MONDAY, AUGUST 23, 2004
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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Kansan File Photo
Josi Lima, junior middle blocker, is the first Jayhawk to earn the honor of All-Conference middle blocker two years in a row.
Newcomers recognized by Big 12 coaches
By Bill Cross
bcross@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWITTER
The Kansas volleyball team is trying to replace one of the most talented classes in the program's history.
According to the Big 12 coaches, the Jayhawks are off to a good start. The coaches' picks for conference preseason Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year wear the crimson and blue.
Coaches picked Emily Brown, freshman setter and outside hitter, and Paula Caten, junior outside hitter, for the respective honors at an Aug. 9 meeting.
They join preseason All- Conference junior middle blocker Josi Lina in the team's quest
to reach to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament.
Last season, the team lost to the Pepperdine Waves in the round of 32 after winning their first ever tournament match over Long Beach State in the first round.
"We lost some great players, but I think it's a realistic goal," Lima said of the team's goal to reach the regional semifinals.
Former outside hitter Sarah Rome, the team's all-time kills leader, leaves the largest void on the team, but the additions of Brown and Caten will help make up for her departure.
Brown, at six-foot-two, won All-State honors last year at Baldwin High School.
She was also named to the high school All-American "Fab 50" by Volleyball Magazine.
players, but I think it's a realistic goal [to reach the regional semifinals]."
Josi Lima
Josi Lima
All-Conference junior middle
blocker
The Kansas Gatorade player of the year, Brown led Baldwin to second place in class 4A in 2003.
Brown shares preseason Freshman of the Year honors with middle blocker Sara Paven of the Nebraska
Caten joins the Jayhawks from Barton County Community College in Great Bend, where she spent the last two seasons.
Cornhuskers.
She was named a secondteam National Junior College Athletics Association All-American after her freshman year and made the first team after her sophomore campaign.
paugh. The Barton Cougars won the NJCAA championship in 2003.
Lima returns after averaging 3.15 kills and 2.03 digs per game in 2003.
This is her second time on the All-Conference team, and she becomes the first Jayhawk to earn the honor two years in a row.
She was the 2002 conference Newcomer of the Year was is the first Kansas player ever named to the American Volleyball Coaches' Association All-Region team last season.
Kansas has never had three players receive preseason honors in the same year.
The coaches were not as kind to the Jayhawks in the team rankings.
The Big 12 conference promises to be very competitive this year, coach Ray Bechard said.
Conference coaches ranked his team seven in the Big 12, behind, in order, Nebraska, Kansas State, Texas, Texas A&M, Missouri and Colorado.
"We're just going to use it as motivation," Bechard said.
Edited by Ryan Greene
Ticket special intends to keep Jayhawk fans in stands
BY MIRANDA LENNING
mlenning@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWITER
University of Kansas Athletics Department officials noticed an overwhelming amount of Kansas State football fans when the Wildcats traveled to Lawrence last fall.
They saw the same problem when the Kansas volleyball team played Nebraska at the Horsejsi Family Athletics Center.
Center. This year, the department wants to make it more difficult for opposing fans to purchase tickets to Kansas home games.
As a result, football fans can attend the three marquee games on the 2004 home schedule for $105.
The mini-package includes tickets to the games against Kansas State, Colorado and Texas.
Texas. Associate athletics director Jim Marchiony said the main
goal behind the packages was to encourage fans to come to a number of games and to make the Jayhawks' home-field advantage more of a factor.
"We have too many opposing fans buying tickets to games," Marchiony said. "We want to make these games more accessible to our fans and less accessible for opposing fans."
Economically, the football mini-package is a good deal, averaging $35 a ticket.
Single game tickets to the Colorado and Texas games are $35 each, and tickets to the Kansas State game are $65 each, saving those who buy the mini-package $30.
Additionally, fans get to see three games that highlight the Jayhawks' home schedule. Kansas State, aside from being an in-state rival, is one of the preseason favorites to win the Big 12 North thanks to tailback Darren Sproles, a Heisman
"We talked to the coaches
at length to make sure that they were on board with the idea. We hope the attendance in both sports will go up and they will make the games more accessible for our fans."
Jim Marchiony Associate athletics director
Trophy hopeful.
PACKAGE DETAILS
Colorado, after facing an offseason scandal that placed coach Gary Barnett on administrative leave, is hoping to make news on the field in 2004.
Football mini-package includes tickets to the Kansas State, Colorado and Texas football games at Memorial Stadium, available for $105 per pack.
Volleyball mini-packages includes tickets to the Nebraska, Kansas State and Missouri games at Horejsi Family Athletics Center for $20.
Texas needs to rack up all of the conference victories it can to contend with Oklahoma in the Big 12 South.
"We included three of the best games on the schedule in the mini-packs purposely to attract our fans." Marchiony said.
There are four sections at Memorial Stadium designated for mini-package ticket sales.
On the west side of the stadium, sections four and 17 are available.
On the east side of the stadium, sections 36 and 37 have been allotted for mini-pack ticket holders.
The sections on the west side of the building are close to the end zone and the sections on the east side are located at the 20- and 50-yard lines.
The athletic department hopes to do the same thing to increase ticket sales and attendance from Kansas fans at 2004 home volleyball games.
In a separate package, fans will be able to purchase tickets to the Nebraska, Kansas State and Missouri volleyball games for $20.
"Kansas State, Missouri and Nebraska draw huge crowds themselves," Kansas volleyball coach Beach Chard said.
"But sometimes a lot of those fans are from opposing teams. The push is to get as many
crimson and blue fans as we can."
Students can attend home volleyball games for free with a current a student ID, and student season tickets for football are available for $35.
"With the size of our facility, we want to educate fans on how they can get involved and support our team," Bechard said. "We feel that when people come the first time, they will come back."
The idea stemmed from administrators in the department, but Marchiony said coaches contributed as well to make it a team effort.
"We talked to the coaches at length to make sure that they were on board with the idea," Marchiony said. "We hope the attendance in both sports will go up and they will make the games more accessible for our fans."
- Edited by Ryan Greene
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