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KANSAN.COM/SPORTS | THURSDAY, DEC. 1, 2016
KU volleyball expectations high as tournament begins
Kansas huddles before a match against West Virginia on Oct. 20. The Jayhawks are the No. 5 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.
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.
Missu Minear/KANSAN
The Jayhawks enter the tournament this year as the No. 5 overall seed. After a season spent consistently at the top of the national rankings, many now expect the team to continue or even exceed the success of the previous year. Despite the mounting pressure, head coach Ray Bechard stresses that the team is taking things one step at a time.
"It's got a little different feel to it from a sense that the team's got a high expectation, but I think everybody involved with our program does," Bechard said. "Our goal this week is to go 2-0 and not to worry about what lies ahead."
Kansas will start tournament play Thursday night, as it will take on Samford in one of the two first round matches hosted in Lawrence.
Samford earned a spot in the postseason after taking home the Southern Conference Tournament
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.
"She's a dynamic kid with a dynamic arm, and we'll have to obviously pay close attention to her," Bechard said.
Ray Bechard Volleyball coach
The team's got a high expectation, but I think everybody involved with our program does."
Should Kansas defeat Samford, the Jayhawks will move on to play the winner of Northern Iowa and Creighton in the second round. The Jayhawks have defeated both teams already this season, in 3-0 and 3-2 decisions, respectively.
team to be distracted by the two looming familiar opponents. However, the Jayhawks made it clear they are not overlooking the Bulldogs.
Being heavily favored in the first-round matchup, it would be easy for the
"We just take it one game at a time," junior setter Ainise Havili said. "Can't play UNI or Creighton unless we beat (Samford) first, so we gotta take it how it is, and I think we're doing a good job about that."
When the Jayhawks were announced as the No. 5 seed, many fans criticized the decision to seed Texas one spot higher at No.4, despite the Longhorns' placing lower in the Big 12. But as the first games of the tournament approach, the players are making it clear that they are not affected.
"The more we say it out loud, it sounds silly to say 'well we're five and they're four, that's not
fair,' because we worked so hard to get the spot that we have, and I think we're so lucky to be seeded so high in the tournament," junior outside hitter Kelsie Payne said. "So we're just gonna take it one game at a time, and hopefully work our way up to the top."
All first and second round matches will be played at Horejsi Family Athletics Center. Due to anticipated high
attendance, fans are encouraged to arrive early. Students who wish to attend were required to enter a lottery as admission will be limited.
First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., but is subject to change as it will follow the Northern Iowa and Creighton match.
-Edited by Christian Hardy
KU improves from three
BRIAN MINI
@brianminimum
Missy Minear/KANSAN Junior forward Dwight Coleby celebrates in the first half against Long Beach State. The Jayhawks won 91-61 on Nov. 29.
After a blowout win against Siena, Kansas coach Bill Self said Kansas still didn't have an identity.
After the second straight game of lights-out threepoint shooting, this time against Long Beach State, it looks like Kansas might have something to hang its hat on.
Coming into the game against Long Beach State, Kansas shot just 36 percent from three, a low percentage for a team ranked so high in the AP Poll. Kansas raised that percentage by shooting 54 percent from three in a 91-61 rout of Long Beach State Tuesday night.
It was only a matter of time before the Jayhawks snapped out of their three-point slump, and it came courtesy of sophomore guard Lagerald Vick and junior guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk.
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.
After shooting 47 percent 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.
"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."
Mykhailiuk, another sharpshooter who's turned his season around after starting just 2-of-8 from three, was also on top of his game. The junior hit four of his eight three-point attempts in what was an all-around strong shooting performance for Kansas.
Since the 2010-11 season, the highest Kansas shot from three-point range was 70 percent last season against Texas and, for a while, it seemed like Kansas would top that.
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.
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.
"You're not going to win relying on three point shots all the time," Self said.
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.
"He's not one that we were focused on," Monson said about Vick. "He just opened the game up with his shooting."
"Attacking, trying to make plays for ourselves and others. It's going to be that extra pass that's going to be open because it's hard to guard everything when you have four guards that can attack the basket," Graham said.
The driving ability of Mason, who had eight assists, and the passing of freshman guard Josh Jackson and Graham allowed for wide-open threes that Kansas cashed in on.
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.
As for Vick's perfect shooting night, that wasn't something Long Beach State coach Dan Monson necessarily expected.
Junior right-side hitter Kelsie Payne celebrates the win over Northern Iowa.
Baxter Schanze/KANSAN
Volleyball wins big in postseason awards
JORDAN WOLF
@JordanWolfKU
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.
Kansas volleyball took home some serious hardware Monday afternoon, as several Jayhawks found themselves recipients of All-Big 12 honors.
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.
Senior libero Cassie Wait is the Libero of the
This season marks the first time a Jayhawk has ever won either the Player of the Year or the Libero of the Year award in Big 12 history.
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.
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,
Year after leading the conference with 5.11 digs per set. She was chosen by a unanimous selection.
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.
Freshman outside 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.
- Edited by Cody Schmitz
who led the conference in blocks with 1.52 per set, was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team as well.
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