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SPORTS
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
16A
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2002
Levi Chronister
lchronister@kansan.com
Brandon Baker/Kansan
Success lies out of state
Josiane Lima, Sao Paulo Brazil freshman, spikes past a Cornhusker defender. The Jayhawk's rigid defense and tough attacks against the Cornhuskers were not enough to secure a win. The Jayhawks lost all three matches played at home yesterday.
As impressive as the Kansas volleyball team's 8-0 start to the season and two tournament titles in as many weekends are, the team has been less than stellar since the beginning of Big 12 Conference play.
The Jayhawks are tied with Texas A&M and Colorado for fifth place in the Big 12 at 5-5 after yesterday's loss to No. 4-ranked Nebraska. If they keep up that pace, they'll finish at .500 in the conference and have double digit conference victories — both for the first time.
It would also be the first 20-win season for the team since 1991, which might put the Jayhawks in the NCAA Tournament, but the team shouldn't be considered a true success until more than half of those wins come against Big 12 opponents.
Already, Kansas is more than halfway to the school-best eight Big 12 victories in 1999 and should pick up another five with games against Iowa State, Colorado, Texas Tech, Baylor and Oklahoma. The Jayhawks could end up above the break-even mark in the Big 12 if they can top Texas A&M at home.
While 10 or 11 conference victories would be a breakout year for Kansas, it isn't likely any of them would be against Big 12 bullies Kansas State, Nebraska or Texas.
Kansas' struggles against conference foes are apparent in the Big 12 statistics. Entering last night's game, the Jayhawks were in the top half of all important offensive stats overall, but ranked the same or lower when looking at just conference games.
One way for the Jayhawks to move up the Big 12 standings in the future is to sign more players from outside of Kansas.
Half of this year's 14 Jayhawks are from in-state and while they are important pieces to the continued improvement of the team, getting more players from around the nation would greatly improve the team's chances of finishing in the upper echelon on the conference.
Nebraska, which has finished atop the Big 12 in five of the conference's six seasons and owns a 68-1 mark against Kansas, has proven that talented players from around the country can help a team succeed.
The Cornhuskers have just four native Nebraskans on their roster, just one of which — senior Laura Pilakowski — is on more than one of the conference's individual statistics leader boards. Nebraska's top player, Greichaly Cepero, is from Puerto Rico and played high school volleyball in Maryland.
Kansas made two big steps towards finishing near the top of the Big 12 last offseason, signing two players from outside of Kansas middle blocker Josiane Lima and setter Andi Rozum.
Lima, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, has been the Jayhawks' most prolific hitter, leading the team with 218 kills, averaging 3.89 per game before yesterday. If Lima can keep up her pace for the next three years, she should break Amanda Reeves career kills record by more than 200.
Also on pace to shatter records is Rozum. The freshman from Loveland, Colo., is averaging 12.41 assists per game before facing Nebraska, which would be the third best season mark if the season ended today. She is on course to break Julie Woodruff's career assist record of 4.209 by about 800 also.
With these two talented young players and a high quality group of native Kansans on the rise, coach Ray Bechard is well on his way to Bob Lockwood's record of 150 coaching victories at Kansas. Looking outside of the state for more players to help him reach that mark should also result in a move up the conference standings and far into the NCAA tournament. And maybe even a victory or two against Nebraska.
Chronister is a Lawrence senior in journalism. He is the Kansan sports editor.
'Hawks lose to Huskers
Jason Hwang
jhwang@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas volleyball team may have lost more than its match against Nebraska last night.
The No. 4-ranked Cornhuskers (18-1, 10-0 Big 12) extended their consecutive Big 12 winning streak to 60 when it swept the Jayhawks in three games (30-22, 30-21, 30-20) at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center. Nebraska also improved its record over the Jayhawks to 68-1.
Freshman middle blocker Josiane Lima left early in the third game with a hand injury. Bechard said Lima injured her right pinkie finger where it meets the palm. X-rays will be taken today.
"Many teams are big and physical, but they got a rare combination of being big and athletic, too," coach Ray Bechard said of the Cornhuskers. "That's why they are a great team."
Kansas (14-5, 5-5) is in the midst of a three-match losing streak. The Jayhawks were held to a .068 hitting percentage, their lowest this season. The previous record was .089 in Saturday's match at Missouri.
Even with poor hitting numbers,the Jayhawks learned and improved against Nebraska.
For the fourth time this season, no Jayhawk recorded a double-double. Junior outside hitter Sarah Rome led the team with 10 kills. Sophomore libero Jill Dorsey had nine digs.
"In every game we do things that make us better," sophomore outside hitter Lindsey Morris said. "I don't really know if I could say one thing in particular — even just coming together as a team, not giving up. It's the little things that make us better every day."
taking nine of the final 10 points to win 30-21.
"I thought we fought hard. We executed pretty well for 80 percent of each game," Bechard said. "It seemed like they went on a little run, and that's what a great team does is finish strong."
Trailing 14-9 in game one, the Jayhawks scored six of the next eight points and cut Nebraska's lead to 16-15. Leading 20-17, the Cornhuskers scored six of the next eight points and four of the final five points, winning the game 30-22. The Jayhawks never led the game.
in game three, with Nebraska leading 5-3, Lima and senior outside hitter Molly Scavuzzo attempted to block a Nebraska kill when Lima ran to the Kansas bench holding her right hand and screaming. After she left the game, the Cornhuskers scored the next four points and extended their lead to 10-3. Kansas
Kansas took its biggest lead of the match in the next game at 6-3. The Cornhuskers regained the lead at 11-10. Then, with a 13-12 lead, they made a 5-2 run, stretching the lead to 18-14 before Kansas took a timeout. The Jayhawks kept it close at 21-20, but the Cornhuskers finished strong.
dodged two elimination points before they lost the game 30-20.
