Sports
Volleyball teams from Kansas, Creighton, North Carolina and Arkansas will play in the Jayhawk Classic starting tomorrow. PAGE 9A
The University Daily Kansan
12A
Thursday, September 11, 2003
Tournament competition to challenge men's team
Ryan Colaiani
correspondents@kansan.com
Kansan correspondent
The Jayhawks men's golf team will not have it easy in its first tournament of the season. The team is competing in The Ridges Intercollegiate in Jonesborough, Tenn. starting tomorrow.
Kansas will face tough competition with 10 of the top 16 teams in the country participating, including defending national champion Clemson.
With the abundance of strong teams, coach Ross Randall said finishing 10th or 12th in this tournament wouldn't be bad.
"It's the beginning of the season and we are just trying to see what these players can do," he said, "I think the best way to do that is through tournament play."
"Playing the course before should help because now I know where or where not to hit it," said Price, who finished in a tie for 37th in that tournament.
The team is sending freshman Tyler Docking, sophomore Ryan Rainer, juniors Andrew Price and Kevin Ward and senior Tyler Hall. Hall and Price participated in this same tournament two years ago. The team finished 10th in the 15-team field.
Randall decided who to send to Tennessee by conducting eight qualifying rounds, which were completed on Sunday. The top five players with the lowest scores were selected to attend this prestigious tournament. Price finished first, followed by Ward, Docking, Rainer and Hall.
Docking took a redshirt last season, so this will be his first tournament as a Jayhawk.
"It's great to qualify for my first tournament, especially since it was the first time I tried to qualify." Docking said. The Ridges is just over 7,000 yards and is a par 72. It is located in the mountains of Tennessee with rolling fairways and many elevated tee shots.
"The course is not particularly long," Price said. "And the way it is set up suits our game well."
The team plays a practice round tomorrow and 36 holes on Saturday. It finishes the tournament with 18 holes on Sunday.
"Obviously it's a tough field," Docking said. "But hopefully we can step up to the competition and play well."
'Hawks win despite errors
- Edited by Nikki Overfelt
BY Mike Norris
mnorris@kansan.com
Kansan sportwriter
Freshman outside hitter, Jana Correa and Sophomore middle blocker, Josie Lima attempted to block Oral Roberts freshman middle blocker, Kimberly Snow's kill, Wednesday night at the women's volleyball home opener. The Jayhawks swept Oral Roberts, winning all three games.
Megan True/Kansan
In its home-opener, the Kansas volleyball team didn't disappoint.
The team defeated Oral Roberts 3-0, beating the Tulsa, Okla., school for Kansas' fourth victory in a row.
Freshman Jana Correa led the Jayhawks with 16 kills, and Josi Lima continued her solid play with 11 kills and a 688 hitting percentage.
"We had a good hitting efficiency," said coach Ray Bechard. "We had a good comeback in game two, but other than that I didn't think we valued our opportunity as well as we could have."
Bechard was referring to the 16 service errors by the team and a somewhat lagging effort at times.
Despite some negatives, the 'Hawks pulled out the victory in front of 550 fans in the Horejsi Family Athletics Center, a crowd Correa said she never saw in her home country of Brazil.
The Jayhawks led for most of the first game winning 30-22. In the second game the lagging play Bechard talked about showed. But the Jayhawks woke up late in the match.
"I love it," she said. "I'm very excited to play here."
Trailing 22-16, Kansas ended the game on a 15-7 run to pull off the 31-29 victory.
"We're never going to give up on a game," said Jill Dorsey, junior defensive specialist. "We always think we are going to win."
After the Jayhawks took a 15-11 lead in game three, Oral Roberts cut the lead
to 26-25. The 'Hawks then scored the final four points in the 30-25 victory.
"It's going to be tough to beat us here at home" said Lima.
Correa could be the key reason why. Most of her 16 kills had the fans cheering, especially the final kill in game one that bounced off opponent Beacky
Dreher's shoulder and face and landed on the other side of the net, out of bounds.
SEE VOLLEYBALL ON PAGE 7A
Women's administrator found
By John Domoney
jdomoney@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The Athletics Department's search for a new senior women's administrator is over.
Athletics Director Lew Perkins announced Tuesday that he hired Kelly Landry from the University of Illinois.
"We had about 30 or
Landry
40 people apply," Perkins said. "Kelly came highly recommended from every place she's been."
Landry is finishing up her duties as associate director of athletics and senior women's administrator at Illinois. Those
duties include finishing up the men's basketball schedule and some odds and ends, she said.
