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THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS A-1
2B SPORTS
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2006
VOLLEYBALL
Season ends on a 3-0 loss
Kansas finishes last in Big 12 rankings
BY DREW DAVISON
The Kansas volleyball team failed to end its season on a positive note as Kansas State defeated it Saturday in Manhattan.
"We talked heart-to-heart after the match," coach Ray Bechard said. "It has been a disappointing season, but, now, each and every one of us needs to find something to get better at."
The Jayhawks (10-19, 3-17) were swept by the Wildcats (12-18, 4-16) by scores of 30-16, 30-14 and 30-28 at the Ahearn Field House in front of 812 fans.
The Wildcats notched 15 aces, compared to the Jayhawks one, to propel them against Kansas and move ahead in the Big 12 standings.
"The first games were very disappointing." Bechard said. "It was the best serving team we've seen all year, but I thought we were much better in game three."
Leading the Javahawks was Savannah Noyes, sophomore middle blocker, who had a team-high 11 kills on .529 hitting efficiency. Jana Correa, senior outside hitter, ended her stellar career with six kills and 13 digs.
Cornea finishes with 1,131 kills for her career, sixth best in the KU record book.
Correa said she was unsure whether or not she would try to continue her playing career.
"I don't know, I want to rest," she said. "I want to get my body rested, but if an opportunity appears, I might go."
Correa and fellow seniors Megan Hill, Jamie Mathewson, Dani Wittman and Linsey Morningstar
all played in their final college volleyball match.
Kansas State dominated Kansas at the net, forcing the lahayws to 22 hitting errors compared to the Wildcats' 14. The Wildcats also out-blocked the lahayws, 13-5.
Bechard said he thought Kansas State was comfortable playing at home.
The season-ending match for the Jayhawks showcased how the team could not break through in conference play. The team was winless in conference road games and finishes in last place, 11th, in the Big 12. Oklahoma State does not have a volleyball队.
While unhappy with how the season turned out, Bechard knows a team can have a dramatic turnaround in a season. He mentioned Oklahoma as a team that finished in the bottom last year, but made a jump to No. 2 in the conference this season.
Bechard said it's hard for a team to go from good to great though. The last three seasons have been pretty good, but sometimes when a team is good, it doesn't get great so easily, he said.
"This season is a huge wake-up call." Bechard said.
The season marks the first time the Jayhawks will not go to the NCAA tournament since 2003.
Bechard said the team has a week off before they begin off-season workouts.
Kansan sportswriter Drew Davison can be contacted at ddavison@kansan.com.
— Edited by Kristen Jarboe
NCAA FOOTBALL USC moves up to No.2 in Associated Press Top 25
Southern California is the new No.2.
The Trojans advanced one spot to overtake Michigan in The Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday, a day after their 44-24 victory against Notre Dame, USC, the sixth team to be ranked No. 2 this season behind No. 1 Ohio State, leads the Wolverines by 36 points in the poll.
Michigan, which completed its season with a 42-39 loss to Ohio State on Nov. 18, fell to No. 3. The Wolverines (11-1) are 63 points ahead of No. 4 Florida, which beat Florida State 21-14 to improve to 11-1.
Ohio State (12-0) was a unanimous No. 1 for the second consecutive week and third time this year. The Buckeyes received 65 first-place votes from the media panel.
Associated Press
VOLLEYBALL
BY DREW DAVISON
Top 25 teams in the AP college football poll.
Seniors close with tears at home
Record through Nov. 25 • First-place votes • Previous ranking
RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS
1. Binghamton 10-1 1,540 3
2. Southern Ca 10-1 1,540 3
3. Milwaukee 10-1 1,540 3
4. Florida 11-1 1,441 4
5. Houston 11-1 1,441 4
6. Louisville 10-1 1,241 8
7. Louisville 10-1 1,241 8
8. Arkansas 10-2 1,095 5
9. Villanova 10-2 1,095 13
10. Boise St. 12-0 1,044 12
11. 10-2 1,044 14
12. Notre Dame 10-2 940 6
13. Indiana 10-1 836 6
14. Virginia Tech 12-0 775 17
15. Wake Forest 10-2 621 20
16. Wake Forest 10-2 621 20
17. Texas 9-3 542 11
18. Texas 9-3 542 11
19. Illinois 10-2 394 21
20. BYU 10-2 394 21
21. California 8-3 312 22
22. Texas A&M 9-3 318
23. Georgia 9-3 318
24. Hawaii 10-2 174 25
25. Louisiana College 9-3 318
It was a teary-eyed night at the final volleyball match in the Horesei Family Athletics Center this season when five Jayhawk volleyball seniors said goodbye.
"I held it, I did not cry," she said.
"I told myself, 'I'm not going to cry,' but on the inside I'm crving."
After being swept by No. 1 Nebraska on Wednesday, the five seniors — Jana Correa, Jamie Matthewson, Megan Hill, Dani Wittman and Linsey Morningstar — thanked everyone imaginable, including coaches, tutors, the band, cheerleaders, other athletes, trainers, Lew Perkins and fans.
After the thank-you statements, each senior addressed the crowd and four of them cried, with Correa listed as "questionable."
Others receiving votes: Georgia 44, TCU 13; Oregon St. 17, Penn St. 4, South Florida 4; Maryland St. 3, Carolina 3, Houston 1.
Correa, who had two season-
Mathewson thanked her parents for helping her "sign her life away to collegiate volleyball."
Even after being swept by Nebraska, Hill, a Lincoln, Neb, native, said something that echoed all of the seniors' feelings that night.
But, Mathewson said being with her teammates was what made her four-year career so enjoyable.
"We've never regretted the decision to go to Kansas," she said. "We will always be proud to be Jayhawks."
"Just the little moments that you'll all remember with the teammates, they surpass the moments you have on the court," she said.
ending knee injuries in her career, thanked her doctor who gave her two new knees.
While the season did not go the way coach Ray Bechard and the seniors would have liked, Bechard
said he would miss the work ethics all of them brought to the team.
"They're as good of kids as you could be around," he said. "They came to the gym every day ready to work."
"You have to analyze what the class gave you and what you need from the class," Bechard said. "They've been to three NCAA tournaments, you can't take that away, but obviously, this season is going to leave a little bit of a bitter taste."
Before the seniors arrived in Lawrence, the Jayhawks had never been to a NCAA tournament. This will be the first season the team does not make the postseason since 2003.
Kansan sportswriter Drew Davison can be contacted at ddavison@kansan.com.
- Edited by Catherine Odson
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