SPORTS
1. （    ）
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, October 22, 1992
11
Jayhawks drop three games to Sooners
Volleyball team's record falls to 17-10 overall, 1-4 in Big Eight competition
By David Dorsey
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas volleyball team played in its latest home away from home last night, losing to Oklahoma 15-13, 15-7 and 15-3 at the Lawrence High School gym.
The Jayhawks, now 17-10 overall and 1-4 in the Big Eight Conference, played at the high school because repair work is being done on the new floor in Allen Field House.
During the installation of the floor earlier this season, the team played its matches at Robinson Center.
"Having the big crowd here was kind of nice," said Kansas coach Frankie Albitz. "But we don't want to play here unless we have to."
An estimated crowd of 700 filled the gym on what was dubbed High School Night for the Jawhaws.
Kansas senior captain Julie Larkin led the Jayhawks, Albitz said, but the rest of the team broke down.
"She was very enthusiastic and put a lot of balls out of reach," Albiz said. "We had a little trouble maintaining our momentum, and that is an important part of volleyball.
"We didn't take control. My team looked really young, and we're really not that young."
Larkin, who had nine kills and a service ace, said that it was not the Sooners who beat the Jayhawks.
"We just made too many errors," Larkin said. "We beat them the last match, so maybe they were looking to get back at us. But we really just beat ourselves."
The first game continued with both teams scoring almost evenly until the Sooners broke the 13-13 tie, and eventually won the game. 15-13.
In the second game, with the score tied at four, Oklahoma went on a seven-point scoring run.
In the first game, Oklahoma took an early lead until Larkin's second kill of the match, which evened the score 6-6. Redshirt freshman outside hitter Tracie Walt serve an ace, followed by a kill by senior middle blocker Kim DeHoff that launched off Oklahoma captain Sara Biese and into the stands.
Kansas junior middle blocker Cyn-
dee Kanabel had a kill on a set from freshman setter Lesli Steinert, breaking the Oklahoma streak swept
Larkin served an ace to give Kansas a point, but the Jayhawks could not catch up and dropped the second game 15-7.
The Jayhawks jumped to a three-point lead in the third game, starting with an ace by junior setter Shelby Lard for the first point. Freshman middle blocker Jenny Larson blocked a shot, and Larkin had a kill for the third point.
But three points were all the Jay-
hawks would get.
The Sooners went on a 15-0 scoring blitz, demolishing the Jayhawks in game three, 15-3.
Lard let the team in dogs with 12.
DeHoff led the Jayhawks in kills
with ten, while Steinert had 26 set
assists.
Lard received considerable playing time after Albitz moved her from setter to the right side.
"She's worked her way in slowly," Albitz said. "She's real strong on defense and has lots of ball control."
The Jayhawks will battle the Iowa State Cyclones 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Lawrence High School.
Kansas freshman Tracie Walt (center), spikes the ball through Oklahoma blockers Heide Luehmann (14) and Karen Myers (2). Kansas junior Cyndee Kanabel (2), and senior Julie Larkin (12), stand ready to assist. The 'Hawks lost to Oklahoma last night in three games at the Lawrence High School gym.
Patrick Tomkins / KANSAN
Jays one game away from title
Key is key to win in pitching duel
The Associated Press
TORONTO — Jimmy Key put a lock on Atlanta bats and the Toronto Blue Jays moved within a game of bringing the first World Series title to Canada.
Key, passed over in Toronto's playoff off rotation, pitched as though he had not missed a start. He blanked the Braves until the eighth inning, and led the Blue Jays to a 2-1 victory last night for a 3-1 Series lead.
Of the 34 teams to take 3-1 leads in the World Series, 28 have gone on to win. Toronto will try to do it tonight when Jack Morris, the MVP of last year's World Series, starts against Atlanta's John Smoltz.
Pat Borders put Toronto ahead with a solo homer in the third inning off Game 1 winner Tom Glavine. Key pitched until relievers Duaire Ward and Tom Henke closed the game out for the save. The Blue Jays' bulpen has allowed one hit in nine scoreless innings.
For the ninth time in the last 10 Series games, it was a one-run decision. And, for the 10th time in 10 Series games, a non-done team lost indoors.
