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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
1B
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2002
Seniors lead with energy
By Ryan Greene rgreene@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
Four volleyball players, four seniors, four different paths to the University of Kansas, but they share a common goal.
That goal is to finish their Jayhawk careers with an appearance at the NCAA tournament.
Over the years, Jennifer Kraft, Jamie Morningstar, Molly Scavuzzo and Kylie Thomas have all witnessed the continued improvement of the Kansas volleyball program under coach Ray Bechard. While the team has had an outstanding 2002 campaign up to this point with a 16-5 record (6-5 in the Big 12 Conference) and the brilliant play of some of the squad's younger players, the seniors have had a dominant role, not necessarily in playing but in leadership.
John Nowak/Kansan
"It's just interesting that some of them have a significant role and some don't, but they all four work extremely hard," Bechard said. "That's a very difficult thing to find when as a senior they all want to have a very dominant playing role. They all don't have that, but they all bring great energy and great enthusiasm."
Senior volleyball team members [from left] Kylie Thomas, Jennifer Kraft, Molly Scavuzzo and Jamie Morningstar all look to finish their careers with an appearance in the NCAA tournament. Senior leadership has played an important role in the team's performance so far this season.
Kraft, libero from Saratoga, Cali., saw the landmark
SEE VOLLEYBALL PAGE 8B
Squad seeks to stifle Iowa State
By Jason Hwang
jhwang@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Tonight, the Kansas volleyball squad will try continue its winning ways against Iowa State when the two teams meet at 7 p.m. in Ames, Iowa.
Kansas (15-5 overall, 6-5 in the Big 12 Conference) has won five straight matches against Iowa State (10-13, 1-10). In their last meeting, the Jayhawks swept
the Cyclones on Oct. 9 in Lawrence.
Kansas snapped a three-match losing skid Saturday, beating Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., 3-2.
Sophomore libero Jill Dorsey said coach Ray Bechard wanted the team to treat the second half of the conference season as a new season.
"We're 1-0 right now and that's how we want to look at it. The first win is important and we have to continue that versus Iowa State," Dorsey said.
The Cyclones also snapped a losing streak Saturday. Their sweep of Baylor was their first conference win in 20 matches.
"They're definitely not a 1-10 team. They're much better than what the record shows," Dorsey said. "They're a good blocking team that will push us on Wednesday."
The Cyclones rank second in the conference with 2.86 blocks and 17.05 digs per game. Senior outside hitter
Mandi Harms is second in the Big 12, averaging 1.35 blocks per game. Sophomore outside hitter Brittany Dalager's 3.99 digs per game is second in the conference.
"We've had success recently against Iowa State but it's a different team," Bechard said. "I think they're just looking for a reason why they can win and we can't give them that opportunity."
— Edited by Katie Teske
Whittemore's status questionable
Bv John Domoney
By John Domoney
jdomoney@kansan.com
Kansas sportswriter
Kansas football coach Mark Mangino feels at home in his football-practice wear and with a whistle around his neck.
This week, Mangino might as well be wearing a stethoscope as he has been playing the role of doctor because of an injury to junior quarterback Bill Whittemore. Mangino told reporters yesterday in his weekly press conference that he has been in close contact with the training staff concerning Whittemore's left knee that was hurt in the third quarter of last Saturday's loss to Missouri.
"Bill is getting intense treatment," Mangino said. "He's spent a great deal of
time since Sunday with our trainer Carol Jarosky, who's working tirelessly trying to get him ready to go."
The Nashville, Tenn., product was definitely on his way to becoming the Jayhawks' leading passer and second leading rusher through the first nine games of the season. Whittemore averages 185.1 yards passing per game combined with a per game average of 61 rushing vards
Whittemore has 549 total rushing yards this season which gives him the second most rushing yards in a single season by a Jayhawk quarterback since Nolan Cromwell's 1,124 in 1975.
Last Saturday in Columbia, Mo.. Whittemore was on his way to a career performance as he had completed 19 of 37 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns before he left the game midway through the third quarter with his injury.
Mangino said Whittemore's condition is day-to-day and a decision on his playing status may not be reached until before game time Saturday.
"If you base it on Bill's toughness he'll be there, but if the injury in any way could put him in harm's way and cause further damage to him it won't be his decision," Mangino said. "It will be the medical staff advising me on how to handle it. Bill has no real say on whether he'll play or not because if it were up to him, he'd be out there question."
