SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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VOLLEYBALL TEAM SWEEPS
For the first time since September, the Jayhawks win in three sets. VOLLEYBALL | 4B
RON PRINCE OUT AT KANSAS STATE
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2008
COMMENTARY
K-State coach will not lead the Wildcats next season. BIG 12 FOOTBALL | 2B
Jayhawk soccer team believes now
PAGE1B
KANSAS 4, TEXAS A&M2
SAN ANTONIO - Before the players left the postgame huddle, Estelle Johnson spring f
Estelle Johnson sprung from the grass. They'd won 4-2 against Texas A&M and Johnson, a junior defender, had to say something. No, she had to sing something.
"The people don't believe in Kansas, but we've got a soccer team."
The rallying cry comes from Halloween. Several teammates dressed up as the Jamaican bobsled team from "Cool Runnings" and decided to come up with their own catchy song. On Halloween, Kansas got smoked by Missouri 6-0. If some Tiger shots wouldn't have hit off the post, the outcome could've been worse. The song was a bit optimistic for such a dark day.
Not anymore. Now they really can believe.
The Jayhawks had to beat the secondplace and No. 11 Aggies for a second time this year to keep their season alive. They had to beat an angry team, a team that would've won the regular season conference title if not for the Kansas loss.
That defeat came a month ago. Kansas beat the Aggies 1-0 in Lawrence. Shannon McCabe scored the only goal. Before then, the Jayhawks had one other victory against A&M in program history. Now they'd have to win a second time this year.
It should've been tough. What Kansas had to do Wednesday would've been like a conference of mountain climbers forcing Edmund Hillary to scale Mount Everest a month after he did it the first time. Only this time, the mountain wouldn't be too happy. It would puff out more blizzards and make Hillary slip on more sheets of ice.
As far as Big 12 soccer goes, the Aggies are Everest. Their media guide features four diamond-encrusted rings, symbols of the consecutive Big 12 titles they won from 2004 to 2007. The bling matches the athletic status. They get 3,500 fans or more for home games, and usually attract a legion of about 50 pre-game tailgaters ... to away games.
They have a 23,000 square-foot strength facility, and a training room solely for Olympic sports that features a Flouroscan machine and laser therapy. Yep, lasers. Who knows why the Aggies need those, but they sure sound cool
And here the Jayhawks were on Wednesday, Intense. Emotional. The Aggies were supposed to fume and stomp and obliterate the weaker opponent that upset them a month ago.
They win, too. A lot. A&M has won 255 games in its 15-year history and hadn't lost in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament in five years.
But Kansas was the aggressor. Monica Dolinsky leveled Aggies midfielder Beth West in the first half while going for the ball. She mouthed off to her afterwards. Then in the second half, she leveled another player.
Kansas is usually on the other side of the pitch, getting scaffed by the power program. The Jayhawks average about 500 people for their big home games. They won a Big 12 title, a share with A&M back in 2004, but haven't made the NCAA Tournament since. No one on this year's roster had won a game in the Big 12 Tournament.
It was all about intensity, Dolinsky said KU's first goal was fluky. McCabe rebounded a Dolinsky Mc shot on the crossbar into an open net, but otherwise, Kansas outperformed A&M. McCabe, Emily Cressy and Kortney Clifton continually bolted past the supposed top Big 12 defense.
It was all about intensity. Dolinsky said
The Kansas soccer team celebrates after a goal at 10:15 during the first half. The Jayhawks won the game 4-2. They'll play Missouri in the second round Friday. Tyler Waugh/KANSAN
This team's been inconsistent all year. Kansas has beat solid teams like Texas A&M and Central Florida, and lost puzzlers to Nebraska and Loyola Chicago.
Now they're in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament for the first time since 2004. They outplayed a team that was ranked in the top 10 most of the season.
That loss to Missouri and all the other struggles are out of their heads. Johnson's message in her Halloween song remains.
Tyler Waugh/KANSAN
Edited by Jennifer Torline
SAN ANTONIO STUNNER
BY ANDREW WIEBE
awiebe@kansan.com
SAN ANTONIO — Turns out San Antonio had at least one more stunner left in store for Kansas.
Junior forward Shannon McCabe scored in the 11th minute, and coach Mark Francis' team unleashed a 3-goal onslaught in the second half to knock off No. 11 Texas A&M 4-2 and advance to the Big 12 tournament semifinals against Missouri on Friday.
Kansas (12-7-1) hasn't advanced out of the first round of the conference tournament since 2004 when Francis' team lost in the semifinals to Texas in overtime. The victory is the Jayhawks' second over the Aggies this season after entering the year with a record of 1-10-1 in all time.
"This team is a little different," Francis said of a squad that has seenawed between spectacular and mediocre this season. "We've been a little inconsistent at times, but when we have been on we've been really good."
As the seven seed, the odds were stacked against Kansas from the start. Texas A&M had advanced to five consecutive Big 12 Tournament semifinals, somewhere Kansas had been only twice before last night.
But Francis' team came to San Antonio determined to show last Friday's 6-0 shellacking at the hands of Missouri was a fluke, and jumped out to an early lead.
Kansas went ahead when junior forward Monica Dolinsky's spectacular long-range drive ricocheted on the joint between the crossbar and the post. The rebound fell in the path of McCabe who bundled the ball into the back of the net, sending Kansas' vocal bench into a frenzy.
"I felt like the first 20 minutes of the game we really dominated," Francis said. "We were keeping the ball and creating a ton of chances.
opponent this season, Kansas relied on early balls behind the Texas A&M defense to create scoring chances.
Facing a school-record ninth ranked
"We saw that they were playing pretty flat," McCabe said. "We play three forwards so it's pretty easy for that ball to get over the top. I had a lot of chances like that. There were some that I was mad I didn't finish, but I'm glad I got two of them in."
