6A SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
ERIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009
VOLLEYBALL
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6,2009
Team attempts fourth conference road victory in a row
BY ZACH GETZ
zgetz@kansan.com
The Kansas volleyball team will attempt to get its fourth consecutive Big 12 Conference road victory this weekend as Kansas travels to Norman, Okla., to face Oklahoma this Saturday. Kansas' victory against Colorado Wednesday gave the team its first back-to-back-to-back Big 12 road victories in its history.
Kansas comes in with a 13-10 (5-8) record while Oklahoma has a 16-7 (9-5) record. Oklahoma's only conference loss, to a non-ranked team, was against Kansas Sept. 23. Kansas has defeated Oklahoma three out of the last four matches.
"Oklahoma is a tough team and makes you fight for every point that you earn," sophomore outside hitter Lauren Hagen said.
"They are just a good team all the way around." Hagen said. "They challenge every team that they play no matter if they are at home or away"
Oklahoma is currently fourth
Follow Zach Getz
at twitter.com/
zgetz.
in the Big 12 standings. Kansas is excited for a chance to get a victory against a team high in the Big 12 rankings, senior middle blocker Paige Mazour said.
"We just need to take care of our side and do what we need to do." Mazour said. "We need to get a big win, especially on the road."
A victory against Oklahoma could be big for Kansas, senior defensive specialist Katie Martinicch said.
"It's pretty crucial," Martinicin said. "Any win we can get from teams above us in the rankings is definitely big. These last seven are big for us and we have to make the most of it."
Kansas needs to get a few big victories from these teams to help achieve its goal of making the NCAA Volleyball Tournament, Martinec said.
UPCOMING GAMES
Kansas at Oklahoma
When: 2 p.m. Nov. 7
Where: McCasland Field
House, Norman, Okla.
Kansas State at Kansas
When: 6:30 p.m. Nov. 11
Where: Horejsi Family Athletic Center, Lawrence
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS
Mazour was placed on ESPN The Magazine's Academic All-District First Team. Mazour, a human biology major, is maintaining a 3.94 GPA and is in the running for the Academic All-America Team. Martincich was also named on the Academic All-District Second Team.
Edited by Megan Morriss
Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Hagan and senior middle blocker Paige Mazour reach for a block against UMKC Tuesday evening. The Jayhawks defeated the Kangaroo 3-0 at the Horiosei Football Athletics Center.
Jerry Wang/KANSAN
LEGAL
Track chief who lied about athlete's gender punished
said in a statement.
JOHANNESBURG — The South African track chief who lied about his role in runner Caster Semenya's gender tests was suspended Thursday.
Athletics South Africa president Leonard Chuene and the rest of the track body's 12-member board were suspended pending investigations into their handling of Semenya's case, the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee
The committee appointed one of its members, Ray Mali, as ASA's administrator. He is expected to call an urgent meeting to elect an interim board.
The Olympic committee also said its officials were considering action against international track officials for their "disregard of Ms. Semenya's rights to privacy." The statement did not elaborate.
family, the president of South Africa as well as to all South Africans for the handling of her gender verification processes and the subsequent aftermath.
Earlier Thursday, ASA said in a statement it wished to "publicly and unconditionally apologize to Caster Semenya and her
That statement referred to recent criticism of ASA from the governing African National Congress.
Semenya won the 800-meter world championships in August after the International Association of Athletics Federations said it had ordered gender tests.
Associated Press
DIRECTED BY KU'S KEVIN WILLMOTT
Freshman Brooke Brull gasps for air toward the end of her leg of the 800-yard freestyle relay Saturday. The swimming and team compete with driver University this weekend.
SWIMMING AND DIVING
Jayhawks push for success
PREMIERES NOV. 6 @ LIBERTY HALL
BY CHRISTIAN LUCERO
clucero@kansan.com
The season's start has left the Kansas swimming and diving team hoping that it's just experiencing growing pains.
"I think our team has great potential," Iuliaia Kuzhil, Cherkasy, Ukraine junior, said. "We just need a little bit more time to get used to it."
