6B = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
MONDAY, AUGUST 19,2002
Volleyball team ready to succeed
Coach expects improvements this coming fall
By Jason Hwang Kansan sportswriter
The University of Kansas volleyball coach expects his team to improve this year with a few new faces and an increased focus on practice.
The squand, which lost just one senior, sater Molly LaMere, will bring in three freshman to join its 11 returning players.
Coming off of a 16-15 record (6-14 in the Big 12 Conference), fifth-year coach Ray Bechard said the key to improvement from last season was simply to elevate the team's fundamental skills.
"We spent most of our time passing and serving." Bechard said. "I have found that most great teams have a solid basis in the fundamentals."
Kansan File Photo
Jamie Morningstar, senior defensive specialist, echoed Beehard's thoughts and said keeping things simple and taking them day-by-day would be important.
Bechard said despite the great emphasis on fundamentals and wanting to improve from last season, the practices had only been 90 minutes. which allowed the team to concentrate more.
Even though practices are shorter, senior middle blocker Kylie Thomus said they are still tough.
Thomas said the vigorous summer workouts, which included
weight lifting, running and conditioning as a team, improved the players' physical endurance and teamwork.
Thomas said this was the first time so many Jayhawks had stayed in Lawrence for the summer to prepare for the upcoming season.
Despite losing LaMere to graduation. Bechard said he thought two players could step up and fill the vacated setter's role nicely — freshman Andi Rozum and sophomore Ashley Bechard, the coach's daughter.
"As a sophomore, she has a better sense of the system," Bechard said of his daughter. "We also have Andi Rozum, who brings great athletic talent."
Bechard said the familiarity of the starting line should ease the transition from high school to Division I volleyball. Thomas agrees.
"We try to make her as comfortable as possible," Thomas said. "And the more comfortable she is, the more confident she will be."
Rozum is one of two freshmen on the team, along with middle blocker Iosiane Lima.
The Jayhawks will open their season Aug. 31 at Creighton. The team opens its home season by playing host to the Hampton Inn/Jayhawk Classic at noon on Sept. 13, opening against Southeast Missouri State.
Contact Hwano at
Junior outside hitter Sarah Rome spikes a ball through Wichita State blockers in a match held last season. The Jayhawks finished the season 16-15.
contact rwang at jhwang@kansan.com. This story was edited by Amy Schmitz.
Upsets abound on professional tennis circuit
Greg Rusedski, coming off an upset victory over top-ranked Lleyton Hewitt, beat Martin Verkerk 6-4, 7-6 (6) to advance to the semifinals of the RCA Championships in Indianapolis.
Sebastien Grosjean 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
The Associated Press
Rusedski, seeded 14th, will face Tommy Haas, the highest remaining seed at No. 3. Haas beat sixth-seeded
Ninth-seeded Rainer Schuettler will play Felix Mantilla in the other semifinal.
Andre Agassi broke serve to avoid a straight sets loss, rallying to beat Thomas Enqvist 6-7 (8), 7-6(5), 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington D.C.
With Enqwi servicing for the match
at 5-4 in the second set, Agassi fought
back to game a tiebreaker, ending the game with a strong forhand winner. Agassi also overcame a 4-2 deficit in the second-set tiebreaker.
The top-seeded Agassi advanced to a semifinal match against sixth-seeded James Blake, a6-4, 6-4 winner over fourth-seeded Alex Corretia.
In the other semifinal, fifth-seeded Marcelo Rios of Chile will play 14th-seeded Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand.
In women's tennis, Martina Hingis tumbled out of the Rogers AT&T Cup in Montreal, falling 6-4, 6-3 to third-seeded Jelena Dokic in a windy quarterfinal match.
Dokic will face second-seeded Jennifer Capriati, 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 winner over fifth-seeded Justine Henin of Belgium.
Tennis team rallies to overcome upset
By Jonah Ballow
Kahsan sportswriter
The Kansas tennis team will start its fall season with a sour taste in its mouth.
Kansan File Photr
After finishing with a 16-6 record overall and 9-2 in the Big 12 Conference, the Jayhawks failed to make the NCAA women's tennis tournament. The tournament committee snubbed the team, which also held a No. 1 ranking in its region.
Coach Kilmeny Waterman, who was named Big 12 coach of the year last season, said she hoped to make this year's tournament with solid preparation in the fall.
"The fall is to practice but to be competitive and that will start us on the right foot to win a couple early matches in the spring." Waterman said. "If we would have won some of our first matches last season we would have been in the tournament."
Waterman thinks the team will have the chemistry and experience to become even more competitive this year.
"I am excited for this season because it's my third year with this team, and I'm a lot more comfortable with them," Waterman said.
The Jayhawks will lose their No. 1 single player, Cheryl Mialiah, who was last year's Most Valuable Player, but will return six of eight starters.
Two of the experienced players who return are twin juniors Kristen and Courtney Steinbock — the Jayhawks' top doubles team.
The No. 2 doubles team of junior Emily Haylock and sophomore Paige Brown played strong together and finished the spring season with a 13-4 record. Brown and Haylock capped off the season with a key victory over Texas A&M in the Big 12 Tournament.
Lone senior Kim Lorenz was named the team's most improved player last year, posting a 25-6 singles record. Lorenz will provide the leadership by example for a young Kansas team.
"I just like to play singles," she said.
"And I know there are better players
Sophomore Paige Brown and her teammates will use the fall to "start on the right foot," coach Waterman said. Waterman said getting early wins would help the team reach the NCAA tournament after being snubbed by the selection committee last season.
Canadian freshman Christine Skoda is a new addition to the team and is expected to make an instant impact.
it doubles on our team. When you're the senior you just try to set a good example for the incoming freshmen."
"She is a top Canadian player and has experience along with all-court skills." Waterman said.
The fall season differs from the spring season with the team playing many different tournaments that are not dual matches, though the Jayhawks might find it hard to gain quality practice time during the new season.
The Alvamar Racquet Club, where the team previously practiced and held meets, was recently sold to Bishop Seabury Academy, which will make the club its new building for the private school. The team will now have indoor practices and meets at a yet-to-be-determined facility in Topeka.
The Jayhawks will start practice Sept. 5 and the season begins Sept. 25 against Tulsa and Indiana.
Contact Ballow at jballow@kansan.com. This story was edited by Kristi Henderson.
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