Monday, September 27, 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 3
Rantala's return sparks three-game win streak
By Brad Hallier
Kansan associate sports editor
Numbers don't lie.
Numbers don't like.
Since the return of forward Hilla Rantala to the Kansas lineup last Tuesday at Southwest Missouri State, the Jayhawks have played three games. They have won all three, including yesterday's 1-0 win against Creighton, which clinched the KU Credit Union Jayhawk Invitational championship for Kansas.
And since Rentala's return from the ankle srain she sustained in the first
The three consecutive wins ties the longest winning streak in team history, and the Jayhawks currently are 54, the first time they have been above the .500 mark since after last year's Jayhawk
has scored eight goals.
Is it a coincidence that the Jayhawks have won all of their games that Rantala has played the full match?
minute of the season opener vs. Colorado, Kansas has scored eight goals.
"Probably has something to do with it," Kansas coach Mark Francis said. "It's very important that she's back."
In addition to her goal yesterday, Rantala scored in the ninth minute in a 34 win against Drury on Friday. Her two goals this weekend earned her a spot on the all-tournament team.
spot on the art-barn. Rantala's goal yesterday could have been classified as a thing of beauty. In the 21st minute, she took the ball at the upper left-hand corner of the Bluejay penalty area, beat two defenders on a run to the goal line, cut the ball back to the inside while beating another defender, dribbled to about five yards from the goal, and snuck a shot under Creighton goalkeeper Maggie Phelan.
Rantala said that she was actually thinking of passing the ball during her run instead of shooting it.
"I was running really fast, and I didn't have a lot of time to think," she said. "But I didn't see anyone to pass to, so I shot it."
She created clear-cut opportunities for us to score that we didn't put away," he said. "But it didn't hurt."
Pass 10, 80 Rantala had a few more chances to score, but it was her setting up teammates for chances on goal that impressed Francis.
us. If you can miss that many opportunities and still win, you have to be happy.
Among those opportunities were the three passes that were intended for Rantala, but she simply did a dummy, letting the ball roll by her to a teammate. Each time the Bluejays' defense froze, but the Jawhaws could not capitalize.
Rantala may have even fooled her own teammates at times. After allowing a ball to roll by her in the second half, forward Lindsey O'Hara appeared surprised and could not handle the ball.
Despite the two-goal and one-assist performance last week, Rantala said she is not 100 percent.
"It's hard to turn and it hurts a lot to shoot, but I am getting better," she said. "It was really hard sitting out for a month. It was the first time in three years that I've been hurt like this."
years than but. But Francis knows that the only way to get Rantala at peak performance again is to continue to play her. When she does return to full strength, the Jayhawks' offense could become much more dangerous.
gerous. "I know how Hilla is," Francis said."She doesn't feel any pressure to score, but she has been hurt. Now that she's back, by scoring she will keep that pressure off her."
Jayhawks win soccer tournament
the midfield play in the final 20 minutes preserving the victory
Continued from page 1B
"Everybody worked hard, everybody wanted it and you could see it today." Valento said.
In Friday's win, three different players scored for Kansas while Pollard and senior Laura Rohde combined for the shutout. Rantala scored the game-winner in the ninth minute of play on a chip
shot over the goalkeeper's head off a pass from junior Meghann Haven. The goal was her first as a Jayhawk, after scoring 27 while playing for South Alabama. Haven notched her second assist 15 minutes later when she fed a ball to Horner who headed in the goal. The two assists moved Haven into a tie for first in all-time assists at Kansas and set a single season assists record.
scored the final goal in the 75th minute when she received a pass from junior Johanna Larsson and slid a shot under the goalkeeper
Sophomore Natalie Hoogveld
"We're improving every game, and I think it's starting to show by winning some more games," Horner said.
Four Jayhawks were named to the all-tournament team: senior Cynthia Dahle, Rantala, Horner and Goyen.
Edited by Mike Loader
Reves smashes 1,000th career kill in win
By Shown Hutchinson sports@kansas.com Kansas运动员 sportsman
It was a day for the record books for Amanda Reves.
Alabama Revs.
Reves, a senior middle blocker,
became the fourth Jayhawk to get 1,000 career kills, and the Kansas volleyball team defeated the Missouri Tigers in five games Saturday at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo., gaining its first Big 12 Conference victory of the season.
"It's definitely an honor." Reves said about joining the elite 1,000 club. "It's hard to imagine that many kills, but it's a lot of work by the setters, that's for sure."
Reves, whose total now stands at 1,004 trails Judy Desch (1,146), Cyndee Kanabel (1,122), and Moira Donovan (1,081).
The Jayhawks, 10-3 overall and 1-1 in
the conference, edged the Tigers, 2:15, 15-11, 7-15, 15-8 and 15-12. The win was first for the Jayhawks at Missouri since Oct. 30, 1996, and dropped the 'Tigers' record to 5-7 and 0-2 in Big 12 play.
"It was a gutty, gutty effort," Kansas coach Ray Beachard said. "I guess it's a positive sign to not play your best but still get a win in this conference."
The Jayhawks rebounded in the second game, 15-11, but found their backs against the wall when they lost the third game, 7-15. However, despite a 22-kill performance by Missouri freshman middle blocker Christi Myers, the Jayhawks won the last two games, 15-8 and 15-12, and won the match.
Kansas started the match by playing far from its best. The Tigers limited the Jayhawks to two points in the first game, as Missouri out-hit Kansas.
"It wasn't as pretty as we would have liked," Reves said. "But it's still nice to get the win."
Junior outside hitter Amy Matt led the Jayhawks with 23 kills, Reves added 17 and senior outside hitter Mary Beth Albrecht had 12. Junior outside hitter Nancy Bell paced the team with 14 dips, and sophomore setter Molly LaMere had 61 assists.
Another statistic that stood out for Kansas was that the team improved its record away from home to 7.0.
The Jayhawks will try to keep their road record spotless at 7 p.m. Wednesday, when they travel to Lincoln, Neb., to take on the No. 4 Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Cornhuskers, 9-3 and 1-1 on the season, defeated Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas on Friday night, 9-15, 15-11, 15-7 and 15-1. Kansas is 2-61 all-time against Nebraska.
That record includes tournament wins against Maryland-Baltimore County, Oakland (Mich.). West Virginia, Lehigh, Eastern Michigan and Tennessee.
Edited by Brad Hallies
Ultimate thrills
Left: Drew Fitzgerald tries to stop Tom Paige from passing to his teammate in an ultimate Frisbee tournament. The tournament was held in Lawrence and teams from the Midwest competed.
Bottom: Aeon Hogland attempts to pass to a teammate. Hogland and his team, who are from Tulsa, Okla., played Iowa on Saturday.Photos by Aaron Lindberg/KANSAN
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