Kuzhil, who played a key role in the Jayhawks' 79-45 victory against Nebraska-Omaha Saturday, will be counted on again by coach Clark Campbell in this weekend's dual meet against Drury University in Springfield, Mo.
"We're not a team that makes excuses," Campbell said. "We've got to start stepping up and overachieve."
Meghan Proehl, San Diego senior, has led the diving team with a Big 12 Diver of the Week award and a head-to-head victory against Missouri in the one-meter dive. Proehl has also met NCAA qualifying standards in that competition. Despite the slow start, she thinks her teammates just need experience to fulfill their potential.
"I love being part of such a young team because of the energy
and enthusiasm they bring on a daily basis", Proehl said. "Our returners are so solid and each class has fantastic leadership, which is helping us to build a stronger program that I have no doubt will see more success in the future."
Both Proehl and Kuzhil mentioned the work ethic on both the swimming and diving teams as well as the importance of practice.
"I think we have a great team right now," Kuzhil said. "Our coaches are doing a great job in planning the practice routine to help us improve, which I think will definitely help us perform at a higher level
come conference."
The sentiment was shared by the divers.
"The team is working extremely hard and it has started to pay off for some, and I know it will pay off for the rest soon enough," Proehl said. "On the diving front, I couldn't be more impressed with my teammates. They are all being extremely brave and trying new dives and continue to have positive attitudes at practice, which makes practice much more productive and enjoyable."
Edited by Samantha Foster
NFL
Rams coach sticks with quarterback
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS — Marc Bulger has thrown just three touchdown passes and has a passer rating of 68.2 for the scuffling St. Louis Rams.
Don't expect coach Steve
CELEBRATE ALL WEEK LONG ...ONLY AT THE HAWK
LAWRENCE
WWW.JAYHAWKCAFE.COM
1340 Ohio - 843-9273
MONDAY NOVEMBER 9TH PINT NIGHT MILLER LIGHT FRIDGE GIVEAWAY
"I think Marc has done everything we needed him to do" Spagnuolo said. "I've said this before; it's not one position on the side of the ball, it's everybody.
"He has been a leader, he manages the game, gets the ball to 39 (running back Steven Jackson), and there are pieces that he is working through, too."
The Rams (1-7) have a bye this weekend before hostingundefeated New Orleans (7-0) on Nov. 15. The win against the Lions last weekend snapped a 14-game win.
"I think Marc has done everything we needed him to do."
17-game losing streak
lines, getting sacked a combined 75 times.
Spagnuolo arrived this season and brought in a West Coast offense focused on getting the ball more to jackson.
STEVE SPAGNUOLO Rams coach
The running back has done his part — Jackson is tied with Minnesota's Adrian Peterson for the NFC rushing lead with 784 yards, and his 970 yards from scrimmage are just 3 yards behind Peterson's NFL-leading total.
Bulger, who replaced Kurt Warner as the starter in 2002, signed a six-year, $65 million contract extension before the 2007 season. That followed his second Pro Bowl appearance.
Bulger hasn't had much help from his inexperienced crew of receivers. Laurent Robinson began the season as a favorite target but he's out for the rest of 2009 with an injury. Donnie Avery is now the go-to guy, but he's been hurt as well.
Things have gone downhill since then. The Rams are 6-34 since 2007 and Bulger spent most of the previous two seasons taking a beating behind makeshift offensive
Yet despite improved play of the line — Bulger has been sacked just nine times — the Rams continue to struggle offensively. St. Louis has scored a league-low 77 points. It doesn't bask in the
It doesn't help that Bulger has been hurt
He broke the pinkie finger of his throwing hand on Aug. 17 during the preseason, and missed a regular-season game with a bruised rotator cuff.
Still, Bulger has seen some improvement in the Rams, who have undergone a makeover since last season to go from one of the league's oldest teams to one of the youngest.
"I think we've improved in certain areas every week," Bulger said. "There been times we had relapses. Hopefully, we can come back after the bye week and be more consistent, win some more ball games and come back fresh."