Volume 124 Issue 10
kansan.com
Thursday, September 1, 2011
LIFE AFTER A&M HOW WE XII G12SPORTS.
St SV Ag
In Iwa way lyric versity; the whi Nine Texas their fig theirigit Univer the Big After join the one yer they we SEC an The change SEC juc horn M air hip which w recruiti The power over th been ch ce since the alignn The only pu sure on move b at that. Texa now pu ore ov plain a 53-72bers of CBS Sb a move out. A&d the SE much the U nt that w a high Ever the SB it may coms' 2011, school the top
while, 11 of the top 40 recruits will be playing football in Austin, Texas this season.
A&M is making a move that will put them in the lower echelon of the top football conference instead of remaining in the upper echelon of one of the top conferences (albeit a very unstable one).
Quite simply, this is Texas A&M giving the finger to Texas for being better than them in nearly every way, shape and form. Instead of beating the Longhorns head-to-head, they decided losing more games in a better conference would be the proper form of revenge.
So now it's the Big 12's turn, as they can say goodbye to Texas A&M. You can be sure they will take pleasure in watching them get "whooped" more often than not.
Edited by Sarah McCabe
program joins the West Coast Conference.
Jan 19, 2011 University of Texas president William Powers said Texas is
"firmly committed" to the Big 12 and that league officials knew Texas was pursuing a network deal.
12 commissioner Dan Beeber explaining that Texas A&M is considering leaving the Big 12.
Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin sends a letter to Big
Aug 25, 2011
ATM
Aug 30,2011
New York Times report that it notified the Big 12 of its intention to leave the athletic conference.
&M denies the Monday
become the 17th member of the Big East conference after
Jul 1,2011
The Governors of Colorado and Utah deem June 30 'Pac-12 Day' as the Utah Utes and Colorado Buffaloes become official members
leaving the Mountain West.
Aug 29, 2011
of Pac-12.
The New York Times reports that President B. Bowen Loftin informed Big 12 Board Chairman Brady Deaton that the Agagies
will officially withdraw from the conference as early as Tuesday.
Aug 31,2011
*
Texas A&M officially notifies the Big 12 of its intention to withdraw from the conference.
"We're going to put the best six out there, and sometimes that's a bit of a stretch for freshmen to do that," Bechard said. "But we have a bunch of confidence in both of those young ladies."
Sara McClinton and Chelsea Albers may each be in their first season with the Jayhawks, but coach Ray Bechard is counting on both of them to contribute, and contribute early. McClinton started all three of the team's victories in the season-opening Georgia Bulldog Invitational over the weekend, and Albers started both of the Saturday sweeps.
McClinton finished the weekend with 11 kills, including seven in the finale against Georgia. To secure her role as a starter for the season's first three games, McClinton had to play catch-up with the upperclassmen who stayed over the summer.
"I knew we had a good opportunity to compete with some of the upperclassmen for the spots, but you can't come in and expect to start," McClinton said. "You have to
work to achieve
it. That was my goal, to come in and start, but I guess I wasn't expecting it so soon."
Albers had an impressive first start on Saturday morning, recording six kills in the sweep against Liberty. She may have ensured her spot as a starter through a decorated high school career at Papillion LaVista, where she notched a state-leading 487 kills in 2009 was named the Omaha World-Herald's Girl's 2010-11 Athlete of the Year her senior season.
"That is a tough call," Bechard said. "You need to kind of get a sense for where you think their progress will be within the first month and if this is a kid that can help us by mid-
Starting so early is an unexpected perk for Albers, but it is one she said she plans on working hard to maintain. Both freshmen had to work hard just to avoid being redshirted by Bechard, who said the decision to sit and develop a player for a year is a difficult one.
Since Bechard was hired as the coach of the volleyball team 14 years ago, he has had a player from Nebraska on his roster every season. Albers and McClinton first met as opponents in the state's notorious competitive high school volleyball circuit. They would later come to know each other better as teammates at the even more competitive club level.
"They have worked hard to include us and not make us feel like freshmen," Albers said. "Speaking for myself, I feel like they treat us like volleyball players and not by our age."
training in Italy, the freshmen were not permitted to tag along. Still, the upperclassmen have tried to make the Nebraska' natives feel at home, Albers said.
"Growing up in Nebraska, I think it gave us a huge advantage," McClinton said. "High school volley-
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SEE VOLLEYBALL PAGE 8
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