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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VOLLEYBALL
Jayhawks force fifth set against Sooners to win
GEOFFREY CALVERT
gcalvert@kansan.com
For the fourth time in six matches, the Kansas volleyball team survived a five-set match, defeating the Oklahoma Sooners 3-2. But for the first time this season, the Jayhawks had to scramble to make it to five sets last night in Norman, Okla.
Oklahoma dominated Kansas in sets two and three, winning 25-21 and 25-13. But the Jayhawks rallied behind junior outside hitter Catherine Carmichael, who recorded a career-high 18 kills. Carmichael scored three of the Jayhawks' last five points in its fourth set victory, and three of its first six points in the fifth set.
"Erin's (McNorton) sets were amazing tonight, and so I think that definitely helped in me getting enough kills," Carmichael said. "I was hot, I was hitting really well, obviously. It was obviously a momentum change and we just kept rolling with it"
Coach Ray Bechard yells out instructions to his team during last season's game against Oklahoma.
Three times this season, the Jayhawks won the first two sets, only to lose the next two sets before finishing the match in the fifth set. Against the Sooners, it looked like Kansas wouldn't be able to force a fifth set.
Kansas used four Sooner errors to open an early 5-1 lead. Oklahoma committed nine errors during the set, leaving them with a .077 hitting percentage.
The lajhawks committed only four errors in the first set, and were paced offensively by junior middle blocker Caroline Jarmoc and senior middle blocker Tayler Tolefrew, who notched five and four blocks, respectively.
The second set seawed back and forth, with nine ties and three lead changes. However, with the score tied 15-15, an Oklahoma
kill and four straight Jayhawk attack errors gave the Sooners a commanding 20-15 lead. The Sooners final five points all came from kills, as the Jayhawks were could not stop them.
Oklahoma led 8-6 in the third set when they blocked four straight Kansas attacks on a single point, with the Sooners eventually earning the kill.
That dominance at the net spurred Oklahoma on an extended 16-6 run to take the third set.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
"In sets two and three we had 20 of them (errors)." Bechard said. "That continues to be a little bit of a bugaboo for us. Unforced errors from the attack standpoint put us in a little bit of a bind at times."
Coach Ray Bechard attributed the Sooners' win to Jayhawk errors.
Instead of wilting, however, Kansas began the fourth set with a block, a service ace, and two kills to open up a 4-1 lead. Carmichael notched seven kills in the set, including three of the team's final five points.
Sophomore outside hitter Sara McClinton had four kills in the set and freshman outside hitter Tiana Dockery had three.
The Jayhawks' offensive balance came from junior setter Erin McNorton, who dished out 54 assists and dug 22 balls. She already had a double-double midway through the second set.
Junior libero Brianna Riley also contributed a career-high 43 kills, helping Kansas get in-system quickly on its offensive attack.
"Cat made it really easy with her 18 kills," McNorton said. "There was one point in the game where the coaches told me 'Keep setting Cat until I tell you to stop.'"
Carmichael continued her hit
ting streak in the fifth set, recording three of the jayhawks' first six points. Kansas continued their tradition of starting fast in the fifth set, opening leads of 5-0 and 8-1.
The Sooners closed the gap to 11-8, but Carmichael responded with another kill to push the lead back to four points. Jarmo's kill closed out the Sooners 15-11 to move its record to 17-2 and 5-0 in conference play, the best start in school history on both accounts.
Kansas next faces the Texas Longhorns in Austin, Texas. Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Edited by Allison Kohn
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Junior middle blocker Caroline Jarmoc digs an attack during a game against Oklahoma last season.
NFL
Former Lions defensive lineman remembered, mourned
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DETROIT- Alex Karras was a man of many roles.
Fearsome NFL defensive lineman. Lovable TV dad. Hilarious big-screen cowboy.
And in the end, a dementia victim who blamed the NFL for his illness along with thousands of former players in lawsuits accusing the league of not doing enough to protect them from the long-term effects of head injuries.
The 77-year-old Karras, who managed to be tough, touching and tragic in the span of a lifetime, died Wednesday at his Los Angeles home surrounded by family members, said Craig Mitnick, Karras' attorney.
Karras was one of the NFL's most ferocious - and best - defensive
tackles for the Detroit Lions from 1958-70, bulling past offensive lineeman and hounding quarterbacks.
The charismatic bruiser went into acting after his football career, and in his signature scene dropped a horse with a punch as the soft-hearted outlaw Mongo in the 1974 comedy "Blazing Saddles." He also portrayed the father in the 1980s sitcom "Webster," along with his actress-wife Susan Clark, and was in the "Monday Night Football" broadcast both along the way.
Born in Gary, Ind., Karras starred for four years at Iowa and was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Detroit drafted him
"Perhaps no player in Lions history attained as much success and notoriety for what he did after his playing days as did Alex," Lions president Tom Lewand said.
He was the heart of the Lions' defensive front that terrorized quarterbacks. The Lions handed the champion Green Bay Packers their only defeat in 1962, a 26-14 upset on Thanksgiving during which they harassed quarterback Bart Starr constantly.
Packers guard Jerry Kramer wrote in his diary of the 1967 season about his trepidation over having to face Karras.
with the 10th overall pick in 1958, and he was a three-time All-Pro defensive tackle over 12 seasons with the franchise.
"I'm thinking about him every minute." Kramer wrote.
Karras was All-Pro in 1960, 1961 and 1965, and he made the Pro Bowl four times. He was recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a defensive tackle on
the All-Decade Team of the 1960s and retired from the NFL in 1970 at age 35.
But Karras also had run-ins with the NFL long before his lawsuit. He missed the 1963 season when he was suspended by NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle in a gambling probe. Karras insisted he only wagered cigarettes or cigars with close friends.
"Alex Karras was an outstanding player during a time when the NFL emerged as America's favorite sport," the league said in a statement. "He will always be remembered as one of the most colorful characters in NFL history."
For all his prowess as a player, Karras may have gained more fame as an actor.
He had already become known through George Plimpson's behind-the-scenes book "Paper Lion: Confessions of a Last-String Quarterback," about what it was like to be an NFL player in Detroit.
Karras and Plimpton remained friends for life, and one of Karras' sons is named after the author. Karras played himself alongside Alan Alda in the successful movie adaptation of the book, and that opened doors for Karras to be an analyst with Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford on "Monday Night Football."
In Mel Brooks" Blazing Saddles, Karras played a not-so-bright, rough-around-the-edges outlaw who not only slugged a horse but also delivered the classic line: "Mongo only pawn in game of life."
In the 1980s, he played a sheriff in the comedy "Porky's" and became a hit on TV as Emmanuel Lewis' adoptive father, George Pap-
adapolis, in the sitcom "Webster."
"I had a very heavy heart this morning and I did not know why. I understand now." Lewis said. "Rest in peace, my friend."
Karras also had roles in "Against All Odds" and "Victor/Victoria." He portrayed the husband of famed female athlete "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias in the TV movie that starred Clark in the title role. The two later formed their own production company.
He also wrote an autobiography,
"Even Big Guys Cry" and two other
books, "Alex Karras" and "Tuesday
Night Football."
In addition to Clark, his wife of 37 years, he is survived by their daughter and his four children from his first marriage to the late Joan Powell.