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sports
KANSAN.COM/SPORTS | THURSDAY, DEC.1, 2016
KU volleyball expectations high as tournament begins
JORDAN WOLF
@JordanWolfKU
ast season, the Kansas volleyball team ran the postseason tables and competed in the first Final Four in program history. Just under one year later, the team has its eyes set on another deep run, this time with higher expectations.
The Jayhawks enter the tournament this year as the No. 5 overall seed.After a
title. The Bulldogs finished the season with a 21-13 record, winning nine of its final 12 matches.
The biggest threat for the Jayhawks comes from the Samford attack. Senior outside hitter Erin Bognar finished the season 10th in the nation with 542 total kills, and 17th with 4.48 kills per set. Containing her will be pivotal for Bechard's team, as he acknowledged her prominent presence.
DAY IN THE LIFE
B10
SHANE WILLIAMS
Living his drumming dreams
By Hailey Dixon
@_Hailey_Dixon
Stepping onto the stage, wearing his Jayhawk colors, Shane "The Hurrishane" Williams was jubilant. At 33-years-old, Williams was performing in front of his family and friends at the Ameristar Casino in Kansas City, Mo.
Williams, once a student at the University and a native of Overland Park, is now the lead drummer for country
kansan.com
singer Neal McCoy.
Williams grew up playing drums at church, but these days he plays to a larger audience. Though it's a very different environment than what he grew up playing in, Williams said he is thrilled to be back on the drums.
During his time at the University, Williams played drums in the basketball band. He played at the 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball National
Championship, where Kansas defeated Memphis 75-68.
Later, Williams decided to move to Nashville, Tenn. Williams said that, at first, he did not have any goals or aspirations to move to Nashville to pursue a career in music.
"I kind of went out on a whim, and I said, 'you know, because I'm in the military, I have school money to go whenever I want,' Williams said. "So I decided to hold off
on school and play in a band in Nashville."
That happened eight years ago. Williams has yet to return to school.
"I've been here [in Nashville] ever since," he said. "I love Nashville. It's a fun town. It's been difficult at times, but at the same time it's been rewarding in a bunch of different ways."
Williams has been with McCoy for over two years.
McCoy, the singer behind top hits such as "Wink," "The Shake" and "Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On," has produced country hits since the 1990s, and has continued that success into 2016.
Shane "The Hurrishane" Williams, a native of Overland Park and former University student, is the lead drummer for country singer Neal McCoy.
Contributed Photo
"It's probably one of the most coolest, most respectful, fun gigs that you could be on," Williams said. "Neal is hands down one of the coolest bosses. And I've met a lot of country artists being with Neal, and even outside of Neal, and I can really only say good things about him. Even on his worst day, when he's sick or tired, or he might be frustrated about something, he's still super cool and very down to earth."
Williams said he thinks McCoy is very humble and unlike any other country artist, and he treats his fans kindly and interacts with them often.
"The way he is on stage, that's how he is with us," Williams said. "We always crack jokes."
Williams said that even though being on the road often can be rough at times, McCoy is always in high spirits and brings positivity to all the band members.
McCoy said he thinks highly of Williams too.
"Shane not only is a really good drummer, but he is a very upbeat, positive guy with a great outlook on life," McCoy said.
grandma was there. Since then she's passed on, but Mom wanted to come back and just be near the family, and that's essentially how I got to Kansas."
Williams started playing the drums in church at age five and continued playing throughout his youth.
It's probably one of the most coolest, most respectful, fun gigs that you could be on."
"That, to me, is as important as his drumming skills."
Shane Williams
In addition, Les Martines, McCoy's longtime manager, said he thinks that Williams is accomplished for his age.
"Shane Williams is a very talented young drummer," Martines said. ["He is] a great addition to Neal's show. [He is] very well-versed in all of the latest innovations in music, gear and computer technology for musicians. [He is] also very good to travel with on the road in a tour bus. We are very glad to have him on the road with us."
"I actually moved to Kansas City when I was 16," Williams said. "My mom is originally from Kansas City, and my
Williams said he worked hard for many years to be able to play with McCoy, starting with his Kansas roots.
After graduating from Shawnee Mission High School, Williams joined the Navy and was later medically discharged. He then attended Johnson County Community College and transferred after one year to the University.
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When Williams is not on the road with McCoy, he said he still keeps up with Kansas basketball and tries to connect with fellow Jayhawks in Nashville to watch games whenever he can.
"So if I am not at home watching it, I usually try and go out so I can scream at the TV when I need to, so I don't disturb my neighbors," Williams said.
-Edited by Cody Schmitz
from deep last season Vick was off to a cold start. Hitting only 24 percent of his threes coming into the game, the Memphis native quickly returned to last year's form.
In his second consecutive start of the season, Vick followed up his 3-of-4 three point night with an even more impressive 4-of-4 from three and 9-for-9 from the field.
"He's not always going to shoot like that," Self said about Vick.
However, Self did say Vick is "going to end up being our best defender, he's really improved a ton."
Mykhaliik, another sharpshooter who's turned his season around after start-
Midway through the second half, Kansas was shooting just over 70 percent until a few missed threes dropped the Jayhawks to their eventual total of 54 percent.
Despite the hot shooting, Self wasn't convinced this was a cure for other issues the Jayhawks have had.
"You're not going to win relying on three point shots all the time," Self said.
What makes the performance against the 49ers even more impressive is that it was mostly without help from the usual suspects, guards Frank Mason III and Devonte' Graham. The two shot 3-of-7, but were overshadowed by the play of Vick and Mykhailiuk.
As for Vick's perfect shooting night, that wasn't something Long Beach State coach Dan Monson necessarily expected.
"He's not one that we were focused on," Monson said about Vick. "He just opened the game up with his shooting."
Monson also mentioned that film on Kansas showed that Vick's aggressiveness on the offensive boards is what they focused on, but his multidimensional skill set was the problem.
With all the recognition the duo of Mason and Graham have, Tuesday night was a reminder that Vick and Mykhailiuk are waiting in the wings for their time to shine.
Coach Ray Bechard received the Coach of the Year award after leading the Jayhawks to their first ever Big 12 Championship. This is his second consecutive time winning the award, and the fourth in his career.
ware Monday afternoon, as several Jayhawks found themselves recipients of All-Big 12 honors.
Junior outside hitter Kelsie Payne was named Player of the Year. She ranked third in the Big 12 during conference play with 4.07 kills per set, and sixth with a .320 hitting percentage.
first time a Jayhawk has ever won either the Player of the Year or the Libero of the Year award in Big 12 history.
Payne, Wait and Havili, all unanimous selections, are joined by junior outside hitter Madison Rigdon on the All-Big 12 First Team. Senior middle blocker Tayler Soucie,
Junior setter Ainise Havili was named the Setter of the Year for the second consecutive season. She is the first player to receive multiple titles since the inception of the honors in 2012. She ranked fifth in the conference with 10.70 assists per set.
Senior libero Cassie Wait is the Libero of the
Kansas will start its postseason play Thursday as it hosts Samford in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
hitter Jada Burse was named to the All-Freshman Team. While not ranking in the top 10 of any major statistical category, Burse's role has grown in recent weeks after she began the season as a reserve.
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- Edited by Cody Schmitz
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