Friday, October 30, 1998
The University Daily Kansan
Section B • Page 3
Soccer team misses Big 12 tournament
Team still striving for best end to year
By Brad Hallier
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas soccer team will not qualify for the Big 12 Conference tournament this season, but there is still some business to take care of.
The Jayhawks, 5-11-1 overall and 1-7-1 in the Big 12, will wrap up their conference schedule today against Colorado, who is 4-11-3 overall and 1-5-2 in the Big 12. The season will end Sunday at Wyoming.
"We have approached the whole year one game at a time, and we're sticking with it," said Kansas coach Dan Magner. "We still have a lot to play for."
Even though Kansas cannot finish in the top six in the Big 12, it can still finish as high as eighth or as low as last.
Goalkeeper Jen Fecke said that the Jayhawks are not necessarily playing
for pride this weekend.
"We have the opportunity to jump a few places in the standings," she said. "We are playing for a better record and we'd rather finish eleven than 11th."
Although the Buffaloes may have the
worst overall record in the conference, they have played a tough schedule. They played top-ranked, undefeated North Carolina in
their season opener, and lost 2-0. Also on Colorado's schedule this season was BYU Utah and Alabama.
"Colorado is in a similar position, in that they could finish eighth or 11th." Magner said. "Their schedule is ranked in the top 10, based on difficulty."
Colorado boasts goalkeeper Sloane Cox, who leads the nation in saves.
Magner expects the Buffaloes to be
tough to beat and ready to play his team. Last year, Kansas upset Colorado 4-3 at Super Target Field. Magner said that game sent the Buffaloes into a tailslip, causing them to miss the Big 12 tournament.
The game in Boulder, Colo., will serve as a homecoming for forward Meghann Haven, a native of Englewood, Colo.
"I can't wait because I know a lot of the Colorado players, and I was going to attend Colorado," she said.
One thing the Jayhawks have in common with Colorado and Wyoming is that both teams have had a tough time scoring goals this year. Kansas has scored 19 goals, but Colorado has scored only 17, and Wyoming only 13.
Last weekend, forward Lindsey Horner ended a 485-minute scoring drought, a team record, in last Sunday's 4-1 loss to 24th-ranked Texas A&M. She said that the offense has simply been unlucky not to have more goals.
"It felt good to finally score, and a goal against a nationally-ranked team
"We have approached the whole year one game at a time, and we're sticking with it. We still have a lot to play for."
Dan Magner
showed that we can score against anyone." she said.
Magner said that he thought his team could beat Wyoming with defense, and that he hoped goals would be scored by his struggling offense.
"Wyoming is improved over the last year," he said. "We have both beaten Arizona 1-0. They have a strong, organized defense, anchored by four seniors. Offensively, they have struggled, and we will try to wear down their defenders."
Kansas rowers ready for heated contest
Rivalry involves more than usual school spirit
By Matthew Friedrichs Kanson sports editor
Kansan sports editor
The Kansas rowing team has already defeated Kansas State this fall.
But when the teams race Saturday at Clinton Lake, the Jayhawks will have additional fuel to fan the fire of rivalry.
Last weekend at the Head of the Iowa Regatta, Kansas State rowers traveling at almost full speed collided with a boat of Kansas rowers resting before they rowed back to the dock after a race.
The accident is motivating the team, according to Staci Farner, a junior coxswain from Lebanon, Mo.
"We're going to kill them," she said.
The regatta, which starts at 9:15 a.m. will be Kansas' only home competition this fall and the last of the season.
Kansas will compete with Kansas State in six races. The last one will start at 10:30 a.m.
Fans who go to boat ramp No. 2 near the Clinton Lake Marina should see some good races, said Kansas coach Rob Catloth.
"We have good prospects of winning some of the races and winning the regatta," he said.
Before practice yesterday, he emphasized the importance of each race to his team.
"Be prepared for tough fights in all races," Caloth said to the women.
During practice he had the team work on a new starting technique.
"Legs, arms; legs, arms; legs, arms; then swing," he said through his bullhorn.
The rowing technique should help the team get faster starts, but to Farner and Angie Kratchvil, a sophomore coxswain form Kearney, Neb., it sounded like a funny language that would be hard for them to pronounce as they called out instructions to their boats.
The rowing team quietly has had one of the most successful fall seasons of any Kansas athletic squad.
Charles Regatta, one of the largest regattas in the United States.
Last weekend, they placed first at the Head of the Iowa Regatta and earlier this month they were among the top 20 university teams at the Head of the
Catloth's coaching on starts is intended to continue the rapid improvement of a team that is in only its fourth year as a varsity sport.
"I heard out east at a race that the boat took off like a scaled cat," he said to the rowers, explaining why they were working on starts.
He credits much of the fall success to strong upper-class leadership. Last year's top varsity rowers are now juniors.
Saturday will be the last regatta of the fall. Monday will be the last practice on the water before the off-season, during which the team can only practice eight hours a week.
The Jayhawk rowers are the only favored Kansas team on a weekend of volleyball, football and rowing rivalry matches.
Kansas volleyball looking to avenge past K-State loss
By Laura Bokenkroger
Kansas sportswriter
Before the football teams take the field Saturday, the Kansas volleyball team will battle No. 21 Kansas State at 7:30 tonight in Allen Field House.
So far, the Jayhawks have fared well in the Big 12.
For the second time this season, the Jayhawks will try to defeat their in-state rivals. If the 'Hawks win, they will improve to 5-7 in the Big 12 Conference.
This season, they have swept Oklahoma, defeated Iowa State and Missouri, and become only the third team this year to win a game against Nebraska.
Kansas is 4-7 in the conference, already posting two more conference wins than last year.
But the Jayhawks, 14-9 overall,
aren't satisfied.
"We've managed our Big 12 schedule, and now we just need to step up to this real quality ranked team," said Coach Ray Bechard. "Our execution must be more consistent."
Bechard said that the team struggled in the match against Oklahoma Wednesday night because the Jayhawks had lapses in their focus.
"I think I've said before that this team can't afford to take concentration breaks," Bechard said. "We took a considerable one that night. But we put ourselves in a real tense situation, and maybe that'll help us down the road somewhere."
Beachard said that the Jayhawks wouldn't want to get to that point against the 13-6 Wildcats.
Earlier this season, Kansas State defeated the Jayhawks (16-14, 15-5, 15-3 and 15-10) three games to one in Manhattan. Though led by two players who contributed more than 20 kills each, the match still was Kansas' first conference loss of the season.
Setter Laura Rohde said that this time could be different.
"If we play our game, it'll be a good match," Rohde said. "Hopefully if we get a large lead we won't just roll over like we did against Oklahoma."
Kansas State, led by Dawn Cady who has 301 kills this season, has won five of its last six matches, including toppling No. 19 Texas A&M.
Kansas middle blocker Amanda Reves leads the Jayhawks in hitting percentage, blocks and kills — and ranks in the top eight in each category in the Big 12. Reves is seventh in hitting percentage, fifth in blocks and eighth in kills in the Big 12. She also ranks 14th in the NCAA in blocks.
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Rohde, who broke the five-game match-accist record with 74 assists Wednesday, just missed collecting her third triple-double this season. In addition to 74 assists, Rohde had eight kills and 24 digs in the match.