If Whittemore is not cleared to play against Kansas State, Mangino said sen-
SEE FOOTBALL PAGE 3B
Jared Soares/Kansan
Quarterback Bill Whittemore looks downfield for an open receiver. The Jayhawks will face Kansas State without Whittemore, who was injured last weekend against Missouri.
SPORTS COMMENTARY
Ryan Wood
rwood@kansan.com
Rozum sets standard for Kansas volleyball
Andi Rozum is good.
I came to this conclusion at Horejsi Family Athletics Center on Monday. I've known this all year long, seeing the freshman setter play numerous matches for the Kansas volleyball team. But she proved it to me after practice Monday, the night before the team departed for Ames, Iowa, to play Iowa State tonight.
Rozum, besides being a tremendous setter, also comes armed with a lethal jump serve. It's perhaps one of the hardest skills in volleyball to perfect, and doing so makes it one of the hardest skills in volleyball to defend.
Imagine yourself on the receiving end of this jump serve, coming at you at, oh, around 675 miles per hour. Imagine the ball moving to your head and just before it gets there, it drops to your feet. Imagine trying to bump this serve crisply, in play, and right to your setter.
Rozum made this nightmare a reality for me on Monday. While working on her jump serves after everyone else went home.I was dared to go and try to defend five of them.
"It used to be effective," she said, "I'm trying to get it back."
She must have been trying to trick me.
I took the challenge. I was unable to connect on the first three. The fourth one I hit due right, over the many rows of bleachers and off the back wall, about 50 feet from the nearest in-bounds line.
I made progress, I was pumped.
I managed to get the fifth one in play — softly over the net into enemy territory. In a game situation, a 6-foot-1 middle blocker would have smashed my face in on the return.
"You did good," Rozum said afterwards.
As challenging as that was, it probably isn't nearly as bad as the legacy Rozum had to fill when she came to the University of Kansas this fall.
Molly LaMere was the last setter to play for Kansas. She's one of the best the Jayhawks have ever had. In the single season assist record book, LaMere's three seasons as the starting setter rank second, third and fourth on the list. Most of the current Jayhawks were spoiled by
SEE WOOD PAGE 8B
Athletes believe rituals lead to winning games
By Kelly McNearney
kmcnearney@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Coaches and athletes at the University of Kansas rely upon training, preparation, skills and some superstitious habits.
"I have to wear tape on my right ring finger and my left thumb — otherwise I can't play," said Chris Marshall, senior golfer. "If I showed up to a tournament without tape, I wouldn't play."
Marshall has to put his right shoe on first and make special markings on the golf ball he uses during the game. He outlines the brand name of his golf balls in green and puts a line down the words on the opposite sides of the ball. He tried a new marking Sunday that brought him success.
Some coaches and athletes have daily rituals they practice to keep themselves focused.
"I put three circles around the logo for three birdies on the last three holes," he said. "I ended up going eagle-birdie-birdie so I will most definitely be doing that one again."
The Kansas men's basketball team is rich with superstitious players.
Nick Collison, senior forward, makes a wish every twelve hours at 11:11. Every time Jeff Graves, junior forward, comes to a light post or pole, he makes sure his walking companion does not walk on the opposite side—an act he calls 'splitting poles.'
Keith Langford, sophomore guard, switches shoes at halftime if he is having a bad game, and Wayne Simien, sophomore forward, is superstitious about putting on his jersey a certain way.
"I always had to wear a black sports bra," Royall said. "I don't know why, but if I didn't have a black sports bra on, I thought I was going to do bad."
Lauren Royall, senior rower, also had a superstition about her attire, but broke the streak when it let her down.
Royall said the superstition stemmed from a performance where she did well and happened to be wearing a black sports bra.
She said she then thought the undergarment brought her good luck.
Her superstitious ritual ended when she realized her apparel had no impact on her performance.
"Iimagine how mad I was when I wore the black sports bra and did bad," she said.
"Now I try not to pay attention to what I put on.I just put it on and go."
Ray Bechard, volleyball coach, said his players did a team-bonding, concentration exercise before walking onto the court at each match.
He said the players wanted to repeat the drill until they were satisfied their perfect routine would have a positive outcome.
Coaches also practice pregame rituals and have superstitions of their own.
Bechard follows the same routine every day that his team plays.
"I try to keep my game-day ritual as consistent as possible," he said.
Bechard's ritual begins with a 15-minute team meeting followed by 15 to 20 minutes of meditative quiet time.
Edited by Melissa Shuman
Kelly McNearney/Kansan
Kansas golfer Chris Marshall has a superstitious habit connected to his golf playing. He decorates each ball with highlights and dots before games to bring good luck.
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