery.
It's a huge loss for us," Williams said.
"H
's been about as impressive during
pre
cice as any incoming freshman
we
ve ever had."
williams said he
wa s sad for Simien
w l o had worked
h a rd in rehabilita-
ti c n to get back into
p l laying condition
af er having shoul-
d r surgery in the
sp ring.
Wayne Simien
The 6-foot-9,255-
p <___ und forward battled a shoulder
in ___ jury last season that sidelined him for
m <___ ost of the second half of his senior
s <___ asson at Leavenworth High School.
Simien had worked to fully rehabilitate his injured shoulder, which should make the recovery time quicker for the tree, Williams said.
"He's done a great job with the rehab." Williams said. "He's done a great job of making his body bigger and stronger, and I've got to think that the work that he'd done will help him with this injury and make the rehab for this injury even better."
Simien's absence will cause problems for an already thin Kansas front court. Junior starting forwards Nick Collison
"I think everybody's going to have to step up," said junior point guard Kirk Hinrich. "I mean, Wayne's a force down there. Drew and Nick are going to have to play real well, and Jeff Carey will have to step in and play real well. It's going to have to be a team effort."
Freshman guard Aaron Miles said he was distraught to see his new teammate and close friend go down to an injury.
"We're like brothers now, so to see
him go down before we can even start our season, really our career, is kind of hurtful." Miles said. "I pray though that he will be back as soon as possible."
But the jayhawks will be without their freshman forward when they begin the regular season against Ball State at 3:50 p.m. Monday in the Maui Invitational.
Note: Kansas received letters-of-intent from two recruits yesterday.
Iowa Western Community College} lef Graves, a Lee's Summit, Mo., nation; is a 6-9, 260-pound forward. Moulage Niang, from EI Cajon, Calif., is a 6-9, 240-wheel
The Jaj Hawks still have two scholarships available for next year's recruiting class, and Williams said the team would continue recruiting throughout the winter and spring.
Contact Malashook at 864-4854
One kick sends team home
By Ryan Wood Kansan sportswriter
LINCOLN, Neb. — The Kansas soccer team was unable to shake its postseason woes last night as it fell 1-0 to Brigham Young in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
LAURIE SISK/KANSAN
The loss ends the Jayhawks record-setting season at 13-7. They were winless in both postseason games this year, bringing their all-time postseason mark to 0-3.
The Jayhawks played in just their second ever postseason game last week in the Big 12 Tournament and lost against Missouri.
Freshman forward Monica Brothers battles Brigam Young sophomore midfielder Rachelle Dixon during the first half last night at Lincoln, Neb. Kansas fell 1-0 to Brigham Young in the Jayhawk's first-ever NCAA tournament appearance.
Brigham Young improves to 14-6-1 and will play Nebraska in the tournament's second round tomorrow night.
"To be honest, I didn't think we played well enough to win the game," said Kansas coach Mark Francis. "We had chances. The second half was definitely better than the first half. We adjusted to their format. We knew the midfield would be a question mark."
The Cougars featured a five-player midfield attack, an approach Kansas rarely saw this season.
"We were a little bit unorganized," said Kansas junior
defend e Pardis Brown. "Our confide ice didn't show in the first h because we didn't know e could play with guys. B it as soon as the team started s settle down, we played closer t what we could do."
Sen Iors Melanie
Schroeder, Natalie Hoogveld and Hilla Rantala played in their final game and led Kansas to its best season to date. The three combined for 18 goals and 20 assists in their final season.
that set the best record in the history of a program," Francis said. "I think that's just a credit to them. They were a huge factor in what went on."
"They finished on the team
Contact Wood at 864-4858
Coach broight success to Cyclones
By Brent Briggeman Kansan sportswriter
In seven years at Iowa State, Dan McCarney turned a once-downtrodden Cyclones into a bowl team.
Terry Allen also faced expectations for a turnaround when he came to coach Kansas in 1997. But while a win against the Jayhawks tomorrow would give Iowa State its second consecutive bowl berth, Kansas will attempt to salvage dignity near the end of a 2-7 nightmare.
McCarney built his team around its offense. The
W hile Iowa State has four instability on offense, the Jay I awks have struggled. All n failed to produce a 1.00 O yard running back dur ing his tenure at Kansas.
If ranning back Ennis Hay-
wood picks up 87 yards in the
seaso it's final two games, the
feat will mark the seventh
cons cutive season that a
Cycl one has eclipsed 1,000
yard rushing. Only five
scho ls in the history of col-
lege football can boast longer
strea ks.
Cyclo ___ we have had the Big 12
Confec ___ ce's leading rusher,
passe ___ or receiver in five of
the D ___ six seasons.
which ended last week when Al Bohl, Kansas athletics director, fired the embattled coach with three games remaining.
No Jayhawk quarterback has thrown for 2,000 yards in one season in the past 10 years. Iowa State quarterbacks have averaged more than 2,000 yards per season since 1996. Cyclones quarterback Seneca Wallace, a junior college transfer and leading candidate for Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, has thrown for 1,727 yards and nine touchdowns this year.
Iowa State has consis
Last year the Cyclones qualified for their fifth bowl in school history and their first since 1978. At 5-4, they need one win to qualify again this year.
tently been more successful under McCarney than Kansas was with Allen. Iowa State increased its win total every season from 1997 until 2000, as it went from 1-10 to 9-3.
The Jayhawks, on the other hand, have won either four or five games in each of the past five years and have won only twice this season.
SEE GAME PAGE 2B
Women ready for basketball home opener
By Jessica Scott Kansan sportswriter
For only the third time in 11 years, the Kansas women's basketball team will open its season at home tonight.
The team faces Grambling State at 7 p.m., and coach Marian Washington is relieved to begin the season inside Allen Fieldhouse.
"It's about time." Washington said, "It's so important that we can get the start of our season off the ground with a home game. Absolutely, I'm really delighted, and we're constantly going to try to do that more years than not."
Last season, the Jayhawks opened their season at home against Grambling State, where they exploded for a 122-71 victory. However, this offensive output may not replicate itself this time around, as Kansas lost the majority of its offensive guns from last year's team. The Jayhawks lost senior forwards Jaclyn Johnson and Brooke Reves and senior guard Jennifer Jackson.
"We're a different ball club than we were a year ago," Washington said. "I can't say that we're going to score that many points this year. We don't have the kind of experienced players that we did last year with Brooke, Jaclyn and Jennifer. I hope that our defense continues to put us in a position where we can be successful, particularly our full court pressure."
Kansas hopes to dominate Grambling State much like its last meeting. The Lady Tigers return 11 letter winners from a team that went 18-12 overall last season and 13-6 in the Southwest Athletic Conference. Last year, the Tigers were held to just 33.3 percent shooting average by a Kansas team that tied a school record for most points scored in a game with 122 and moved up to second in assists in a game record with 31.
Washington said she hoped to use a quick lineup to create defensive pressure and force the Lady Tigers, who did not play any exhibition games, to commit turnovers. Senior guards K.C. Hilgenkamp and Selena Scott will start the game along with freshman guard
SEE BASKETBALL PAGE 2B
MEN'S NCAA BASKETBALL
Western Kentucky 64
No.3 Kentucky 52
MEN'S NCAA B ASKETBALL
Eastern Washington 68
No.9 St.Joseph 67
NBA
New York 115
NBA
Dallas 89
Portland 101
Memphis 85