Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Thursday
September 11, 1997
Section:
B
Page 1
Entertainment
Women's tennis head coach Roland Thornqvist will limit senior Kylie Hunt to only singles matches during her return to competition.
Burgess Meredith dies at age 89. He had roles in "Rocky" and TV's "Batman."
SEE PAGE 6B
Pro Football
Loss to Philadelphia ends any Green Bay doubts about the difficulty of being defending champion.
SEE PAGE 5B
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Team prepares for home opener
By Matt Gardner
By Matt Gardner
sports@kanan.com
Kanan sports writer
After a 2-4 start, the Kansas volleyball team is calling upon some extra help for this weekend's Kansas Invitational Tournament.
That help is the atmosphere of Allen Field House.
The Jayhawks will play host to Buffalo, Missouri-Kansas City; Toledo and Butler in their home-opening invitational. And they are looking for a turnaround.
"It's very important for us to play well at home," Kansas coach Karen Schonewise said. "We need to not worry about winning and focus on playing the game."
But this weekend isn't going to be easy for the Javhawks.
Kansas opens against the Buffalo Bulls in a 3 p.m. match tomorrow. The Bulls are 7-0 after defeating Idaho, Wyoming and Portland last weekend.
After the Buffalo match, the Jayhawks will face Missouri-Kansas City at 7 p.m. The Kangaroos are fighting a 1-6 record, with their lone win coming Sept. 5 at home against Chicago State.
Saturday, Kansas will take the court against the Toledo Rockets. The Rockets are 6-1 after Cleveland State snapped their six-game winning streak last Friday.
At 7 p.m. Saturday, the Jayhawks will finish their tournament against Butler, a team they last faced at the St. Louis Tournament last year. The Jayhawks lost that match 5-15, 6-15, 15-10, 10-15.
"Butler is probably the best team in the tournament, tradition-wise." Schonewise said. "We played very well against them in St. Louis last year."
No matter how good the teams in the tournament are this year, Schonewise said she thought her team needed to start with themselves.
"We need to play more consistent," she said.
"We played pretty consistent the first weekend.
Last weekend we did not. We need to work to
develop that consistency and play more focused.
Kansas Invitational
The Kansas volleyball team plays its first home matches this weekend.
3 p.m. Friday vs. Buffalo
7 p.m. Friday vs. Missouri-Kansas City
1 p.m. Saturday vs. Toledo
7 p.m. Saturday vs. Butler
"Hopefully playing at home won't be a distraction, and they can get in the proper mind set," she said.
Chosehine said she was not sure if the first home matches would distract the Javahwaks.
"We're going to be getting a little more rest and get in some more practicing," Schonewise said.
"The girls are having a lot of their family here and hopefully nothing will work against us in our first match of the year in the field house."
Several individual Jayhawks are looking to continue their strong play at the home opener.
Middle blocker Amanda Reves will be looking for her third consecutive all-tournament team selection.
Reves was selected to the teams in the two previous tournaments in Reno, Nev., and Evanston, Ill., but is looking forward to playing at home.
"We are excited to travel and have been able to go to good tournaments," Reves said. "But we're excited to play at home as well. We have a lot to prove to ourselves and to our fans."
Reves has a .367 hitting percentage and her 71 kills rank third for the Jayhawks, behind Kendra Kahler's 76 and Moira Donovan's 74. To be credited for a kill, a player must either score a point or get a side-out, which is to gain possession of the ball.
Donovan, whose consistent play through both tournaments has helped build a backbone for the Jayhawks, has a .282 attacking percentage along with a team-high digs.
"Hopefully we will get some fans out there watching us," she said. "We are so excited to be home this weekend and not have to travel."
