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SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
11A
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2002
Anton Bubnovskiv/Kansan
Kansas middle blocker Josiane Lima gets ready to block a spike from Texas A&M middle blocker Tara Pulaski in last night's game. Kansas won two out of the three games.
Kansas loses second time in five to A&M
By Jason Hwang
jhwang@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Earlier this week, Kansas volleyball coach Ray Bechard said his team was getting closer to beating Texas A&M.
Unfortunately, the Jayhawks must wait another year for another chance to knock off the Aggies.
The fayhawks (17-7 overall, 8-7 Big 12 Conference) lost their second straight match with a 3-2 (26-30, 30-27, 30-26, 16-30, 12-15) loss to the Aggies (18-7, 10-6). Kansas is now 0-15 all-time versus the Aggies.
Freshman middle blocker Josiane Lima had a career-high 20 kills and 13 assists, her ninth double-double. Sophomore outside hitter Lindsey Morris also had a career high in kills, with 16. Junior outside hitter Sarah Rome also had her ninth double-double with 13 kills and 13 assists. Freshman setter Andi Rozum had a career high 59 assists, and now has the all-time Kansas freshman assists record with 968, passing Leslie Steinert's 1992 mark of 923.
Trailing 7-5 in game one, Kansas scored eight of the next nine points before an Aggie timeout. With Kansas leading 16-12, Texas A&M took seven of eight points, capturing a 19-17 lead, and held on in a game that included six serv-
SEE VOLLEYBALL ON PAGE 16A
'Hawks win home opener
Freshmen star against Sweden-based Vikings in exhibition debut
Chris Burkett/Kansan
By Doyle Murphy
dmurphy@kansan.com
Kansas sportswriter
Leila Mengüç, junior guard, slaps the ball away from Solna forward Anna Hofstrom before she can pass it to a teammate. Mengüç scored six points and had a steal to help the Jayhawks beat the Vikings 61-56.
The Tamara Ransburg Show officially hit Lawrence last night.
The 6-foot-4 freshman scored, rebounded, blocked shots and generally made life miserable for the Sweden-based Solna Vikings in the first half of the Jayhawks' 61-56 exhibition victory at Allen Fieldhouse last night.
While the victory wasn't an official win for the Jayhawks, it marked the first Kansas triumph since Dec. 29 of last year.
Ransburg, who finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and three steals, was representative of a young Jayhawk team that appeared much more athletic than a year ago.
And Kansas needed every last drop of that youthful energy.
The Vikings, who lost by 40 or more against both Kansas State and Missouri in the last five days, remained close throughout the contest.
The Jayhawks jumped to an early lead as Ransburg and freshman center Crystal Kemp scored the Jayhawks' first six points. Two baskets by sophomore Blair Waltz, another by Ransburg and an acrobatic layup by sophomore transfer Aquanita Burras gave the Jayhawks a 10-2 lead less than four minutes into the game.
But the Vikings refused to fade that
easily. Led by forward Marie Molander's six points in four minutes, Solna went on an 8-2 run, cutting Kansas' lead to 12-10, the closest the Vikings would get.
The Jayhawks were never able to shake the veteran Solna team despite Ransburg's 12 first-half points, and the Vikings trailed just 31-25 at halftime.
After the second half began, Kemp
fought off a nasty case of first-game jitters that had plagued her before the game and into the first half, despite reassurance from Washington before tip-off.
"Poor Crystal," coach Marian Washington told reporters after the game. We had a session before we even got to pre-game meal."
Once Kemp, the Jayhawks' strongest
player, settled down, the Vikings had no luck stopping her. She banged and bullied her way to 10 points and three rebounds in the second half and finished with 15 points and six rebounds.
Washington said the two freshmen would be a strength for the Jahawks
New players fill void left by seniors
SEE BASKETBALL ON PAGE 16A
Bv Rvan Greene
rgreene@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The loss of senior guards Selena Scott and K.C. Hilgenkamp left a void for a corps of inexperienced players to fill on the Kansas women's basketball team.
Last night's performance from the heirs to the backcourt throne gave fans a little something extra to take home with them.
Junior Leila Menguç and sophomore Aquanita Burras took charge right from the opening tip. Menguç ended the night with 6 points and two rebounds, opting to pass instead of score as she took just three shots in the contest.
Burras, who transferred to Kansas after a year at Central Arizona Community College, had an impressive Jayhawk debut with 8 points and seven rebounds. Coach Marian Washington was pleased with guard play as a whole, but Mengüg's ability to take control of the young team in its first game was what caught her eye.
"I was pleased with Leila's performance as well as
Aqua," Washington said. "We didn't turn the ball over that much. I just really thought it's the best performance (Leila's) had since she's been here in terms of some pressure and handling it."
