THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24. 2008
SPORTS
3B
KICK THE KANSAN
Staff members make their weekly game picks
Texas Tech@Kansas Texas Tech Kansas Kansas Kansas
Oklahoma State@Texas Texas Texas Texas Texas
Georgia@LSU LSU Georgia Georgia Georgia Georgia
South Florida South Florida Louisville Louisville
Virginia Tech@Florida State Florida State Florida State Florida State
Baylor@Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska
Colorado@Missouri Missouri Missouri Missouri
Wyoming@TCU TCU TCU TCU TCU
Penn State@Ohio State Ohio State Ohio State
USC@Arizona USC USC USC USC
Drew Bergman
Design Editor
Overall Record: 56-24
Kansas
Texas
Georgia
South Florida
Florida State
Nebraska
Missouri
TCU
Penn State
USC
Matt Erickson
Editor
Overall Record: 52-38
Kansas
Texas
LSU
Louisville
Florida State
Nebraska
Missouri
TCU
Ohio State
USC
VOLLEYBALL
Kelsey Hayes
Managing editor,
Kansan.com
Overall Record: 52-28
Kansas
Texas
LSU
South Florida
Florida State
Nebraska
Missouri
TCU
Penn State
USC
Jayhawks to hit road for matchup at College Station
BY JOSH BOWE
jbowe@kansan.com
Starting tonight Kansas will be seeing some familiar faces, but hopefully not familiar results.
"I'm just challenging the seniors to step up each road trip they take," coach Ray Bechard said. "This is the last time they'll play in that gym, to make it a memorable one."
The jayhawks will start the second round of the Big 12 conference on the road this Saturday against Texas A&M at 3 p.m. Texas A&M defeated Kansas at home two weeks ago in five sets.
Like the Jayhawks, the Aggies only have one victory since they last played each other in Lawrence. Both teams are coming off sweeps from talented teams. Texas fell to Nebraska while Kansas dropped three sets in a row and lost to Baylor.
Baylor exposed what was the most consistent part of Kansas' game this year: the defense.
One of the reasons Bears junior setter Taylor Barnes had her way with the layhawks' was the lackluster serves, which didn't throw Baylor off balance. It let the Bears go into their offense without any trouble.
"It's doable," senior middle blocker Natalie Uhart said of a road victory tomorrow. "We've played them before, we've seen them before, so hopefully we can
Getting things turned around will not be an easy feat in College Station. The Jayhawks have never beat the Aggies at their home, which is one motivation for Texas this weekend. With a 4-6 conference record, Texas is on the bubble of a postseason bid. And with a three-match losing streak, the Aggies do not want to drop four in a row.
go in there and do what needs to be done"
For once though, Bechard does not have to worry much about his team's offense. The match against the Bears could have been closer if Kansas' defense was up to par.
"We got to get to a different level of defensive mindset to get that turned around." Bechard said.
Part of the change Kansas will have to make is its start against Texas. Kansas lost two sets before
battling back in the five set loss. If the Jayhawks are in the same position this Saturday, it won't be as easy to come back on the road.
"Some of the teams we played in the first round, we had some success against — many we didn't, so we're trying to flip that." Bechard said.
drawing board and come back with a plan."
If the defense doesn't turn around, Kansas could be sitting out of the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive season. Reversing some of the outcomes from the previous ten matches are required.
"We dropped into a little bit of a hole when we played them (Texas A&M)." Bechard said. "We'll obviously go back to the
Edited by Brieun Scott
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