Friday, September 10, 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section B·Page 3
3
Volleyball ready for tournament
Players anticipate stiff competition
By Shawn Hutchinson sports@kansan.com Kansan sportwriter
There is quite a bit at stake for the Kansas volleyball team heading into this weekend's Hampton Inn Jayhawk Classic at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center.
Not only would a defeat be the first for the Jayhawks after a 4-0 start to their season, but it also would be the first ever at the Horeisi Center, the team's new $3.8 million facility.
The Jayhawks are 1-0 all-time at the Horeksi Center after a season-opening win Sept. 1 against the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and a home court loss is a scenario that the players don't like to think about.
As Anne Kreimer, senior middle blocker, looks on Amy Myatt, junior outside hitter, bumps the ball in a practice drill. The Jayhawks open play in the Hampton Inn Jayhawk Classic against Chicago State today. Photo by Roer Nomer/KANSAN
"Anytime we play here and people come into our gym, there is definitely a lot of pride at stake," said Kansas senior outside hitter Mary Beth Albrecht. "But playing host with other teams here should be fun."
The tournament starts at 5 p.m. today when the team opens against Chicago State, a team that hasn't won a match since Michael Jordan was still playing basketball. The Cougars are 6-0 under third-year coach Stephen Houghton, which includes an 0-4 record this season.
Then at 7:30 p.m. the Jayhawks will challenge the Texas Christian
Horned Frogs, who are 1-5 after a home loss Wednesday night to Baylor. TCU is coached by Sandy Trount and led by freshman Stephanie Watson, who has belated 70 kills and 46 digs this season.
The Jayhawks' toughest competition of the tournament may come at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow when they face the Southeastern Conference powerhouse Auburn Tigers. Auburn is led by Lawrence High School graduate Jaunelle Hamilton, a two-time first team All-SEC performer. The former Kansas 6A high school player of the year has already racked up 74 kills this season.
Kansas coach Ray Bechard said he knew that the competition this weekend was going to be difficult.
"Auburn and TCU have played a little tougher schedule at this point than we have," Bechard said. "They are both potentially top-20 teams."
The Jayhawks' victories this season have come against Missouri-Kansas City, Maryland-Baltimore County, Oakland, Mich., and West Virginia. However, Bechard said he knew that the Jayhawks had a lot to work on.
"We still need to block more balls," he said. "I'm pretty pleased with our digging, but then we let teams go on three- and four-point runs on us. What we're trying to do is find our rhythm."
Other tournament notes
■ Kansas senior middle blocker Amanda Reves has been named to eight straight All-tournament teams.
The Jayhawks are 1-0 all-time against Chicago State, with the teams' only meeting coming on Sept. 11, 1992 at the Kansas Invitational. Kansas and TCU never have played
Kansas enters the weekend with a 1-1 record all-time against Auburn, which includes a 3-0 Jayhawks victory last season at the Western Michigan Early Bird Tournament.
Edited by Jennifer Roush
JAYHAWK CLASSIC
Today
TCU vs. Auburn 2:30 p.m.
Kansas vs. Chicago State 5 p.m.
Kansas vs. TCU 7:30 p.m.
Auburn vs. Chicago State 9:30 a.m.
TCU vs. Chicago State noon
Kansas vs. Auburn 2:30 p.m.
*all matches played at Horeisi
Family Athletics Center, next to Allen
Fieldhouse
Williams goes west for more young recruits
Rv Matt Tait
Kansan sportswriter
This men's basketball off season, there is something missing from the usual activities at the University of Kansas.
It's not a lack of a preseason ranking, and it's not the lack of big-name recruits. It is, however, a low number of recruits — so low, in fact, that coach Roy Williams has cautioned fans not to expect too much.
"All those people who enjoy looking at recruiting more than the season are going to be disap
pointed," Williams said. "This is not a crucial recruiting year for us."
Most fans, however, enjoy the flashiness and action of the season more than the stress and uncertainty of recruiting. Fortunately for Kansas fans, one of the big names on the Jayhawks' limited list has that flash.
Travon Bryant, a 6-foot-8 standout from Long Beach, Calif., will welcome an in-home visit from Kansas this afternoon. Bryant is commonly ranked in the top 10 of power forwards by most recruiting experts.
"Everybody's calling right now," Bryant said. "UCLA, Duke, Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, but I'm going to stay all four years if I go to college."
According to a report from Greg Shemitz of Big East Briefs, Bryant's only scheduled campus visit as of now is to Kansas the weekend of Oct. 15.
Bryant said ball handling was something he would need to work on to play at the next level, and said that he saw himself playing the small forward or power forward spots in college.
"I can wait," Bryant said. "The freshman year can be the learning year — get to know the system, get to know the coaches and players."
As for now, the entire basketball world will have to wait for Bryant to decide. If Williams continues his success in recruiting in California, which includes signing Adonis Jordan, Paul Pierce, Scot Pollard, Jerod Haase, Eric Chenowith and most recently Drew Gooden, a former Amatuer Athletic Union teammate of Bryant's, it may not be the length of the list that matters, but the quality of the players on it.
—Edited by Chris Hopkins
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