10B the university daily kansan
sports
thursday, august 21, 2003
Emotion shows with Brazilian volleyball players
By Mike Norris
mnorris@kansan.com
Kansan Sportwriter
As the ball goes flying over the net it smacks a teammate square on the wrist, sending it飞ing in the other direction. Jana Correa can only smile.
The 5-foot-11-inch freshman from northeast Brazil, is the newest phenomenon on the University of Kansas volleyball team.
Correa, who has been at the University since January, has had a little time to adjust to being in the United States.
"It's been good," she said. "But very different."
Fortunately for Correa, sophomore middle blocker Josi Lima, who has been friends with Correa since she was 15, is on the team also.
Since the freshman outside hitter has only been speaking English for five months, Lima is by her side to help her adjust to a new style of play.
Lima said she and Correa com
plimented each other perfectly on and off the court. Lima said she remembered adjusting to a different kind of volleyball than she was used to just one year ago.
Lima said volleyball was played with more technique in the United States, but in Brazil it was played with more emotion.
It isn't hard to tell Correa plays with emotion, even during practice. She smiled after every point, and was constantly jumping around, having fun as if she were back in her hometown playing again.
Coach Ray Bechard said coming a semester early had a lot to do with that.
Coach Bechard said Correa's early arrival was helpful to the team and it would have been more difficult for her to adjust if she had come to the University in August.
But, it's not like Correa isn't used to big changes.
lot of volleyball," she said. "So I went to Pao Paulo to play."
When she was 14 she decided volleyball would be a big part of her life.
"My hometown did not have a
There she met Lima, who was her teammate and opponent on the volleyball court. When Lima came to the University a year earlier, Correa decided it was the place for her to go.
Now that Correa is adjusting well and Lima is committed to continuing the success that earned her first-team all Big 12 Conference honors last year, the NCAA Tournament is a possibility.
"Our goal is to go to the NCAA Tournament," said Lima. "We are very close as teammates."
That might have something to do with how they became so close to the tournament last year. Or it could be Lima's earth-shattering spikes and Correa's confident swagger.
But whatever the reason, Correa and Lima, along with veterans Sarah Rome, Ashley Michaels and Abbie Jacobson, have the Jayhawks ready to take on the big 12.
— Edited by Abby Sidesinger
John Nowak/Kansan
Freshman Jana Correa and sophomore Josi Lima listen to assistant coach Christi Posey during practice. Both Lima and Correa transferred from the University of Sant'anna in Sao Paulo Brazil.
Busch warned while Spencer fined, suspended from race
The Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jimmy Spencer's appeal of his one-week NASCAR suspension for punching Kurt Busch was denied yesterday, meaning "Mr. Excitement" will be parked this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.
In upholding the penalty, the National Stock Car Racing Commission found that regardless of "alleged provocation or the exact magnitude of the physical contact, an inappropriate line had been crossed."
Spencer was suspended from all NASCAR-sanctioned events through Aug. 26 after the altercation with Busch at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday. He was also fined $25,000 and placed on probation until
the end of the year.
A three-member panel of the commission, which heard the appeal yesterday, said Spencer "made a compelling argument, expressing remorse and acknowledging that his actions were wrong."
However, the commission noted that NASCAR previously warned Spencer about his relationship with Busch and had
been "put on notice" to tone it down.
Bristol is the site of one of his first altercations with Busch, who bumped Spencer out of the way to score his first career victory in 2002.
Busch was placed on probation after Sunday's race. He said yesterday he would not appeal.
But a tape released Tuesday of his radio conversation with his
crew indicated he may have purposely tried to "flatten" Spencer's fender earlier in the race.
Busch said, "See, I'm not very good at being bad. I was trying to flatten the 7 car (Spencer) fender and I got mine. I needed to be further forward on his car."
Someone on his crew responded, "They just showed that on TV. You just missed by about an inch or two. Ah, not far
After the event, Busch said his car ran out of gas near Spencer's hauler in the garage area.
Witnesses said Spencer pulled in and hit Busch's car from behind. He then reportedly jumped from his car, approached Busch's window and punched the driver in the face.
Busch suffered a bloodied nose and chipped tooth.
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