The Aggies should have found their equalizer in the 30th minute, but sophomore forward Alysua Mautz whiffed on an unmarked header in the six-yard box. Sophomore forward Whitney Hooper also missed two first-half opportunities after she used her speed to get behind the
the ball in an attempt to hold the lead. Texas A&M began applying the attacking pressure that saw it finish second in the conference in goals with 46.
With Kansas keeping numbers behind
Jayhawk's backline.
But Kansas came out of the locker room determined to find a second goal, and McCabe missed three early chances before a scary moment nearly sent Francis' team down a player in the 54th minute.
Junior midfielder Monica Dolinky appeared to be fouled just outside the
SEE SOCCER ON PAGE 4B
MEN'S BASKETBALL
'Super sophomore shines in first start
BY CASE KEEFER ckeefer@kansan.com
Brady Morningstar might as well laugh about it because he knows the jokes aren't going away.
His teammates and coach Bill Self just have too much fun teasing Morningstar about his age to stop. Morningstar says it's not brought up every now and then—the age jokes are daily. He expects to be greeted that way.
"So," teammates ask Morningstar,
"how old are you today?"
He's 22 years old, actually. Before the end of the season, Morningstar will turn 23. That makes him the oldest Jayhawk on this year's roster – he edges out senior forward Matt Kleinmann by a month.
And yes, Morningstar is only a sophomore.
There aren't many sophomore college basketball players who graduated from high school in 2005. In fact, Morningstar, who was a redshirt last season, believes he's the oldest sophomore basketball player in the country.
Joking aside, Morningstar's age could help him this year. Out of all the players who could possibly contribute significant minutes this season, only junior guard Sherron Collins has played for Kansas as long as Morningstar. They've both been on the roster for three years.
"I think I am," Morningstar said. "I probably am."
Morningstar was one of the standout performers in Kansas' 98-79 exhibition victory against Washburn Tuesday. He made seven of 11 shots from the field, scored 15 points and played stellar defense in his first career start at Allen Fieldhouse.
Morningstar credited the red-shirt year in part for his strong opening performance. He feels more comfortable with the speed of the game and the complexities of the Kansas offense. Self said guarding current NBA players Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush in practice last year helped Morningstar, too.
"Brady has become a pretty good
defender," Self said.
A lot of adjectives can be used to describe Morningstar's basketball career path that led him to this point. One that can't is 'traditional'.
Morningstar starred locally at Lawrence Free State High School as a senior in 2005. He averaged 18 points per game, won the Sunflower League Player of the Year award and outshone cross-town Lawrence High rival Brennan Bechard, who isnow a Jayhawk teammate.
But he wasn't quite ready for college basketball. So Morningstar spent a year at New Hampton Prep School in New Hampshire. He committed to Kansas for the next season.
"Coming to college out of high school is a huge change offensive-wise, speed-wise and strength-wise." Morningstar said. "I've got three years already and haven't stepped on the court so I know a lot more than I did when I came here."
After the Washburn game, Morningstar described it as "the right decision" and said he was glad he made the choice. Self thinks it's positive that Morningstar still has three years of eligibility left.
When it became clear last season that guards loaded Kansas' roster, Self asked Morningstar to take a redshirt. If Morningstar resented the move, he sure hasn't shown it.
Well, he did step on the court during his freshman season, but not much. Morningstar appeared in 16 games for an average of just less than six minutes per game.
"I hope so. Time will tell." Self said. "I think he will be better as a 26-year old senior than a 23-year old sophomore."
But it must have been hard for Morningstar last year, right? He sat on the bench while his teammates contributed to a historic season by setting a school-record with 37 wins and winning a National Championship title.
Morningstar said the team's success
SEE BASKETBALL ON PAGE 4B
FOOTBALL
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Nebraska players celebrate after defeating the Jayhawks in Sept. 2006, the last time Kansas played the Cormuskers in Lincoln, Neb. Kansas will try to earn its first win at Nebraska in 40 years on Saturday.
Jayhawks ready to put long losing streak to rest
BY B.J. RAINS
rains@kansan.com
When Kansas travels to Lincoln for Saturday's match up against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, it will try to do something that a Kansas team hasn't done since 1968: win a game at Nebraska.
It's been 40 years and an 0-19 record in Lincoln since the Jayhawks last beat the Cornhuskens in their home stadium.
"I don't even know how that's possible," linebacker James Holt said. "It just goes back to the tradition they have. That's going to be part of their preparation too, not wanting to be the ones to let go of that streak."
Before the Jayhawks' 40-15 win in 2005 in Lawrence, Nebraska had beaten Kansas 36 consecutive times dating back to the last Jayhawk win in 1968. Kansas has played well in its last two trips to Nebraska, losing 14-8 in 2004 and 39-32 in overtime in 2006.
"It would be great," cornerback Justin Thornton said of ending the streak. "We can add it to the list of all of the other accomplishments we've had in the past. It's one thing that wed like to get. It would
definitely be nice to go up there and get a win."
Nebraska (5-4, 2-3 Big 12) is coming off one of their worst losses in recent memory, a 62-28 loss at Oklahoma. The Cornhuskers trailed 35-0 after the first quarter.
But that game was at Oklahoma and not in front of the 81,067 screaming fans that make up the sea of red that the Jayhawks will face at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. It will be the 296th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium, with four home crowds this season surpassing the 84,000 attendance mark.
"It's a great atmosphere." Holt said. "The tradition there is outstanding. I've heard a lot about it ever since I was younger like when Eric Crouch played there and stuff. It's ridiculous. It's unbelievable how dedicated their fans are."
Jayhawk players swore that they have never gone into an opposing arena intimidated but did say that the Big 12 conference offers some historic stadiums that often have them in awe.
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 4B