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KANSAN.COM/SPORTS |MONDAY, SEPT.12, 2016
Kelsie Payne stars in Kansas' win over Northern Iowa
Baxter Schanze/KANSAN
Freshman Zoe Hill and junior Kelsie Payne go up for a block against Northern Iowa. The Jayhawks won 3-0.
JORDAN WOLF
@jordanWolfKU
Kelsie Payne took over Saturday night for Kansas volleyball. The senior middle blocker stole the show in Kansas three-set win over Northern Iowa.
Payne led the way for the Jayhawks with a game-high 25 kills en route to a 26-24, 25-17, 25-23 sweep over the Panthers.
The 25 kills were also a season-high performance for Payne, who was humble in her success after the game.
"My defenders behind me dug everything up perfectly, and Ainise [Havili] of course is an amazing setter so she puts the ball right where I need it and it helps a lot," Payne said.
With the win, the Jayhawks advanced to 9-0 and kept their undefeated season alive. Coach Ray Bechard commended the efforts of the team, both competitively and passionately.
"I thought the effort tonight, the energy, was good, and I thought we had as much fun playing as we have all year," Bechard said. "And when the kids understand that's the important part of it, that helps."
The first set was a tight contest, as the Jayhawks battled back from an early deficit to take a 20-15 lead. Despite it seeming like the
Jayhawks would take the first set easily at that point, the Panthers were able to go on a run and force the set into overtime.
Even though the Panthers had tied it 24-24, the Jayhawks did not show signs of weakness. A pair of back-to-back thunderous kills by Payne allowed them to take the first set.
In the second set, the Jayhawks coasted. They controlled the set, winning it 25-17 behind strong defensive play. In the third, however, Northern Iowa followed the precedent set earlier in the match and came back. At one point, they held an 18-15 lead, but the Jayhawks kept their heads in the fight and were able to pull out the
match set 25-23.
This recurring trend of streaky scoring and numerous lead changes was consistent throughout the match. It seemed as though a majority of the scoring came from one team making a long run, followed by the other coming back with a run of their own. While it certainly was frustrating to not get the offense
This game was the third in as many days for Kansas. After taking on Creighton and Chattanooga in Omaha,
going at times, Bechard's Jayhawks were able to come out on top.
"UNI wanted to stick around and play for a couple hours, and we just didn't want to do that," Bechard said.
"I thought the effort tonight, the energy, was good, and I thought we had as much fun playing as we have all year. And when the kids understand that's the important part of it, that helps."
Ray Bechard Coach
Nebraska on Thursday and Friday, the team was fresh off a long road trip for Saturday's game. Luckily, they were able to stay composed through a hectic stretch of the schedule.
"We took it one game at a time," Payne said. "We make sure we are rested, hydrated, all that stuff, and gave each team the best focus that we could."
As they close out the non-conference portion of their schedule, winning games like these will be pivotal towards Kansas' long term success. A talented mid-major at the end of a road trip may sound like the definition of a trap game, but the Jayhawks were able to steer clear of any potential trouble and come out on top.
Kansas stumbles against creative Ohio offense
BRIAN MINI
@BriganMinimum
In the past, Kansas football has talked about mirroring Chip Kelly's Oregon offense. On Saturday, it looked more like the Jayhawks were playing against it.
Ohio's use of the option, misdirection, and a generally powerful offense could have been mistaken for the dominant Oregon Ducks.
At halftime the 28-7 score was just slightly better than the 359-21 yard differential. Ohio's senior quarterback Greg Windham had already accrued
110 rushing yards before the first half had ended.
"We prepared for the running backs and they came out with a lot of quarterback runs," senior linebacker Marquis Roberts said.
It's not as if punt coverage didn't put the defense in a favorable position. In limited Ohio to an average of 18 return yards, which gave the defense a good starting point that they were unable to take advantage of.
Despite the gaudy offensive numbers, on the rare chance Kansas had figured out what Ohio was doing, Kansas' defense came out
on top. Kansas ended up with a whopping 14 tackles for loss as it occasionally was able to sneak by the otherwise strong offensive line of Ohio.
Things started to change with the start of the second half, however. The Jayhawks scored more points in the first five minutes of the second half than they did in the first two quarters combined.
After a long touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Steven Sims Jr., Kansas had the lead cut down to two touchdowns and the defense responded with a three-and-out thanks to
a couple drops. The stop didn't result in much as junior wide receiver LaQuvionte Gonzalez promptly gave the ball back with a fumble.
"There were three turnovers that occurred in our own end," coach David Beaty said about the bad field position the defense was put in.
Luckily, the defense was there again and only allowed a field goal. "That could have been much worse than it was," Beaty said.
The trend of relying on the defense to bail out the stagnant offense was something that the Jayhawks did a lot of last year and resulted in a winless season.
One defensive player who seemed to step up during the second half was a linebacker who sat out the opener against Rhode Island. Roberts finished the game with 10 tackles, two for a loss and a crucial tipped pass on third down that was inches away from being an interception.
One glaring difference from the first half was pressure on the quarterback. Although the Jayhawks didn't finish with a single sack, pressure increased heavily thanks to hurries by sophomore tackle Daniel Wise, among others.
Despite the increased level of play, the Jayhawks still let Ohio hold the ball for too long, as the visitors' 43:52 time of possession ultimately doomed Kansas in the 37-21 loss.
Beaty called Saturday's loss "one of those games" where the team will have a lot to learn from the tape.
Next week, the Kansas defense will hope a Paxton Lynch-less Memphis will run a more predictable offense.
Senior defensive back Chevy Graham attempts to tackles Ohio's Dorian Brown on Sept. 10 in Kansas' 37-21 loss.
Missy Minear/KANSAN