THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2008
SPORTS
3B
VOLLEYBALL
Ready to rebound after heartbreak
Weston White/KANSAN
Senior middle blocker Natalie Uhart kills a shot past two Texas A&M blockers at the match Wednesday. Uhart had 11 kills and aced two serves Wednesday night at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center. Kansas killed just short of a victory, losing 3-2 to the Angels.
Kansas plays its first game in a week tonight against Missouri
BY JOSH BOWE
jbowe@kansan.com
Volleyball coach Ray Bechard has been through his fair share of battles. And although he knows tonight's match is not technically different from any other match, no one can deny the importance of the Border Showdown.
Kansas travels to Columbia, Mo., to tackle Missouri at 6:30 tonight. Because both teams have identical Big 12 records at 2-5, Bechard conveyed the importance of the rivalry at practice Monday.
"I tried to explain to them what Kansas-Missouri means to not only people within our program but all jayhawk fans," he said. "But the most important thing is that we're tied in the standings."
It will be an interesting matchup because Kansas has not played a match since last Wednesday's heartbreaking loss to Texas A&M. How much rust the Jayhawks still have will be critical at the start of the match. But Bechard rested the team over the weekend because he thought it was important for the players to have time away from volleyball.
"There's 100 things you'd like to work on Saturday," Bechard said. "But if you don't take care of the other side of it, three weeks from now it'll be a little more difficult."
Senior middle blocker Natalie Uhart said she welcomed the break and took the time to focus on the personal side of her life.
"We rested our legs and got to spend our own personal time!"
she said. "Now we just back in with fresh mind, fresh start."
Of the "100 things" the Jayhawks need to work on, a better start is near the top of Bechard's list. But aside from the starts of matches, Bechard also focused on how to finish matches. Kansas' last two fifth sets have been anything but smooth. The Jayhawks have compiled 11 errors in those past two set fives. With the fifth set going to only 15 points, errors are costly.
"We were a little disappointed in set five." Bechard said of the Texas A&M match. "It's important that we stay aggressive the whole time."
As for playing on the road for the Border Showdown, Bechard said he knew it was a hostile environment but was not too worried about that affecting his team's play.
"I don't think they care for us that much," Bechard said of Missouri fans. "But we'll have the same size court and net as we do here, and we just got to get as comfortable as we can as soon as we can."
Uhart will be traveling to Tiger territory for the last time in her career, but she said she was pretty confident in the team's chances on the road. Kansas beat Missouri last year in Columbia in five sets.
"We need to remember what that feels like," Uhart said. "It's an away game, but if we can come back with a victory, then we'll grow as a team."
The growing needs to take place sooner rather than later because the Jayhawks are running out of time to bulk up their NCAA tournament bid resume. Kansas will face off against perennial powers, such as Texas, Nebraska and Kansas State, and cannot afford to fall back any further in the standings before the rough stretch begins again.
Bechard said the team was absolutely feeling an urgency to win.
"We know that the next three matches are matches we have to win to win with some success before the next round," Bechard said.
- Edited by Lauren Keith
CROSS COUNTRY
Runners set for Pre-Nationals
Jayhawks travel to Indiana this weekend to race in NCAA Invitational
BY JASON BAKER jbaker@kansan.com
Two weeks after making an impressive showing in Stillwater, Okla., at the Cowboy Jamboree, the Jayhawk cross country team will compete in the NCAA Pre-National Invitational in Indiana on Saturday.
The event will take place at the La Verne Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, which will serve as the NCAA Championship course in November.
"It's a real flat course that's man-made and has perfect footing." sophomore Amanda Miller said.
Many of the top-ranked schools are scheduled to compete at Pre-Nationals, including most of the teams from the Big 12 Conference.
Some Kansas runners are eager to compete at this meet against a high level of competition.
"It's exciting to go up against some good athletes and see how we compare," redshirt freshman Kara Windisch said.
Windisch said the team was getting more confidence from
every workout.
"We've gotten better at speeding up from our workouts and getting faster at longer distance," she said. "We feel a lot stronger going into this race."
The meet will be the largest meet for the team so far this season.
"Last race, I didn't know how to run it, because I still had a lot left in me at the end," she said.
