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8B the university daily kansan
sports
tuesday, november 25, 2003
Volleyball to play 2 more to end regular season
Hawks to play Baylor, Texas Tech in final matches of season; team still in the running for first-ever invitation to NCAA Tournament
By Mike Nurris
mnorris@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Kansas volleyball defeated No.18 Texas A & M Saturday for its school-record 11th Big 12 Conference victory of the season.
Tomorrow, its opponent sits near the bottom of the Big 12. The team will travel to Waco, Texas, to face the Baylor Bears, who are just 4-14 in Big 12 play.
Despite the Bears' record, the Jayhawks are still aware that Baylor is the only team in the Big 12 to defeat Kansas State this year.
"Going on the road," Kansas coach Ray Bechard said. "I don't care who you're playing, that's pretty tough."
In the teams' last meeting in Lawrence on Sept. 27, the jayhawks barely escaped with a victory. Trailing 14-10 in game five, Kansas tallied six straight points to claim the victory and send Bavlor home with a loss.
The rowdy Jayhawk crowd was on its feet during the entire comeback.
"We're really confident a home. It's our comfort zone."
"Going on the road, I don't
Going on the road, I don't care who you're playing,
that's pretty tough."
Ray Bechard
Kansas volleyball coach
Ashley Michaela, junior middle blocker, said.
Tomorrow, the Jayhawks won't have the crowd behind them if they get down.
But senior outside hitter Sarah Rome said the team is peaking at the right time. It has won five of its last six matches, losing only to No. 10 Nebraska.
Kansas coach Ray Bechard said the team would still try to improve its record in the last two matches. Kansas is fifth in the Big 12 with an 11-7 record in the conference and a 19-10 record overall.
"We still feel like we need to get to 13-7 and finish third or fourth in the league," Bechard said.
If the' Hawks can win at Baylor and defeat last-place Texas Tech at home on Saturday, they will do just that.
Next Sunday, the Jayhawks will find out if their school record for conference victories will be enough to receive an invitation to the NCAA Tournament.
If so, it will be the first time in school history.
Kansas trails the all-time series with Baylor 12-6 but has won three in a row against the Bears.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders lead the all-time series 12-4 against the Jayhawks. But Kansas won in Lubbock, Texas, on Oct. 4, 3-1.
VOLLEYBALL NOTES
Four Jayhawk players were named to the Big 12 AllAcademic first team last week: Lindsey Morris, outside hitter and Overland Park junior; Sarah Rome, outside hitter and Eagan, Minn., senior; Jill Dorsey, libero and Wellsville junior; Ashley Michaels, middle blocker and Wathena junior.
Edited by Katie Bean
Outside hitter Lindsey Morris watched libero Jill Dorsey make a save during Kansas' 3-0 sweep of Texas A&M. Sitting at fifth place in the Big 12, Kansas (11-7) will face Baylor (4-14) tomorrow in Waco, Texas.
Courtney Kuhlen/Kansan
Lone'Hawk places 48th at NCAA championship
By Sean O'Grady
sogrady@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
The weather was more suitable for a hockey game than a race at the 2003 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Waterloo, Iowa.
The 21-degree weather and howling 15-mile-per-hour winds made the race difficult for Kansas' lone competitor, Benson Chesang.
However, the weather didn't hamper the outcome of Chesang's first cross country season.
"It was freaking cold, it screwed me up," said Chesang, Ravine, Kenya, freshman. "I'm not used to racing when its cold."
Chesang placed 48th out of 254 competitors and was the second freshman overall. His time of 30:22.7 was a personal best for the 10k.
"I am happy with how I did today," Chesang said. "It was a
great experience for me."
Colorado's Dathan Ritzenhein was the individual champion, finishing in 29:14.1.
Chesang, who ran in running tights, a Nike Dri-Fit long sleeve shirt and winter cap, said the cold affected not only him, but other runners from temperate climates. He said many of the Kenyan runners were off that day.
Allistair Cragg of Arkansas was the first African to cross the finish line, placing eighth. This year's race was one of the poorest showings in recent NCAA competition by African runners, who generally dominate the sport.
Chesang said he hoped to return to the NCAA meet next year, but he said he wanted his teammates to come, too.
"Next year they are definitely running with me," he said.
- Edited by Katie Bean
Basketball to play at Oregon Classic
Jesse Newell
jnewell@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Coach Marian Washington is determined to make her team realize a season-opening loss to University of Missouri-Kansas City was just that: a single loss.
"We have to look beyond the first game," Washington said. "We feel that this team is going to be good — we just have to learn how to play together."
Kansas will get its first chance to do that this weekend, traveling to the Oregon Classic for two games.
Kansas will take on Oregon in its first game of the invitational Friday, following with a matchup against Sacramento State on Saturday.
Sophomore forward Crystal Kemp said the loss to UMKC would not affect the rest of the season.
"I don't think we're at a low
"These kids have the potential and understand what it's going to take to win ball
games. "
Marian Washington
Kansas women's basketball coach
point at all, Kemp said. It was our first actual game out there, competing against a decent ball club. The fact that way we played the way we did — not aggressive and very passive — really woke us up to what we have to do."
After scoring just 50 points and committing 22 turnovers in the first game, the Jayhawks will look to improve their scoring in games two and three this weekend.
The leading candidates for Kansas would be Kemp and sophomore forward Tamara Ransburg. Both averaged 10.9
points per game for the Jayhawks last season, and both averaged in double digits in the two exhibition games.
The Jayhawks might also look more to freshman forward Lauren Ervin as an offensive threat. In only 16 minutes of play against UMKC, the 6-foot-4-inch Ervin scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Kansas in both categories.
"We didn't expect Lauren to be this effective," Washington said. "That's something that's very positive for us."
The Jayhawks will have their hands full in the first game with Oregon at the team's own McArthur Court.
The Ducks, coming off a 12-16 record last year, are now 2-0 and ranked No. 24 in the Associated Press poll. Senior forward Cathrine Kraayeveld leads the squad, averaging 25.5 points and 10 rebounds through the first two games.
Sacramento State, the Jayhawks' second opponent in the invitational, finished 3-24 overall a year ago. From the Big Sky Conference, the team owns an 0-1 record, with junior center Danielle Iceman pacing the Hornets with 15 points in their opening loss to California Polytechnic.
Ervin said the Jayhawks needed to keep a positive outlook to be successful in the two games.
"It's just a matter of keeping our heads high," Ervin said. "We know what we need to work on."
Washington said she was confident that the team would respond to the opening loss.
"It's got our attention," Washington said. "These kids have the potential and understand what it's going to take to win ball games."
-Edited by Katie Bean
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