Burras' three-for-10 performance from the field was worse than the 65 percent she shot last year at Central Arizona, but she was pleased with her first game in crimson and blue and realized there was work to be done.
"In practice, I wasn't doing all the stuff I was doing in the game," Burras said. "Basically what I have to just work on is seeing both man-to-man on defense."
Mengtic is the leader by default in the backcourt by having the most seniority, but said she felt confident in the abilities of Burras and sophomore Brandi McGinest to help as floor generals.
"Aquanita was ready to step up and take the role if I wasn't on the court and that was great," Menguc said. "Brandi stepped in and brought defense right away, and that's exactly what we needed from her. We got a couple of fast breaks from her, and that's exactly what we want. I really appreciate that they had my
SEE VOID ON PAGE 16A
Chris Burkett/Kansan
Aquanita Burras, sophomore guard, darts past Solna Vikings guard Cecilia Ferm on her way to the basket. Burras ended the night with eight points and two assists.
Face-off: a fantasy football challenge
By Ryan Greene and Harrison Hill
rgreene@kansan.com
Kansan Sportswriter and former Kansas football
player
For the final virtual face off of the season, the Kansas Jayhawks found a new virtual head coach, and his name is Harrison Hill.
"Watch out for Jake Letourneau he is a beast. Greene is gonna find out soon why we call him The Predator." Hill said. Greene would be playing against the Jayhawks for the first time this year, playing as the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Hill, a former standout Jayhawk wide receiver, took over the reigns in what would have been the final home game of his illustrious Kansas career.
"I feel all dirty not being the Jayhawks," Greene said. "But he's a football player. Sure, he rules the gridiron at Memorial Stadium, but I rule the EA Sportsgridiron." First Quarter
The Jayhawks took the opening kick, and Bill Whittemore led the team down the field with a flurry of passes.
"This is too easy, I might as well just close my eye for the rest of this one," Greene said. "At first I thought he was a ringer because he said his roommate played this game all the time, but I guess I was wrong."
Whittemore converted on a sneak on fourth-and-one at the Oklahoma State 39-yard line, and then hit Byron Gasaway for 20 yards into the Cowboy red zone. That's where the drive would end with an incompletion on fourth-and-five at the Oklahoma State eight-yard line. The Cowboys quickly responded with a drive of their own and a six-yard score on a scramble by quarterback Josh Fields.
FACEOFF CONTESTANTS
On Kansas' next possession, Hill pulled all the tricks out of the bag, attempting a fake punt on his own 20-yard line, but the toss from punter Curtis Ansel fell short. Oklahoma State quickly capitalized with another Fields touchdown run, giving Oklahoma State an early 14-0 lead. A quick six-play, 65-yard drive saw Whittemore hit
Oklahoma State 7, Kansas 0
Second Quarter
Harrison Hill
Ryan Greene
Gasaway with a 19-yard strike to cut the deficit in half.
"We all know sportswriters can't play football," Hill said. "It's gonna be a long day for OSU. We are always down 14-0. We'll be all right." Oklahoma State 14, Kansas 7
The Jayhawk defense showed up (finally) on the next Oklahoma State drive, and Jake Letourneau started his big day by picking a Fields throw down the middle, setting Kansas up at the Oklahoma State 17-yard line. To end
SEE FACE-0FF ON PAGE 16A
Columnist crusading for Luke as quarterback
Apparently, I'm on a one-man crusade.
I keep writing that Kansas football coach Mark Mangino should start second-year quarterback Brian Luke. I keep saying Luke needs the experience for next year — when he's Bill Whittemore's back-up — and beyond.
Mangino was neither reading nor listening last week, starting fifth-year senior Jonas Weatherbie against Nebraska. Weatherbie played well, throwing a 50-yard touchdown to Byron Gasaway, before tearing a ligament in his right knee late in the first quarter.
That decision made sense, as Dyer is
SPORTS COMMENTARY
With just one true quarterback on the depth chart, Mangino said Sunday that he would make junior Zach Dyer the back-up quarterback if Whittimore couldn't play against the Cowboys.
Luke replaced Weatherbie against the Cornhuskers but split time with fellow second-year freshman Greg Heaggans, who hadn't played quarterback in a game since high school and didn't throw a pass against Nebraska.
Levi Chronister
lechronister@kansan.com
the most experienced Jayhawk quarterback. Well, that's not exactly true because Dyer hasn't been a quarterback since the sixth week of the season. Dyer was moved to safety and is the Jayhawks' sixth-leading tackler since starting on defense against the Colorado Buffaloes.
Mangino changed his tune Tuesday, saying Dyer would start Saturday if Whitmore was still out with an injury. Moving Dyer from the hunter to the hunted is a good call, but starting him this weekend just pushes Mangino's rebuilding project back a bit farther.
Dyer has played well at safety. But if he
SEE CHRONISTER ON PAGE 16A
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