Key went seven and two-thirds innings, allowing five hits and the run. He struck out six without walking a batter. Key had not started since the last day of the regular season and pitched just three relief innings in the playoffs. From the first through the seventh inning, Key retired 20 of 21 batters.
Borders caught a lot of criticism throughout the postseason for throwing out only three of 29 baseteachers. Although he has not thrown well, Toronto pitchers have not helped by allowing runners to take big leads and
throwing plenty of pitches in the dirt. Regardless, Borders heard only cheers when he led off the third inning with a shot into the lower left field deck. The blow extended Toronto's record streak of hitting home runs in all 10 postseason games and underscored how the Blue Jays were winning a Series that had shaped up into a battle of power versus speed.
Borders' homer had a few other distinctions. It extended his postseason hitting streak to 12 games, a record for catchers. Yogi Berra and Thurman Munson each had 11-game streaks. Also, of Borders' 15 home runs this season, it was his first off a left-hander.
Glavine, meanwhile, continued to have trouble keeping the ball in the ballpark during October. He allowed only six home runs in 225 innings during the regular season, but has given up five homers in 24 and one-third innings in the playoffs and World Series. Glavine pitched his second complete game of the Series, but he lost this time, allowing six hits and four walks in eight innings.
Toronto added an insurance run — a needed one, as it turned out — in the seventh on Devon White's third hit of the game. Kelly Gruber opened with a walk, reached second on a tapper in front of the plate, and scored on White's single.
The Braves came back against Key in the eighth. Ron Gant, back in the lineup in place of Deion Sanders, led off with a double into the left-field corner and took third when Brian Hunter bunted perfectly toward third for a single.
Damon Berryll popped up a sacrifice bunt, and Mark Lemke followed with a one-hopper off Key's leg. The ball caromed to Gruber at third base, and he made the play for the out as Gant scored, making it 2-1.
Men's tennis to play in Wichita
By David Bartkoski
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas men's tennis team will head to Wichita this weekend to play in the Mid-America Rolex tournament, a qualifying event for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Kansas men's coach Michael Center said he did not have any specific goals he would like to achieve.
"I want to see us play hard," he said.
"I want to see us play with confidence and give our best showing."
Center said the competition should not be as tough as it was in the Volvo All-American tournament held Oct. 10-14 in Austin, Texas.
Because of Fleming's overall performance last season, he received a bye in the prequalifying rounds of the Volvo tournament this season and entered the qualifying rounds, but was unable to qualify with Robert Devonsin in the first round.
Four Jayhawks, including senior Carlos Fleming, played in the Volvo tournament, another qualifying event for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
field in Austin
"Most of the guys in the qualifier are ranked in the top 50 in the country," he said. "If you get into the main draw, you're one of the top 32 players in the world."
This weekend's tournament, unlike the Volvo, will feature both singles and doubles. Kansas will field five singles and three doubles teams.
Women's tennis coach named
“It’s the big show in the fall for our region,” Fleming said. “It’s a test. We have to see what we’re up against.”
Kansas will take Fleming, junior Brad Berminal, sophomore Manny Ortiz and freshmen J.P. Vissepo, Mike Isroff and Reid Slattery to the Rolex tournament, Center said.
Center said Fleming could be seeded anywhere from No. 9 to No. 16 because those seeds were determined alphabetically. The first through eighth seeds are determined by merit.
Fleming said there was a high-class
Chuck Mazbacher, who coached the men's tennis team at Northern Illinois to a 50-34 record during the past three years, was named the new women's tennis coach at Kansas yesterday.
This weekend, Slattery will play doubles with Fleming, Vissepo and Ortiz will play together, and Bermuth and Isroff will team up.
Merzbacher will take over for Michael Center, who was promoted to director of tennis and appointed men's coach earlier this year. Center took over the men's team when Scott Perelman left for Tennessee.
Kansan staffreport
Merbacher, 27, was a three-time All-Big Ten selection in tennis at Minneapolis.
Everyone but Isroff will compete in singles play.
Center said Kansas was fortunate to get Merzbacher.
"We're lucky," he said. "He's a first class person and does a great job coaching his teams."
"Those girls are winners, and they're Big Eight champs," he said. The Jayhawks were Big Eight and Regional champions last spring.
Merzbach said he was happy to be working with a successful program.
One of the reasons Merzbacher left Northern Illinois for Kansas was the community atmosphere in Lawrence.