She will begin working in Lawrence in mid-October to replace Janelle Martin, who left the Athletics Department in early August.
"It's a good opportunity to work with Lew Perkins," Landry said. "He has a great vision for where he wants the athletic department to be. But I'm leaving a great place, too."
Landry brings an impressive list of accomplishments from her days in Champaign, Ill. Along with overseeing operations, she coordinated post-season travel for the Illini men's and women's basketball teams.
In addition to her duties in the Illinois athletics department, Landry also served as co-chair of the Big 10 Conference Administrator's Council, and she currently
serves as a member of the NCAA Championships Competition Cabinet and the Big Ten Legislative Review Committee.
Landry has been at Illinois for five years and previously served four years as assistant athletic director for business and senior woman administrator at the University of Miami.
In 1986, Landry earned her bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Alabama where she was an All-American in track and field. She was a member of the World University Games Team and the Pan American Team in 1987, and she finished fourth in the United States Olympic Trials in 1992.
While working at Illinois, Landry earned her master's degree in higher education at the school in 2001.
Landry said she thought her role as a former student athlete helped her in her job.
"It is easy for me to relate to the
demands of balancing athletics and academics," Landry said. "Being able to be a voice for them and an ear to listen is important to me."
Another change in athletics administration came yesterday as Doug Vance, a 20-year veteran of the department, officially stepped down. Vance, who has been on leave for nearly a month, served as the associate athletics director of communications. Perkins said in a press release that he preferred that Vance stay, but he respected the decision and wished him well.
"Lew offered me an opportunity to remain with the staff," Vance said in the release. "However, I decided to go a different direction. Now I can concentrate on being a fan and enjoy watching all the teams compete."
Shane Mettlen contributed to this story. Edited by Katie Bean
Linebackers set Big 12 conference apart
Linebacker Gabe Toomey high-fived a fan after Saturday's victory over UNLV last Saturday.
Saan SmithKansas
The linebackers uphold the image of the Big 12 Conference.
They combine size and strength with speed and agility. While the Big 10 Conference is a physical, pound it out sort of place to play and the Southeastern Conference is known for its speed, linebacker success in the Big 12 requires a player to be physical enough to stop the run game, yet fast enough to pursue sideline-to-sideline and cover receivers.
No two players fit that stereotype better than Oklahoma's Teddy Lehman and Texas' Derrick Johnson. They are blessed with great speed and quickness, but have the ability to unleash a highlight hit at any turn. Both run the 40-yard dash in less than 4.5 seconds. Lehman tips the scales at 243 pounds but runs like a small tailback. Last season he was a finalist for the Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker. Lehman and teammate Lance Mitchell are nominees this year.
SPORTS COMMENTARY
Kevin Flaherty
kflaherty@kansan.com
Johnson is a bit smaller than Lehman, but possibly more athletic. He and Reed Boyd help form a dynamic lineback duo for the Longhorns. Linebackers such as these, with both speed and size, give a defensive coordinator options when it comes to defensive schemes.
Boyd said versatility gave one a great opportunity to get on the field and play. "I'm starting at the strong side position
The Longhorns will look to take advantage of Boyd's versatility against rival Arkansas this weekend.
and then depending on how things go, I might move around," he said.
But those two teams are not the only Big 12 teams with star linebackers.
Nebraska has made a push early this season thanks to a defense that looks for plays from linebackers such as Barrett Ruud and Demorrio Williams.
And the three starting Kansas linebackers, sophomores Gabe Toomey, Nick Reid and Banks Floodman have something to look forward to as they play the next three years together.
Kansas coach Mark Mangino refers to Toomey as a throwback. While the 235-pound Toomey loves to mix it up and hit people, it is his speed and acceleration to the ball that sets him apart. Teammates Floodman and Reid are also talented speedsters. Floodman is a team captain while Reid started six games last season as a freshman.
Floodman said he enjoyed playing with Toomey and Reid.
"It's really a pleasure to play defense with those guys," Floodman said. "It should be a lot of fun for the next couple of years."
Meanwhile, Kansas State annually builds up one of the best defenses with strong linebacker play. This year's version includes play-makers Josh Buhl and Brian Hickman. Buhl is undersized for a linebacker, but makes plays with his speed. Kansas State also landed a topflight linebacker Marvin Simmons from the junior college ranks, but he has yet to make major impact.
Iowa State has struggled offensively but is still undefeated in two games this season because of a defense headed by linebackers Brandon Brown and Joe Woodley.
If the saying, "defense wins championships" holds true for taking a team to the Big 12 title game in Kansas City, Mo., then linebackers will be what takes the defense where it needs to be.
On