6B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAIDY KANSAN FRIDAY OCTOBER 24, 2000
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2008
VOLLEYBALL (CONTINUED FROM 6B)
Kansas' performance was the communication. Throughout the season there has been plenty of missed
assignments
assignments and wrong passes when the Jayhawks lack proper communication. Against the Tigers, it was clear the Jayhawks needed to keep each other in sync more than ever.
believe that Missouri is the bigger rival, the players said K-State is bigger for them. Many of the
"Now we got an opportunity to play the other school that a lot of KU fans don't necessarily care for."
RAY BECHARD Kansas volleyball coach
"We have to communicate every single point," Kaiser said. "The hard work is paving off"
layhawks play with some of the Wildcats on club teams.
While all Kansas fans might
"We're all close with them all." Kaiser said.
the Missouri match. It would be the first ranked opponent the Jayhawks have beaten all season and would give them an extra
A and a victory against K-State would be far more valuable than
boost for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
With the Missouri victory, Kansas should have much more confidence heading into another road match that gave the Jayhawks trouble all year. Sometimes one match can turn a down season into a successful one, and while Beachard would not say that Wednesday night was one of those turning points, he could not help but wish for it.
"Hipfully yeah," Bechard said. "Now we got an opportunity to play the other school that a lot of KU fans don't necessarily care for. So it's a good week if you can manage both of those."
Edited by Ramsey Cox
COUNTDOWN (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
they recruited this whole team the way we're gonna play this weekend"
Kansas has avoided any return bulletin board material toward the Wildcats, but have spent the week discussing just how important this game is.
"The fact that it's an in-state rival," coach Mark Mangino said. "There's added significance to it. Our kids look forward to it. It's a big game in that sense; we can't deny that."
Kansas State comes in with one of the worse run defenses in the nation. It ranks 105th out of
119 Division 1 teams in stopping the run, meaning Sharp and the running game should have a big day on Saturday. The Wildcats, however, do have one of the best offenses in the nation. They rank No. 13 in the nation with a scoring average of more than 38 points per game.
The Jayhawks have won two straight games in the series, meaning a victory on Saturday would give them a rare three-game winning streak in the Sunflower Showdown.
"As a senior, Id love to beat them three times in a row".
linebacker Joe Mortensen said. "That's something I want to go out with. We want to win this game and get bowl eligible."
While Mangino doesn't usually put added significance on any one game on the schedule, he knows that with bowl implications and a possible Big 12 North title on the line, this game means everything.
"It's state pride," Mangino said. "It's bragging rights. It's a big game."
And Kansas doesn't need a clock to know it.
— Edited by Arthur Hur
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PAUL DAVIS A LEADER WHO LISTENS
State Representative Paul Davis works hard to represent KU interests at the State Capitol. He helped lead the fight for deferred maintenance monies to repair our crumbling classrooms and has been a strong advocate for holding down tuition costs. Paul's work was recognized by the Kansas Citizens for Higher Education, who gave him an "A" for his voting record on issues important to Kansas universities.
Lets send Paul back to Topeka to keep fighting for us!
Kansas ready to prove itself at Big 12 Championships
CROSS COUNTRY
"The Big 12s is one of the most competitive races we've been in all year," sophomore Amanda Miller said.
Two weeks after a disappointing showing at Pre-Nationals, the Kansas Cross Country team heads to Ames, Iowa, this weekend to compete in the Big 12 Championships. The race will take place at Iowa State's cross country course, where the first Big 12 cross country meet took place in 1996.
BY JASON BAKER
jbaker@kansan.com
This race is a lot smaller than Pre-Nationals with only 12 teams, but it still carries the same amount of importance to the team.
This weekend the team will be taking nine runners on both the men's and women's teams to compete, including senior Megan James, luniors Lauren Bonds and Kellie Schneider and freshman Lindsay Schaefer for the women. Senior Brock Ternes, sophomore Nick Caprario and freshmen Sam Bird and Kaleb Humphreys will represent the men.
cross country teams in the nation.
"We want to do our best as a team and be satisfied as a team," freshman Donny Wasinger said. "Every race, there been a couple guys who've had really good races while the rest have not-so-good days. We want to show that we are a team with good talent."
Junior Isaiah Shirlen said that the Big 12 Championships was a good opportunity to show the rest of the conference how far they've come.
A factor that hurt the layhawks at Pre-Nationals was the absence of freshman Laura Nightengale. Nightengale was dealing with a stress reaction in her leg this season. Nightengale said she had been letting it heal for the past two weeks and expected to be able to race on Saturday.
The team will have some tough competition on its hands with some of the teams among the top
Shirlen, who previously ran for UNC-Charlotte in the Atlantic 10 Conference, said he wasn't intimidated in competing at the Big 12 meet.
But Kansas is going in this weekend to prove that it wasn't the team it was last year at the conference meet. The men finished seventh and the women finished 11th last year in Lubbock, Texas. And the team is confident in its abilities to place higher.
"In my mind it's not about redemption. We need to show and definitely prove ourselves to the rest of the conference."
"They've got guys like me that are more fit. The Big 12 is loaded with superstar talent and is a lot more competitive than the Atlantic 10," Shiren said.
"This reminds us of what we been preparing for all season," freshman Rebeka Stowe said. "It's the real thing. For us freshman, it's stepping up and getting points and to do as well as we can."
notes
On the men's side, 5 of the 12 teams are ranked in the USTFCCCA Top 30 poll. Those teams are Oklahoma State, Colorado, Texas A&M, Iowa State and Texas. On the women's side, 3 teams — Texas Tech, Baylor and Nebraska — are ranked in the USTFCCCA Top 30 poll.
Colorado has dominated the meets since the Big 12 started in 1996. The men have won every year, while the women have won 11 out of 12 years.
"The difference between sixth and seventh could be one point or passing one person," sophomore Alison Knoll said.
standings.
The women's team is looking to place in the top half of the
Having raced at Big 12's for the first time last year, Knoll said that the Big 12s was the one race to show your team loyalty.
"It really doesn't matter about individual performance; it's about helping the team. Passing every girl to help your team do well," she said. "It's the one race where you give everything you got."
Both races will be held at the Iowa State cross country course. The women will race in a 6K at 10 a.m., followed by the men's 8K at 11 a.m.
Edited by Arthur Hu
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
ability to jump out to a quick start. Sure, it's a good thing, but Smith said the Jayhawks often became lackadaisal and lost their competitive edge.
"We always started good but we always had problems finishing in the second half", Smith said. "And everybody knew that — the fans, not just us. Everyone could tell. We
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definitely need to work on that."
But unlike rebounding or free throws, there really isn't any drill or quick fix to help players adjust to staying sharp for the length of the game.
Repetition and the desire to do so are the only cures. And after watching teams that did finish games make the NCAA tournament, the Jayhawks are eager to do the
"You just have to do it," Sade Morris, junior, said. "There's not anything that can make us do it. We just have to buckle down and finish a game."
Edited by Kelsey Hayes
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