"We've got to take full advantage of the opportunity to get back on the winning track," Bechard said. "We knew this stretch would be difficult. Hopefully we didn't lose a player in the process. We hope that the team can recover mentally and be ready to play on Saturday."
The Jayhawks go back on the road for their next conference match in Norman, Okla. to take on the Sooners at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Tim Alexander, Wichita senior, and Ryan Woodman, Andover junior, have been practicing with the Kansas men's basketball team. Both hope to secure spots on the team as walk-ons.
Edited by Erin Ohm
Kelly McNearney/KANSAN
Kansas walk-on hopefuls don't want to wake from Jayhawk hoop dream
By Kelly McNearney
kmcnearney@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Three Jayhawks are working their tails off trying to secure spots on the Kansas men's basketball team.
tim Alexander, Wichita senior, Ryan Woodman, Andover junior, and Brett Olson, Chanute senior, have been practicing with the team every day this week in hopes of becoming the newest walk-ons.
Fifty-five Kansas students tried out for the team last week at Allen Fieldhouse. Only Alexander, Woodman and Olson were invited to attend Jayhawk practices as the final stage of their tryout.
"Coach (Ben) Miller let me know that I'd be having a tryout with the varsity team, which is a pretty cool deal," said Woodman. "Not a lot of people get to do it so it's a good feeling."
"I put on a Kansas practice Jersey and walked into Allen Fieldhouse," Alexander said. "I kind of thought, 'What am I doing here?'
That first practice was awe-inspiring for the hopefuls.
Woodman agreed and said the sight of himself in a Kansas jersey surprised him.
Alexander and Woodman, who played against each other in high school, spent their fall break preparing for their first practice Sunday.
"We threw on the KU gear and kind of looked at ourselves and were like,
"I put on a Kansas practice jersey and walked into Allen Fieldhouse, What am I doing here?"
Tim Alexander
Wichita senior
'What's going on here?'" Woodman said. "I have a KU Jersey on. This is weird."
Alexander said the feeling quickly ended once practice began, when players realized what they trying for.
Alexander said competing against
some of the best players in the country was difficult because they were so big and strong and like no one he had ever played before. But he said he felt comfortable at practices.
"I think I've handled it pretty well, and now after three practices, I think things are starting to make more sense and slow down for me," Alexander said. "Now I'm able to enjoy it and have fun with it more."
Woodman said the practices were nerve-wracking because he did not want to make mistakes, but at the same time
SEE WALK-ONS ON PAGE 12A
Women's basketball readies for season
By Doyle Murphy
dmurphy@kansan.com
Kansan writer
The tournament featured the best female high school players in the nation and lasted from June 13 to 16. Ervin's numerous accolades include selections to the USA Today's All-America team, Nike All-America team, and Street & Smith's All-America second team.
Laura Ervin, Inglewood (Calf) High School senior has given Kansas a verbal commitment. Ervin, a 6 foot 3 forward, was among the top four in points (12.3 per game), rebounds (9.3 per game), blocks (1.25 per game), and field goal percentage .513) at the USA Women's Youth Development Festival this summer.
Texas Tech and Kansas State also lead the way in Preseason All Big 12 selections.
Kansas State's Nicole Ohlde, a junior, was named Preseason Player of the Year, while Plenetite Pierson, a junior, and Jia Perkins, a sophomore, give Tech two players on the first team. Joining them are Texas sophomore Stacey Stephens, Iowa State junior Lindsey Wilson and Oklahoma junior Caton Hill. Wilson and Hill tied for the fifth spot.
Texas Tech owns the top spot in the just-released Big 12 Women's Basketball Coaches poll. Tech edged out secondplace Kansas State 114-113. Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado make up the rest of the top five. The coaches predicted Kansas to finish 11th in front of Baylor.
Kansas freshman Tamara Ransburg Virginia Beach, Va., has achieved a qualifying score on her ACT, making her eligible to practice and play this season. The 6 foot 4 freshman forward averaged 24 points and 12 rebounds in her senior season at Tilton High School in Tilton, N.H.
Ervin will not officially be a layhawk until she signs a national letter of intent. High school seniors can sign letters of intent from Nov. 6 to 13.
- Edited by Sarah Hill
Rivalry between schools continues
By Justin Schmidt
jschmidt@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
A new chapter will be written in the Border War on Saturday.
Regardless of how the football game between the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri turns out, new fuel will be added to the fire. University of Kansas students hear horror stories of the rowdy behavior in Columbia every year. Perhaps some stories are rumors, but some are true.
Jillian Ermanis, Minnetonka, Minn., junior has seen the war from both sides. She enrolled at Kansas as a freshman, transferred to Missouri for her sophomore year and then came back to Kansas this year.
Ermanis says Missouri takes the annual interstate battle more serious than Kansas.
"They are really bitter against us." Ermanis said. "They really, really hate us."
On a campus tour in Columbia, Mo., the tour guide told Ermanis there was a message in the spacing of the window
SEE RIVALRY ON PAGE 12A
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