THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY,SEPTEMBER25,2002
JUST CROSS THE BRIDGE...TO JOHNNY'S TAVERN
JOBNNT3
Johnny's Tavern
401 N. 2nd Street
785-842-0377
KU School of Business Thursday, September 26 1 p.m.-6 p.m. Kansas Union Ballroom
Kansan file photo
The volleyball team takes on No. 23 Colorado today at the Coors Event Center, Kansas beat Marquette in three games (30-17, 30-12, 30-17) on Sept. 13.
Jayhawks look for road win
By Jason Hwang
jhwang@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
The Kansas volleyball squad is taking the high road to the Rockies.
The Jayhawks (9-1, 1-1 Big 12 Conference) will travel to Boulder, Colo. to face the No. 23 Colorado Buffaloes (8-4, 2-0 Big 12) at 7 p.m. today in the Coors Event Center
This is the second straight ranked opponent Kansas will play on the road. Kansas lost to No.17 Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, last Wednesday. The team is coming off its first conference win, a 3-0 sweep at home against Oklahoma Saturday.
"You grow up in a hurry in this
conference, especially on the road," coach Ray Bechard said. "We're going to see a lot of ranked teams before the conference season is over."
Bechard said the team must make plays in key moments to extend the match.
Kansas has never beaten Colorado on the road (0-15) and has been swept in three games in six consecutive years at the Coors Event Center. Kansas and Colorado have split the season series the past two years, each winning on their home court.
extend the most "We can definitely make things happen," junior outside hitter Sarah Rome said. "It's our second road game, and we learned a lot from the first road game. So we should bring a better game."
Colorado is tied with Nebraska
for first in the Big 12 and is on a six-match winning streak, including a win against Texas A&M last Saturday. The Buffaloes are led by junior middle blocker Monique Gerlach, who is the reigning Big 12 Player of the Week.
Bechard said Colorado brought a new set of challenges because the team relied on the middle rather than the outside for its offense. He said Kansas must be aggressive with the serve and keep passing on target to run the offense.
"Colorado is very experienced and plays very well at home," Bechard said. "Most teams are comfortable playing at home. We have to deal with that and come up with a plan that will work."
Edited by Erin Ohm