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the university daily kansan
sports
monday, September 22, 2003
sports commentary
Shane Mettlen
smettlen@kansan.com
Kansas: favor class over brass
Attention Kansas fans: Obviously you're very excited as your Jayhawks ride a three-game winning streak into this year's Border War matchup with Missouri at Memorial Stadium Saturday, but please behave yourselves.
Please refrain from throwing whiskey bottles at the Missouri band. Oh — that happened at Missouri? Those were reckless Tiger fans who pelted the Kansas band to the point they had to leave the stadium in 1998? That was the Kansas band that refused to travel to games at Missouri since then, for fear of their safety?
OK, but if a Missouri football player has a relative, who happens to be a war hero and was injured in a plane crash defending our country, please have enough class not to taunt the player with signs referring to the crash, not this year.
No wait, that was at a basketball game. And come to think of it, that was former Kansas player Nick Collison's grandfather who suffered in the plane crash and that sign was displayed by a member of Missouri's infamous student organization the Antlers.
Well then, if former Tiger basketball player L.D. Murdock, who went to high school in Columbus, Kan., attends this year's football game, please don't harass or hurl coins and batteries at him to the point he has to leave the stadium.
Wait, that didn't happen to Murdock did it? That was Ryan Robertson, a former Jayhawk hoopster and native of St. Charles, Mo. And where did that happen? Oh yeah, it was Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo.
All right, but Kansas fans should really stop prank calling the Missouri student athletes in the middle of the night the week before the game. Not only is that kind of harassment classless and illegal, but it really doesn't have a whole lot of effect on the players.
What? You're telling me that it's the Antlers who call Kansas athletes in hopes of altering the outcome of the game, as reported on espn.com and the Lawrence Journal-World?
Well then, Kansas players, if you happen to win on Saturday, please stay off the goal posts. It's silly for the fans to tear them down just because the Jayhawks defeated a team that hasn't had a winning record since 1998. It's just absurd that the players would help.
No wait, I can see where this is going. You're going to tell me that happened at Missouri too. That's right, those were Tiger players looking like buffoons as they mounted the goal posts last year after defeating the worst Kansas team in recent memory.
OK, I apologize. I guess Kansas fans and players should just continue to act in the classy manner they have in the past. Have fun and enjoy the game.
Mettlen is a Lucas senior in journalism. He is sports editor.
By Nikki Nugent
nugent@kansan.com
kansan sportswriter
Soccer wins two games on California trip
The Kansas soccer team successfully played the role of spoiler this weekend.
The Jayhawks defeated unbeaten San Diego 1-0 Friday, extending their record to 7-1-0 while the Toreros fell to 4-1-1. The Jayhawks became the only team to score on San Diego goalkeeper Libby Bassett this season. Kansas then defeated Loyola Marymount 4-1 Sunday.
Kansas coach Mark Francis
said he thought San Diego was an extremely athletic and intense team. He said the Jayhawks didn't play well in the beginning of the game, but began to pick it up in the late minutes of the first half.
"I thought we played well in the second half," Francis said. "I thought we fought and scraped our way through the game and came out with a win."
Kansas goalkeeper Meghan Miller took sole possession of Kansas' shutout record with 12 after Friday's game. Miller recorded her fourth shutout of the season with six saves, four of
which came in the second half.
Kansas' forward Monica Brothers scored the Jayhawks' only goal in the 48th minute. Brothers, a Leavenworth junior, headed in a pass from sophomore forward Caroline Smith. With her first goal of the season, Brothers moves into a tie for second place on Kansas' all-time game-winning goals list.
Sunday's game against the Loyola Marymount Lions added another victory to the Jayhawks' best start in school history. Kansas won the game 4-1 putting the team's record at 8-1-0.
Kansas midfielder Amy Geha
an Overland Park junior, struck first for the Jayhawks on an unassisted goal in the 30th minute. Geha has two goals on the season.
Kansas sophomore forward Kim Karfonta put the ball in the net for the game's final goal in the 85th minute.
Defender Maggie Mason scored again for the Jayhawks in the 37th minute. Mason put the ball past the Lions goalkeeper off an assist from forward Jessica Smith, Rose Hill sophomore. The Jayhawks were up 2-0 at halftime.