"This week I'm hoping to go out quick and get close to (junior Lauren) Bonds and Amanda and close the gap."
"There are so many people.
Stowe said she was prepared for this race after having one 6K under her belt.
you could be one second from your teammate and you don't know it," freshman Rebeka Stowe said after talking to some of the experienced runners.
Freshman Sam Bird said he was excited about racing in his home state.
"It's nice to be at a familiar course," said Bird, a Columbia City, Ind., native who has run the course 10 times. "It's a good course; it can either be a great course or a real bad course. I've faired average and I hope to have a good race."
Another runner hoping to have a good race is sophomore Nick Caprario. Caprario ran a personal best at Pre-Nationals last year and wants to do it again this year.
Junior Lauren Bonds, who has been one of the top runners for the Jayhawks, said she looked forward to seeing how she and the rest of team compared to some of the top Division I teams in the nation.
"For me, it's exciting to see the caliber of the runners that we're going up against," he said.
"Pre-Nats is a big race," Bonds said. "This is our chance to make a statement and show everyone that this is not a fluke."
The women's 6 KRaces will begin at 11:00 a.m., followed by the men's 8K Races at 12:10 p.m.
Edited by Scott R. Toland
FOOTBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
Holl and Harris — two KC defensive stars — both grew up rooting for Oklahoma. Holt's dad played for coach Barry Switzer at Oklahoma and his grandma gave him OU clothes for Christmas. Both have attended games at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and have seen how crazy the 85,000 screaming fans can be. Both wanted to play for OU, but neither were recruited by the Sooners — meaning Saturday is not just another
"Going against a team that you grew up wanting to play for — it's got a different meaning," Holt said. "Hopefully I can show them what they missed out on."
So does the rest of the team, and they are ready to prove once again that they can compete at the national level. A victory against No. 3 Virginia Tech didn't seem to do it, but maybe a win at No. 4 Oklahoma will.
"We have everybody right where we want them," Mangino said. "This is the position we like coming from. When it's coming up on the home stretch, wed rather be coming around the bend three or four paces behind the pack. We always are best when we're coming from the rear"
MEN'S BASKETBALL
— Edited by Andy Greenhaw
Jayhawks to tip off against Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse
BY CASE KEEFER ckeefer@kansan.com
They've heard freshman Tyshawn Taylor is a menace to defend, freshman Travis Releford plays like Brandon Rush and incoming junior Mario Little can be an immediate difference-maker.
Kansas fans have heard a lot about their basketball team this season.
Come Friday, they'll finally get to see the 2008-2009 Jayhawks. Late Night in the Phog will kick off at 6:30 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse on Friday, marking the beginning of basketball season.
As usual, Late Night in the Phog will include performances and introductions to all the members of the men's and women's basketball teams. ESPNU will telewise portions of the event, which will also include the unveiling of a commemorative 2008 NCAA National Championship banner. And
then, of course, comes a scrimmage.
COLLINS AND LITTLE HONORED
A major question heading into the season for Kansas: who will emerge in leading the Jayhawks on the floor alongside junior guard Sherron Collins? The Big 12 Conference coaches think it might be junior-college transfer Mario Little.
Coach Bill Self and his staff will split the Jayhawks into two teams and the players will end the night with a 20-minute game against each other. The scrimmage doesn't carry much significance and is often just another part of the festivities.
Not this year. Fans will pay extra attention Friday night because most of the players will be unfamiliar. Seven newcomers: guards Taylor, Releford, Little and Tyrone Appleton, and forwards Marcus Morris, Markieff Morris and Quintrell Thomas — will play for the first time in front of an audience at Allen Fieldhouse.
The ceremony should wrap up at about 9:30 pm. The Jayhawks will then have more than two weeks to prepare for their first exhibition game on Nov. 4 against Washburn University.
The Big 12 announced Little as the Preseason Newcomer of the Year Tuesday. Little beat out highly touted Oklahoma freshman forward Willie Warren, who was named the Preseason Freshman of the Year.
- Edited by Andy Greenhaw
Griffin was the only unanimous selection and is also the conference's Preseason Player of the Year.
Collins received Preseason All Big 12 Team honors. Collins joins Baylor guard Curtis Jerrells, Texas guard A.J. Abrams, Texas forward Damion James and Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin on the team.
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