"The more I saw it, the more I wanted to be a part of it," he said.
Merbacher said he met some of the players on an earlier visit. He said that he would meet with the team Sunday and they might practice that day.
Holly McQueen / KANSAN
Rhain Buth, Wichita junior, practices at the tennis courts behind Allen Field House. The men's tennis team will compete this weekend in Wichita.
Media rank Jayhawks first in preseason basketball poll
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Defending champion Kansas will win the Big Eight basketball championship, and Jayhawk forward Rex Walters will be the league's player of the year, according to the preseason media poll.
last.
Kansas received 45 first-place votes from 46 media observers who took part in the 14th annual poll. Second place Oklahoma was one of five teams that received votes in five or more positions. Following the Sooners were Iowa State third, Missouri fourth, Nebraska fifth and Oklahoma State sixth.
Missouri got the other first place vote
Participating media have correctly forecast the champion seven times since 1980. Last year they chose Oklahoma State, which was beaten out by Kansas. In fact, the only one the media got right in last year's poll was last-place Colorado. The poll has never predicted each team's actual finish.
The panelists predicted Kansas State would end up seventh and Colorado would once again finish
Walters received 40 of 46 votes for player of the year, beating out teammate Adonis Jordan and Missouri's Jevon Crudup. Kansas State's Askia Jones and Oklahoma's Jeff Webster also got one vote apiece.
Andre Woolridge of Nebraska was chosen freshman of the year, and newcomer of the year was foremost. He is a graduate of Kansas, adjunct college transfer.
Big Eight rankings
Big Eight
Kansas 1 Kansas
Oklahoma 2 Iowa State
Iowa State 3 Oklahoma
Missouri 4 Nebraska
Nebraska 5 Missouri
Oklahoma State 6 Oklahoma State
Kansas State 7 Kansas St.
Colorado 8 Colorado
The Big Eight conference released its pre-season basketball rankings and picks for top player yesterday. Kansan sportswriter David Dorsey made his predictions and top player picks also.
David Dorsey
Both picked:
Player of the Year - Rex Walters, Kansas
Newcomer of the Year - Darrin Hancock, Kansas
Freshman of the Year - Andre Woolridge, Nebraska
Source: The Associated Press
Dave Campbell / KANSA
Magic denies rumors regarding his contraction of AIDS virus
The Associated Press
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Magic Johnson strongly denied recent insinuations that he was not telling the truth about how he contracted the virus that causes AIDS.
Johnson, speaking last night before the Lakers' game against the New York Knicks and former LA coach Pat Riley, said another NBA player had spread the rumor that Johnson might have given the virus through homosexual contact.
"There's a guy in this league, and I know who it is, who ran into a few people to try to insinuate that I was going both ways," said Johnson, who refused to identify the player. "These people called me up. Different coaches got wind of what was going on and they called me.
"You know, if I was gay, you think these 11 guys wouldn't know that? They're with me every day. You think the coaches wouldn't know that?"
"You think if I had a sexual experience with another man, he wouldn't be a millionaire right now, by coming out and saying that? We all know that he'd write a book, he'd be in the Enquirer, everything. He'd be a millionaire."
Johnson said he had confronted the player, and the player denied spreading the rumor. Johnson also said their friendship was finished, saying, "You
backstab, I'm gone."
A sports columnist wrote recently that Johnson's chances of acquiring the virus through heterosexual contact were minimal, and that Johnson should tell the truth about how he contracted the virus.
Johnson has maintained from the start that he acquired the virus through heterosexual contact, and has indicated that he in the past was very sexually active with a steady stream of women who were eager to date pro sports stars.
John Black, the team's public relations director, said Johnson told him yesterday morning he did not plan to play against the Knicks.
Since he retired, Johnson is 15-0 with appearances in the NBA All-Star game, the Tournament of the Americas, the Barcelona Olympics and the current exhibition season.
Before victory No. 15, Johnson emerged from the narrow hallway onto the Forum court greeted by a standing ovation from 12,003 fans, including court-side regulars Jack Nicholson and Dyan Cannon.
Johnson began the game at point guard and returned as a forward in the second quarter. He also played shooting guard and sank two of three 3-point shots"I'm definitely back," he said."I'm not where I want to be quite yet. I can use every game to work on this and that."