Laura Trask scored Loyola Marymount's only goal in the 80th minute after Miller was unable to collect the ball on a shot by Kristen Frawley. Miller recorded three saves in the game.
In the second half the Jayhawks matched their goal production scoring twice. Defender Holly Gault, Spring Hill freshman, scored the Jayhawks' third goal in the 65th minute.
The Jayhawks begin Big 12 Conference play against Baylor at 5 p.m. Sept. 26 at SuperTarget Field before traveling to Texas Tech for a 1 p.m. match Sept. 28.
— Edited by Shane Mettlen
Golf
Men aim for rebound in home tournament
The men's golf team looks to rebound as they hold the Kansas Invitational at Alvarnar Country Club, beginning today.
The competition begins at 8 a.m., with 36 holes today and 18 holes tomorrow.
The 15 teams competing include two other Big 12 Conference schools, Nebraska and Iowa State. Coach Ross Randall said he sees Houston and Wichita State to be Kansas' toughest competition. Iowa State also looks strong, as they won their first event of the fall.
"We just hope we can play a little better this week," Randall said.
Four participants from last week's tournament at the Ridges Intercollegiate will compete, including Andrew Price, junior, who finished in a tie for sixth last week, Kevin Ward, junior, who finished in a tie for 41st, Ryan Rainer, sophomore, who finished in a tie for 36th, and Tyler Docking, freshman who finished in 81st. They will be joined by sophomore Pete Krisnich.
Coaches used practice and team polling this past week to decide who would be in the starting five.
The remaining five members of the team will be playing as individuals and will not affect the teams score.
In last year's tournament the Jayhawks finished second behind Baylor. Baylor will not be participating this year.
Ranked recruit kept close
Ryan Colaianni
Eric Braem/Kansan
Athletics director Lew Perkins and Kansas basketball coach Bill Self accompanied men's basketball recruit Malik Hairston at Saturday's volleyball game in Horesei Family Athletics Center. Rivals.com ranks Hairston, a 6-foot-5,190-pound small forward from Detroit, as the No. 6-rated high school basketball player in the country. This weekend's visit, which included a pickup game in front of 300 fans, was Hairston's third official visit of the recruiting season. He has not scheduled any further school visits.
VOLLEYBALL: Solid serving saves home victorv
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12A
"We responded well, and in this conference you have to win at home, and we did that," Bechard said.
In the first game of the match the teams switched leads back and forth until Kansas took the lead at 21-20, on its way to a 50-24 victory.
After the Buffaloes (9-3, 1-1), blew a 26-23 lead and lost 30-28 in game two, the Jayhawks took game three 30-25, after leading 9-8 and never looking back.
"It was all about serving today," Bechard said. "We had 12 aces and seven errors."
one said service aces aren't something you can practice, but
Abbie Jacobson, senior outside hitter, had three of those aces.
"I don't care if they're good or not good, I
just play.
Jana Correa freshman outside hitter
Freshman Jana Correa had match highs with four service aces and 11 kills, but the team spread the offense around. Middle blockers Ashley Michaels and Josi Lima were right behind Correa. Both had a hitting percentage of .316, while Michaels had 10 kills, and Lima added nine.
the team did a good job of serving aggressively and keeping the Buffaloes off balance.
Bechard said he was pleased with the way Lindsey Morris, junior outside hitter, played, as
she had seven kills and only two attack errors.
"I thought Morris had one of her better matches, and we need that from Lindsey," he said.
The Jayhawks will take a break from their Big 12 schedule as they host the University of Missouri-Kansas City (2-9, 0-0)
Kansas lead the all-time series 22-1, but Correa said the record of a team doesn't matter to her.
"I don't care if they're good or not good, I just play," she said.
After their last non-conference match of the year, the Jayhawks will host the Baylor Bears (7-6, 1-1), a team they swept 2-0 last season.
— Edited by Ashley Marriott
Eric Braem/Kansan
Jill Dorsey made a save for the Kansas volleyball team during its match with Colorado. The junior libero posted 10 digs Saturday.
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