8A
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SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2009
POLITICS
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WEDNESDAY
OCTOBER
28
2009
7:30PM
VOLLEYBALL
Dole Institute
BY ZACH GETZ
zgetz@kansan.com
Team prepares for UMKC
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On west campus next to the lied center
The Kansas volleyball team will have a chance to defend its home court again after a loss against Missouri over the weekend. Kansas (11-9) will host University of Missouri-Kansas City (10-12), which is on a five-match winning streak, today.
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Kansas is just 4-4 at home this season and will need to defend its home court better to make the post-season. Kansas is 27-1 overall against UMKC, and UMKC has not defeated Kansas since 1982.
But UMKC is a very scrappy team and always has extra motivation to beat a larger conference team such as Kansas, senior middle blocker Brittany Williams said.
"They are on a winning streak of
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five games, so hopefully we can stop that," Williams said. "Beating KU is always their number one priority. This is probably one of the games they always look forward to because they have a chance to beat Kansas."
UMKC has been playing well and will want to knock off a team from a higher conference, coach Ray Bechard said.
Sophomore outside hitter Allison Willson field spikes the ball against Missouri Saturday. Kansas lost the match 3-1.
"UMKC is going to come in here thinking this is a huge match on their schedule," Bechard said. "We got to sense that it's just as important to us as it is to them."
Kansas will have only one day of practice to prepare for UMKC with the game on Tuesday instead of the usual Wednesday. Senior defensive specialist Mellissa Grieb said she was glad Kansas was playing a non-conference team instead of waiting the entire week to play again.
"It'll get us back out there, and we'll be able to work on a few things we didn't do well against Missouri," Grieb said.
Even though UMKC doesn't play in a major conference, Kansas can't afford to overlook it, Grieb said.
"No matter what conference you're in, if you are winning games, you're a good team," Grieb said.
Kansas will finish its homestand against no. 21 Texas A&M Saturday.
Edited by Sarah Kelly
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
Second-ranked Texas remains strong in Big 12 conference
BY BRITT BEASLEY
BY BRITT BEASLEY
bbeasley@kansan.com
TEXAS 3, COLORADO 0
The No. 2 team in college volleyball continued its winning ways this weekend — Texas defeated Colorado in straight sets (23-25, 12-25, 15-25). Texas junior utility Jennifer Doris had a big game with eight kills and a .727 attack percentage. Texas will try to remain undefeated this week when it
plays at Texas A&M Wednesday. Colorado will travel to Norman to play Oklahoma Wednesday.
IOWA STATE 3,
TEXAS TECH 0
After winning against Nebraska last week, Oklahoma proved again that it was one of the best teams in the country by handing Texas Tech a lopsided defeat (15-25, 17-25, 19-25). Freshman middle
blocker Jamie Straube had a big game with 12 kills and a .45 attack percentage. On Wednesday Iowa State plays Baylor at home, and Texas Tech will host Nebraska.
NEBRASKA 3,
OKLAHOMA 1
Coming back from its loss to Iowa State, Nebraska made its case in a four-set victory against Oklahoma (22-25, 22-25, 25-22,
15-25). Freshman outside hitter Hannah Worth had a double-double with a team-high 19 kills and 12 digs. Nebraska seeks to continue winning as it takes on Texas Tech in Lubbock Wednesday. Oklahoma will play Colorado at home Wednesday.
KANSAS STATE 1,
BAYLOR 3
— Edited by Jacob Muselmann
Baylor hoped to bounce back from its loss to Oklahoma the
week before and made it happen against Kansas State. After losing the first set, Baylor went on a roll and won the next three, winning the match 3-1(18-25, 25-16, 25-18, 30-28). Senior outside hitter Katie Sanders had a double-double for Baylor with 14 kills and 18 digs. Baylor will travel to Ames to take on Iowa State Wednesday, while Kansas State will travel to Columbia to play Missouri.
Note: Information from Big12sports.com.
BASKETBALL (CONTINUED FROM 10A)
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Junior guard Danielle McCray jumps for a basket during the second half of last year's WNIT Championship game against the University of South Florida. The team's goal is to win the Bio 12 title this year.
make the field, Kansas is relying on an experienced cast to make that goal a reality.
"This year has to be the year," junior guard Sade Morris said. "This is the year that we have to prove to everybody and back up what we're saying."
