8B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2008
Jon Goerina/KANSAN
Freshman forward Aishah Sutherland braces for contact while taking the ball strong to the hoop during Sunday's game. Sutherland scored two points and grabbed four rebounds.
Kansas goalkeeper Julie Hanley falls to her knees after giving up a goal in the Jayhawks' 6-0 loss to the Missouri Tigers on Friday at Walt Stadium in Columbia, Mo.
BASKETBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
mance against Fort Hays State will be characteristic of this year's squad.
"I think we've matured a lot," Morris said. "I think we all have more confidence in each other and in ourselves. The game has kind of become easier for us because we've put in so much work."
presseason record. The game will take place at 2 p.m. on Nov. 9 at Allen Fieldhouse.
For now, Kansas can enjoy its victory, as the Jayhawks open their season with a decisive victory against Fort Hays State.
Next weekend the Jayhawks face a much more competitive Washburn team and hope to improve on their
"It it just felt good to play," Morris said. "It felt good to get out there in front of the fans."
Edited by Rachel Burchfield
Jayhawks lose 6-0 in heartbreaker
SOCCER
Team falls to No. 20 Missouri in a loss that could dash postseason dreams
BY ANDREW WIEBE awiebe@kansan.com
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Playing to keep its NCAA Tournament at-large bid hopes alive, Kansas suffered its worst defeat in nearly a decade against No. 20 Missouri on the final day of the regular season.
The Tigers dominated proceedings from the opening whistle Friday night against the team's border rivals, cruising to a decisive 6-0 victory in front of 368 fans at Walton Stadium. The victory is Missouri's first against Kansas since 2002.
Following the devastating defeat, Kansas' stunned players and coaches solemnly shuffled off the field while Missouri celebrated a triumphant senior night and a third place conference finish in the background.
"Nobody expected us to lose 6-0, except maybe Missouri," junior goalkeeper Julie Halley said. "I don't even know what to say. We are in shock."
Coach Mark Francis declined to comment following the program's most lopsided defeat since losing at No. 4 Nebraska 8-1 in 1999, his first season as coach.
the last time it won a game in the Big 12 Tournament. Junior defender Estelle Johnson said it
The lavhawks finished the
The Jay's regular season 11-7-1 (4-5-1) after jumping out to a 5-1 record. Francis' team enters this week's crucial Big 12 Tournament with a losing conference record and a seventh place
"I think there is no hope of making the NCAA Tournament unless we win the Big 12 Tournament. I guess that's what we are going to focus on now."
conference finish, their worst since 2000.
ESTELLE JOHNSON
Defender
would take three victories to have any opportunity of playing in the postseason.
Kansas hasn't played in the NCAA Tournament since 2004.
Tournament," Johnson said of the Jayhawk' extinguished at-large hopes. "I guess that's what we are
"I think there is no hope of making the NCAA Tournament unless we win the Big 12
going to focus on now."
Sophomore forward Alysha Bonnick scored the first of her two goals in the ninth minute when she nodded senior midfielder Mo Redmond's cross past Hanley. The Tigers doubled their lead in the 33rd minute when junior forward Michelle Collins got her head on a nearly identical cross.
Inbothinstances, Missouplayers found themselves unmarked in the penalty area, leaving Hanley helpless to prevent the ball from finding the back of the net.
"We didn't match up in the box when we needed to." Hanley said "We left people open. Too many times there were balls in the box and no one on or around them."
Five minutes before halftime, the Tigers went ahead 3-0 when sophomore defender Lauren Jackson and Hanley failed to clear a loose ball, allowing freshman defender Mallory Stipetich to poke the ball away and walk it into an open net.
The layhawks opened the second half with three defenders, pushing Johnson into the attack as they looked to chip away at the three-goal deficit. Missouri capitalized on the change immediately as Redmond scored twice in the first three minutes of the second half to put the game out of reach
Down 5-0 with almost 38 minutes remaining, Francis had seen enough. All 11 starters were removed and finished the game watching from the bench. Missouri outshot Kansas 31-13 and had nine corner kicks to the visitors' two.
"I don't think it was a lack of intensity," Johnson said of Kansas's defensive struggles. "I would say we didn't take responsibility for what we are supposed to do. People aren't playing their roles."
Kansas allowed a sixth and final goal three minutes later when Bonnick lobbed a shot over senior goalkeeper Stephanie Baugh. Senior midfielder Kristin Graves made a valiant effort to clear the ball off the line, but she arrived a second too late.
Kansas will play Texas A&M in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament in San Antonio at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The layhawks beat the then No. 6 Aggies 1-0 on October 17 in Lawrence.
In other Big 12 action. Oklahoma State beat Oklahoma 3-2 to finish alone as conference champions. It is the Cowgirls' first Big 12 regular season championship.
Edited by Rachel Burchfield
VOLLEYBALL
Kansas loses to in-state rivals Jayhawks can't keep up with Wildcats'surging offense
BY JOSH BOWE
jbowe@kansan.com
Even though Halloween was the night before, Kansas State still had a few tricks for Kansas on Saturday night, providing the Jayhawks with few treats.
Kansas fell in four sets against the Wildcats 3-1. K-State compiled seven service aces, with four of its players scoring at least one ace.
"We faced a very aggressive serving team that really kept us off balance offensive," coach Ray Bechard said.
With the K-State serve, Kansas was inconsistent at best for most of the match on the offensive side of the net. For sets one and three, Kansas hit .217 and .324 but then
followed those solid sets, up with a couple of lousy ones in set two and four, hitting .074 and an even worse negative .094 percent.
It's the second-straight match that Kansas has had a set with a negative hitting percentage, K-State's serves, along with the match's taking place in Manhattan, left Kansas helpless.
"They (K-State) were a little bit more comfortable," Bechard said. "I thought they played as well as I've seen them in a while."
Except for digs, K-State outdid Kansas in every category, including hitting percentage, errors, kills, blocks and, of course, the service aces.
The Wildcats had double-digit kills in every one of their sets, while the Jayhawks only achieved
Bechard
that for set three, the only match they won.
"The response has got to
Uhart
Senior middle blocker Natalie Uhart said she was disappointed by her team's play in the fourth set.
"After the
be better," Bechard said of the poor showing in set four. "The inconsistent play has got to become more of the minimum."
third set, we were satisfied with that," Uhart said. "The whole mentality changed in the fourth set."
Uhart was unable to name the root of the fourth-set frustrations. Kansas has a young team with plenty of sophomore hitters and a freshman at setter. Though inexperience could be a part of the problem, Uhart did not want that to be the scapegoat.
Bechard said he understood that it would have been difficult for any team to roll into Manhattan and win with the sloppy play his team displayed. The Wildcats were ranked 16th nationally before the match started and displayed their talents early and often.
"They're playing very well, and it would take a very good effort from the team on the other side of the net," Bechard said.
Kansas could not sustain the level of play long enough to extend the match longer. But Bechard said the season wasn't lost in his players' minds.
"If they just stay on task, we think there is still a lot of opportunity for good things to happen," he said.
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Edited by Adam Mowder