8B SPORTS
VOLLEYBALL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2008
Kansas reloads during bye
Extra practice helps prepare for tough upcoming games
BY JOSH BOWE
jbowe@kansan.com
Coach Ray Bechard could not have asked for a better time for his team to have a bye week.
The Jayhawks will have extended time to recharge and reload before facing off against their second con-
secrective oppo ment ranked in the top five of the Big 12.
Although Bechard is enthusiastic about the bye week, he said his team might not share his excitement.
"I like it, but
"We're going to use that to our advantage because we have a lot of good teams coming up"
I don't know if the team's going to like it very well," Bechard said with a smile. "We'll get a lot of work done."
"We will be very diligent about our workouts. We've got to clean some things up to have some success..."
That stretch of tough games has
Those teams Texas, Baylor Iowa State all have winning records. All three teams are also in the top five of the conference.
RAY BECHARD Kansas volleyball coach
After Kansas' blowout loss to No. 3 Nebraska last week, sophomore outside hitter Karina Garlington was welcoming the break to fix a lot of things before the team faces Texas.
"We have a lot of good training opportunities." Garlington said.
Bechard look ing forward to ironing out some of Kansas' wrinkles.
"We will be very diligent about our workouts," Bechard said. "We've got to clean some things up to
have some success in those last three matches"
The lajayhawk will also have the chance to rest up. Sophomore libero Mel Townsend has been out since the team's first matchup against Texas Tech more than a month ago. Senior middle blocker Natalie Uhart has always had her fair share of bumps and bruises throughout her career.
But more importantly, the
Jayhawks' NCAA Tournament hopes are on life support.
Standing 12-14 overall and 6-10 in conference play, Kansas will most likely have to win out to sneak into the postseason. The last time the Jayhawks made the tournament — in 2005 — they finished with a 7-13 conference record.
But a handful of middle-echelon teams in the Big 12 are capable of snatching a bid away from Kansas. If Kansas tops the most beatable of its upcoming opponents, Iowa State and Baylor, that could help the team's chances come NCAA Tournament selection time.
"It's not over for us. We still have an opportunity if we can pull these next two or three matches out," Garlington said. "We're using that to drive us, and hopefully we can make it."
Though the team's ultimate goal is to make it to the postseason, Bechard is more focused now on improving during the bye week.
"That's what our goal will be — to be a much better team in certain areas then we are now before we go down to Austin."
Edited by Mary Sorrick
Senior middle blockers Natale Uhart, left, and Savannah Noyes, right, along with the rest of the Kansas volleyball team, had the week off from matches. The team has instead spent the week preparing for what it will be a strong finish to the season.
MLB
Seattle Mariners hire Don Wakamatsu to be new skipper
BY GREGG BELL ASSOCIATED PRESS
SEATTLE - The Seattle Martiners picked Don Wakamatsu as their new manager, giving the job to Oakland's bench coach and filling the only opening in the maiors.
Wakamatsu was chosen Tuesday
over several other candidates, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made.
Mariners spokesman Tim Hevly said the team expected to make an announcement Wednesday, but he would not confirm or deny the choice of Wakamatsu.
KING television in Seattle first reported that Wakamatsu got the job.
After finishing last in the AL West this season and becoming the first team to lose 100 games with a $100 million payroll. Seattle was the lone club looking for a manager. The 45-year-old Wakamatsu has never managed in the big leagues.
In fact, none of the seven candidates new general manager Jack Zduriencik interviewed last week has been a major league manager: Boston bench coach Brad Mills and third base coach DeMarlo Hale; Arizona third base coach Chip Hale; Chicago White Sox bench coach and former Mariners infielder Joey Cora; St. Louis third base coach Jose
Oquendo and San Diego Triple-A manager Randy Ready.
Wakamatsu becomes Seattle's fifth manager since Lou Piniella left following the 2002 season. He replaces Jim Riggleman, who took over in June when John McLaren was fired after a 25-47 start to a season in which the Mariners were expected to contend for the
playoffs. McLaren was on the job less than 12 months, after Mike Hargrove quit suddenly in the middle of the 2007 season — the last time Seattle was winning.
Zduriencik is rebuilding the Mariners with a new scouting department, a new system of player evaluation — and now a new field leader who knows the AL West.