Middle blocker Kim Carlin hits the volleyball during practice in Robinson. The women's volleyball team was practicing yesterday in preparation for its 3 p.m. season tomorrow against Buffalo in the first game of the Kansas Invitational. The 'Hawks also will play at 7 p.m. against Missouri-Kansas City. Photo by Geoff Krieger/KANSAN
Former pro helps soccer team
Assistant coach brings experience, enthusiasm
By Harley V. Ratliff
Kansan sports writer
On a sunny day in Lawrence, nestled safely in America's heartland, members of the Kansas women's soccer team congregate in the middle of SuperTarget Field.
They gathered in a circle, put their hands in the middle and prepared for practice.
"Ichi. Ni. San," the team chanted
Ichi. Ni. San?
The phrase in Japanese means "one, two, three" and is the courtesy of first-year assistant coach Kris Zeits.
Zeits, whose focus is on coaching the goalkeepers, came to the university of Kansas after spending the four years playing professional women's soccer in Japan.
Offered a position out of college, Zeits jumped at the opportunity to play the sport she loved, get paid and get a glimpse of the world.
"Obviously, the language was a problem," Zeits said. "But the real thing is that you lose your independence. Until you know the language, you're dependent on everybody to help you through."
However, she was not quite prepared for the drastic change in culture.
Eventually, she began to get acquainted with both the culture and the language.
It started with the little things. But by her final year in Japan, Zeits could speak the language fluently. She continues to polish her skills by taking classes.
However, Japanese was not the only thing Zeits brought to the Kansas program. She also brought a wealth of soccer experience.
"No," said Fcke, laughing, "because then we get confused."
Kansas women's assistant soccer coach Kris Zeits works with goalkeepers during practice. Zeits, a former four-year starter at Colorado College, is in her first year as one of two assistant coaches at the University. She spent the past four years playing professional soccer in Japan. Photo by Steve Puppe/KANSAN
A four-year starter in goal at Colorado College, Zeits was said to be the school's most prolific goalkeeper. During her career she posted 30 shutouts and holds school records for most NCAA playoff victories (five), career saves (403), and most shutouts in a season (12).
"Every once and awhile, she will try and teach us new words," Kansas goalkeeper Jen Feche said. "She tries to get us to say 'Ichi. Ni. San,' before our cheers."
She also knows how to win. Zeits, who is Colorado College's most successful keeper with a 54-12-5 record, helped lead the Tigers to three Final Four appearances and was named twice to the Final Four All-
But do they really ever speak Japanese on the field?
Tournament team.
"Her expertise in training goalkeeper is something that neither Lisa nor myself have," Kansas soccer coach Dan Magner said. "We have both worked with the keepers, but certainly not at the level that Kris has. She brings a real dynamic enthusiasm to the training field, to the office and to the games. She's an intelligent young woman."
It's that enthusiasm that separates Zeits from the rest of the staff.
"She brings a lot of intensity to the practices," Fecke said. "She works us really hard, but she's easy to talk to and makes the practices fun."
Injured football players recover
By Kelly Cannon
Kansan sports writer
The Kansas football team was four of five this week — in injury recoveries.
Five Kansas players left Saturday's game against Texas Christian University with injuries or illness: quarterback Matt Johner, nose tackle Brett McGraw, wide receiver Eric Patterson, wide receiver Harrison Hill and running back Eric Vann.
Hill is out for the season because of a broken left ankle.
"I feel confident, besides the broken leg, that we'll have everyone playing on Saturday," Kansas football coach Terry Allen said.
Johner, who had a virus and left the game because of dizziness and heat cramps, said he was ready to play.
"I'm 100 percent ready to go." Johner said. "I was sick with something like a head cold, and combined with the heat, but I feel better now and I'm ready to go."
Allen said the whole team was prepared to face Missouri this Saturday.
The Tigers defeated the Jayhawks 42-25 in Columbia, Mo. last year.
"I think perhaps the easiest task is to get your football team ready for a rival," Allen said. "If we're not ready emotionally to play Saturday, then we've got a problem."
Even though the Missouri game is important, Allen said the team was not changing its approach.