Kansas' biggest reason for optimism entering this season is Morris and McCray, a scoring duo Henrickson dubbed "Batman and Robin."
If Kansas is indeed to contend for the Big 12 championship — if the Jayhawks are going to hold
true to their word — McCray and Morris must continue playing well together during the season.
The pain combined to average 34.3 points last season
points last season and played their
final 12 games.
Smith said. "We're going to go to the NCAA tournament. But we're more thinking about winning a Big 12 championship this year. That's what we've really been focused on."
"This year, there's no question about it," junior forward Nicollette
Added McCray, who averaged 21.6
"This is the year that we have to prove to everybody and back up what we're saying."
best basketball of the season down the stretch when Kansas inconsequently won nine of its
"We don't just want to enter the NCAA tournament. We want to go far in it."
DANIELLE MCCRAY Senior guard
SADE MORRISS Junior guard
in here and said, 'Our goal is to go to the tournament and our goal is to be contending for the
ed 21.6 points per game last season: "We don't just want to enter the NCAA tournament. We want to go far in it."
distant goal.
It's a far cry from the preseason tone of past seasons, when simply making the NCAA Tournament was a healthy, although sometimes
Big 12," Kohn said. "And every year it slips away and slips away. I just feel like this year it's a whole new feeling."
As Kohn spoke, her teammates nearby flipped through one of the media guides.
A book that ultimately represents of a new season.
"A lot of media days we've come
Behind the Jayhawks, down a stretch of hallways, workers continued putting the finishing touches on Kansas' renovations.
"The one thing that these new facilities make our players feel like is you want to be in there every day," assistant coach Karen Lange said. "You feel like a winner. You also get the sense that these people put this much into us and now it's time for us to give back."
diminutely represents the turning of a new season.
Edited by Megan Morriss
FOOTBALL (CONTINUED FROM 10A)
mistakes. Perhaps no series better represents that message than Oklahoma's opening drive in the third quarter.
First, freshman cornerback D.J. Beshears was flagged for a blatantly obvious pass interference call down the sideline. That allowed Oklahoma to move the ball into Kansas territory.
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Then after the Jayhawks appeared to force the Sooners into a third and long situation, senior defensive end Jeff Wheeler committed a roughing the penalty. Oklahoma scored a touchdown five plays later.
Added Ryan Murphy, sophomore cornerback: "Knowing that we were going to be up first on defense and we had a pretty good first half, it was kind of deflating to let them drive down the field."
During Oklahoma's second drive of the game, Stuckey blitzed from the edge, smacked quarterback Landry Jones in the back and jarred the ball loose. Stuckey recovered the fumble at Oklahoma's 26-yard line.
"We thought we had gotten settled down in the second half but we gave them a drive and made some silly penalties," Mangino said. "Not disciplined play by us."
It was only one of a handful of missed plays — both offensively and defensively — that perhaps cost Kansas a chance at a victory.
Turns out, though, it was a meaningless play because Wheeler was flagged for jumping off sides.
"That's something you can control," Stuckey said. "That's something that tangible to your defense. Any time you're playing a great team like OU, you can't afford to make mistakes like that."
Kansas' offense was plagued
with similarly-themed problems.
The pass was wobbly and slightly low yet a wide-open Briscoe managed to get his hands on the ball, juggling it in the air before it finally slipped out of his grasp. Instead of scoring what would have been a touchdown, the Jayhawks settled for Branstetter's field goal.
"There were a lot of opportunities that we had out there that we let go, that we let slip out of our fingers." Stuckey said.
In the final minutes before halftime, senior quarterback * Todd Reesing released a pass to junior wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe while being hit by an Oklahoma defender.
Yet the good-enough-to-win performance by Kansas' defense was partially lost in the game's aftermath.
Sure, the lajahawks noted problems and potential game-changing moments from Saturday. But a larger theme echoed in the post-game interviews.
Edited by Megan Morriss
Despite the loss, Kansas' defense showed tangible evidence of improvement.
"We're pecking away at those things," Mangino said. "We're slowly but surely getting some things done on defense and getting better."
Weston White/KANSAN
Senior safety Darrell Stuckey prepares to tackle Oklahoma receiver Ryan Broyles Saturday afternoon. Kansas' defense gave up 252 receiving yards in a 35-13 loss.