737
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2011
CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT
PAGE 9
ACC acquires two; Oklahoma deciding future
ANDREW JOSEPH
ajoseph@kansan.com
After all the rumors, speculation and roadblocks of conference realignment, there is finally a definitive movement. Surprisingly it's not from the Big 12.
The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Sunday that its council of presidents had unanimously voted to accept the memberships of the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University.
"The ACC is a strong united conference that is only going to get better with the addition of the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University," Duke University president and ACC Council of President chair Richard Brodhead said during a teleconference on Sunday. "Both schools are committed to competing at the highest level of academics and athletics. We welcome them as full partners in the ACC."
Almost all of the uncertainty surrounding the conference realignment has been squarely focused on the Big 12, so this aggressive move by the ACC was unexpected.
The additions of Pittsburgh and Syracuse further stabilize one of the country's strongest basketball conferences, and the conference may continue to expand.
"First of all, we are very comfortable with this 14," ACC commissioner John Swofford said. "The only thing I would add to that is that we are not philosophically opposed to 16."
The ACC now appears to be in the drivers' seat of the conference shuffle, but what do these latest developments mean for the Big 12 and Kansas?
According to a report in The Kansas City Star, the ACC would consider adding Kansas and Texas as its 15th and 16th teams. However, the feasibility of that scenario has cooled down considerably over the past 24 hours.
Texas' Longhorn Network has received more criticism than praise since it launched last month, but the financial nature of the network does not agree with the ACC's policy of equal revenue sharing.
Swofford referred to the ACC's current stance on revenue sharing as "sacred" during the teleconfer-
ence, so Texas would have to completely restructure the Longhorn Network to draw any consideration from the conference.
Swofford's desire to move the ACC basketball tournament to Madison Square Garden also points to the ACC targeting schools from the Northeast rather than the Midwest. Multiple reports have speculated that the 15th and 16th teams would be Connecticut and Rutgers, which would ensure the conference's control of the New York market.
As much as Kansas fans would like to see the University respond proactively to these latest developments, the entire Big 12 is awaiting Oklahoma's decision regarding its affiliation.
The Oklahoma Board of Regents is scheduled to meet Monday in Tulsa to discuss whether Oklahoma will remain in the Big 12 or seek membership in the Pac-12. The decision that the regents reach Monday will give Kansas and the entire conference a better idea of its options.
The Associated Press reported earlier this month that Oklahoma
President David Boren expressed his concern with the Big 12's instability, and that he openly advocated Oklahoma take an aggressive approach in the conference shuffle.
"I don't think OU is going to be a wallflower when all is said and done," Boren said.
If Oklahoma left for the Pac-12, Oklahma State would likely join the Sooners. This would create a dire outlook for a conference that already lost Colorado, Nebraska, and Texas A&M.
The loss of some of the Big East's most prolific basketball programs would leave the remaining members of the depleted conference scrambling for solutions. A possible merger between the standing members of the Big 12 and the Big East would create a conference that fits the "super-conference" mold and retains BCS status.
Amidst all the uncertainty, one thing is clear; the next couple weeks will be essential for the future of Kansas Athletics and the Big 12.
Edited by C.J. Matson
SIE OGROCK/ASSOCIATED PRESS
David Boren, president of the University of Oklahoma, speaks during a meeting of the university's Board of Regents in Norman, Okla. in May. The Oklahoma Board of Regents will meet Monday to discuss whether Oklahoma will stay in the Big 12.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
CLAIRE HOWARD/KANSAN
Claire Dreyer, a sophomore from St. Louis watches her serve power over the net towards singles opponent loana Teu of Arkansas State University during the first day of the Kansas Invitational on Friday afternoon. Dreyer won the singles "E" draw in the tournament, defeating Washington State's Olga Musliovic on Sunday in the final.
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
Victoria Khanevskaya, a junior from Moscow, returns the ball to her opponents from UMMC Saturday morning. The Jayhawks hosted eight different teams including Kentucky, Washington State, Colorado, South Dakota, UMMC, Arkansas State, Saint Louis and Nova Southeastern.
Monica Pezzotti, a junior from Cucuta, Colombia, plays during day two of the Kansas Invitational. Pezzotti finished fourth in the "C" singles draw.
REBECCA DREYFUS/KANSAN
VOLLEYBALL
Kansas earns third invitational title
MATT GALLOWAY
mgalloway@kansan.com
After defeating the competition at the DePaul Invitational over the weekend, the Kansas volleyball team is off to the second-best start in program history, behind only the 2002 Jayhawks that began their season 12-1.
But coach Ray Bechard said this year's squad has the team from nine years ago bested in at least one category; physicality.
The Jayhawks (11-1) ran the table at the tournament in Chicago, defeating San Diego State, Valparaiso and DePaul to claim their third pre-conference invitational win in four tries. Senior outside hitter Allison Mayfield collected her third invitational Most Valuable Player award of the season, finishing Saturday night's clinching game against the host school with a 448 hit percentage.
With freshman outside hitter Sara McClinton out with an injury, the team turned to sophomore Catherine Carmichael to step in at the position. While McClinton's injury is not an ideal situation, getting Carmichael significant reps before Big 12 play begins was a perk for Bechard.
"From that standpoint, I feel like we built some depth," Bechard said. "We played some good teams I thought, and when we needed to execute at a significant level, we did."
Carmichael finished the final game against DePaul with four kills and a .333 hit percentage, and the Jayhawks swept the game, 25-18, 25-12, 25-23.
The team's biggest test came Saturday afternoon against Valparaiso, where it had to rally from a 2-1 deficit for the first time this season. Behind career-best kills totals from junior middle blocker Tayler Tolefree, sophomore middle blocker Caroline Jarmoc and Mayfield, the Jayhawks rallied
to win the match, 25-18, 27-29,
21-25, 25-16, 15-10.
"I know we started off a bit tentative and not as aggressive as we usually have in the past, but it definitely improved over the weekend." Jarmoc said. "We just have to focus on starting off strong and maintaining it throughout the entire match."
Mayfield led all Jayhawks with 22 kills in the five-set match.
On Friday, the lajwhaks were on the ropes against San Diego State before taking control with a 12-0 run in the final set, eventually winning the game in four, 20-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-18. Sophomore setter Kara Wehrs had 24 of her 103 assists over the weekend in that game.
Wehrs would record a careerhigh 2 kills against Valparaiso, a performance that earned her praise from Jarmoc.
"She's doing very well. She's starting this year and having a lot of success," Jarmoc said. "She's getting a lot more confident too and handling pressure very well."
The lahawks will next open Big 12 play on the road against No. 8 Texas on Sept. 24, the final leg of a three-week road trip. The team will return home on Sept. 28 to compete against its second consecutive ranked opponent, No. 12 Iowa State.
This weekend's invitational served as a critical last tuneup for the team, exposing some flaws and also showing some areas of strength, especially in the comeback win against Valparaiso.
"I think we learned that even when we're down we have the tenacity to come back," Mayfield said. "We believe in oursels, and we know we can come back from being behind. I don't think we ever doubted ourselves that we were going to win."
Edited by Josh Kantor
YOUR TRUSTED LAWRENCE OPTOMETRIST
you might need to get your eyes checked!
CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT
935 IOWA | 785-838-3200 HILLCREST SHOPPING CENTER