"What we're striving for is to be consistent in our approach to every game." Allen said.
"If we consistently approach every game in the same way, then we'll avoid the peaks and valleys, which I think has been a problem with Kansas football in the past," Allen said.
Inside linebacker Jason Thoren said he didn't see the Missouri game differently than other games.
"They are all big games for me this year, and I don't see one game bigger." Thoren said. "Maybe K-State has been big the past few years, and Missouri because of last year. I'm approaching all games as if they're big."
■ Running back David Winbush has moved up Kansas' depth chart because of his play against TCU. Allen said.
"David Winbush will play a lot," Allen said. "He's right there with Eric Vann. It's a great thing for us to have. I would not ask anyone to carry 40 times."
"We may run Vam 20 times and Winibus 15 and we'll let the other guys take care of the rest. Julius Bruce, if he holds on to the ball, is not bad. And Mitch Bowles did some good things," he said.
Season hinges on silencing Tigers' roar
By Harley V. Raliff
Kansan sports writer
Kansas head coach Terry Allen said that after eight months in Lawrence, he started to realize how much the Missouri game means to the players, alumni and the people of Kansas.
Two games into last season, the Kansas football team was undefeated.
How much does it mean this year? Maybe everything.
The Jayhawks — coming off their best season since Pepper Rodgers put them in the Orange Bowl in '68 — had pummeled their first two opponents. They had outscored Ball State and Texas Christian
It was finally starting to happen.
by a combined score of 87-37, defeating both teams with relative ease.
Kansas looked as if they were going to get over the college football hump. No more 3-8 seasons. No more getting pushed around. No more getting blown out.
Harley Ratliff sports@kansan.com
The Jayhawks seemed to have kept the magic of '95 alive.
And then it all fell apart.
The result: a new coach, a new offense and a "new era."
Things never looked up again. The Jayhawks self-destructed, losing six of their next eight games. The final blow was Kansas' embarrassing 42-25 loss at the hands of Missouri in the season finale.
On a cool, brisk September night in Salt Lake City, a national television audience watched the Kansas secondary — and the team's season — crumble at the right arm of a skinny blond quarterback named Mike Fouts, who played a little more like his uncle Dan than the walk-on that he was.
After two games, Allen and his Jayhawks find themselves in a similar position. Kansas heads into Saturday's game with an unblemished record and, as my roommate, a lifetime Jayhawk fan, put it - a chance to blow it all.
The Missouri game looms as the most important game in Allen's brief tenure with the Jayhawks. The Tigers will stomp into Lawrence undefeated with newly-restored confidence.
Led by option quarterback Corby Jones, the Tigers have every intention of running away with Kansas' Big 12 Conference home opener.
This is a Kansas squad that desperately needs an opportunity to prove itself. While Kansas started off 2-0, the games have been far from impressive.
Allen can't let that happen.
"Ugly," Allen said of last week's 17-10 win against TCU.
Defeating the Tigers would mean a third straight home victory and an early win against a quality opponent. It would also set the stage for the Jayhawks to head into their next home game, against Oklahoma, with a possible 4-0 start and growing momentum.
But Kansas will have to continue to improve in order to topple the Tigers. Through the first two games, the Jaya-hawks' offense has looked anemic. Only freshman tailback David Winbush has shown any sign of life.
Linebackers Ron Warner and Patrick Brown have been defensive bulwarks, but even they can't tackle everybody. The defensive line will have to continue to provide quality run support.
The Jayhawks have the ability and the home crowd (if they show up) to defeat Missouri. The question is whether they can put it together on the field.
Should they lose, don't dismiss the Jay-hawks season as over. History doesn't always repeat itself. But there's no doubt that a dark cloud will hang over the glum citizens of Lawrence.
My gut feeling says that Kansas will win, something like 21-17.
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Ratiff is a Norman, Okla., senior in journalism.