8A SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2006
VOLLEYBALL
Weekend victories turn streak around
BY DREW DAVISON
After losing five straight matches, the Kansas volleyball team salvaged its postseason hopes when it defeated in-state rival Kansas State and Baylor last week at home, jumping three spots in the Big 12 standings up to eighth.
"Winning does amazing things," coach Ray Bechard said. "Sometimes you think you'll never lose again and sometimes you think you'll never win again."
The Jayhawks (10-9, 3-7 Big 12) were thinking they'd never win again until last Wednesday, when they beat the Wildcats in a four-game match. The momentum carried over to Saturday when they swept the Baylor Bears.
The losing streak lasted three long weeks for the Jayhawks. But it was nothing new to a team that went through similar stretches before making runs to the NCAA tournament last year.
In 2005, the team went on an
eight-game losing streak before making it to the NCAA tournament. In 2004, the team had a five-game losing streak before finding a way back into the tournament.
This season, in the midst of the slump, Bechard relied on the veterans
to keep morale up. Seniors Jana Correa and Megan Hill and junior Emily Brown kept the team motivated.
"They were all good volleyball players at the high-school level and they probably aren't used
"After all the situations I've been through, like the knee surgery, I'm trying to help the team in other ways," she said. "I'm helping in dig-
not only continues to lead the offense in kills, but is also improving her defense.
"We were standoffish at first, but now, we are like,'Bring on the teams because we're ready to play."
to losing," Brown, right-side hitter, said. "I told them you have to stay positive. If you stay down, your whole season is going to snowball down. But if you stay positive and get a win here or there it will turn right back around."
It appears — for now — the tide has turned back in Kansas' favor.
Correa, after suffering a season- ending knee injury last season, has become the leader on the court. She
MEGAN HILL Outside hitter
ging and blocking instead of just hitting."
Correa, an outside hitter, is determined to go to the tournament all four years she is with the team. Before she arrived in 2003. Kansas had never been
to an NCAA tournament.
Correa said she told the younger players to "believe" during the losing streak because she knew it was possible to get back in for the post-season.
Although the two victories boosted confidence, the postseason dreams are still just that: dreams. Traditionally, the top-six teams in the Big 12 are locks to make the NCAA tournament. Last season.
Kansas received a generous bid after the team finished eighth in the conference, but that rarely happens.
Correa said that if the team continued to play well, it could finish in the top five or six in conference.
The Jayhawks are beginning what they call the "second half" of their season. After playing the first round of conference teams, they will begin the second round Saturday at Texas A&M. The Jayhawks defeated the Aggies at home in a five-game match earlier this season.
Two of the layhawks' next three matches are at the Horeisi Family Athletics Center, where they are 6-3 this season. Kansas plays at Texas A&M (9-8, 2-7) Saturday, then Oklahoma (16-3, 8-1) and Texas Tech (10-8, 3-6) come to Lawrence.
"I think we are gelling right now," Hill, outside hitter, said. "We were standoffish at first, but now, we are like, 'Bring on the teams because we're ready to play.'"
Kansan sportswriter Drew Davison can be contacted at ddavison@ kansan.com.
Edited by Natalie Johnson
Jana Correa, right, senior outside hitter, boosted morale during a recent losing streak. The Jawkeys reversed the five-match strike when they defeated K-State and Baylor last weekend.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
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Associated Press
TOP 25
The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Oct. 14, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:
| | Record | Pts | Pos |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 1. Ohio St. (63) | 7-0 | 1,623 | 1 |
| 2. Michigan | 7-0 | 1,528 | 4 |
| 3. Southern Cal | 7-0 | 1,465 | 3 |
| 4. West Virginia (2) | 6-0 | 1,459 | 5 |
| **5. Texas** | **6-1** | **1,355** | **5** |
| 6. Louisville | 6-0 | 1,223 | 7 |
| 7. Tennessee | 5-1 | 1,179 | 8 |
| 8. Auburn | 6-1 | 1,176 | 11 |
| 9. Florida | 6-1 | 1,143 | 10 |
| 10. Notre Dame | 5-1 | 1,042 | 9 |
| 11. California | 6-1 | 1,027 | 10 |
| 12. Clemson | 6-1 | 885 | 12 |
| 13. Georgia Tech | 5-1 | 772 | 13 |
| 14. LSU | 5-2 | 751 | 14 |
| 15. Arkansas | 5-1 | 734 | 17 |
| 16. Oregon | 5-1 | 639 | 18 |
| **17. Nebraska** | **6-1** | **555** | **21** |
| 18. Boise St. | 6-1 | 519 | 20 |
| 19. Rutgers | 6-0 | 400 | 24 |
| **20. Oklahoma** | **4-2** | **394** | **23** |
| 21. Wisconsin | 6-1 | 366 | 25 |
| 22. Boston College | 5-1 | 330 | _ |
| **23. Texas A&M** | **6-1** | **127** | _ |
| **24. Missouri** | **6-1** | **93** | **19** |
| 25. Wake Forest | 6-1 | 83 | _ |
NFL
Others receiving votes: Pittsburgh 73, Georgia 63, Iowa 61, Florida St. 30, Miami 17, Virginia Tech 6, Alabama 4, BYU 1, Purdue 1, Tulsa 1
Arizona Cardinals Anquan Boldin, foreground, scores a touchdown past Chicago Bears Brian Urlacher, during the first quarter of their football game Monday in Glendale, Arizona. The final score was 24-23.
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Wednesday, November 1st
Bears come back against Cardinals
BY BOB BAUM ASSOCIATED PRESS
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Even on a very bad night, the Chicago Bears found a way to stay unbeaten.
They can thank their defense, punt returner Devin Hester and Arizona kicker Neil Rackers for that.
Chicago, down 20-0 at the half,
returned two fumbles for touchdowns,
then Devin Hester returned
a punt 83 yards for a touchdown
with 2:58 remaining and the Bears
(6-0) overcame six turnovers by Rex Grossman to beat the Cardinals 24-
23 Monday night.
Rackers, who connected from 41,
28 and 29 yards, missed a 41-yarder
to the left with 53 seconds left for
what would have been the game
winner for Arizona (1-5).
After Grosssaan threw his fourth interception, the Cardinals were
trying to use up time. But Brian Urlacher stripped the ball from Edgerrin James and Charles Tillman scooped it up for a 40-yard return to cut Arizona's lead to 23-17 with five minutes left.
On their next possession, the Cardinals were forced to punt. Hester caught the ball, broke a few arm tackles and sprinted upfield, scoring his second punt return for a touchdown this season and giving Chicago the lead for the first time all night.
Rookie quarterback Matt Leinart,
making his second NFL start,
threw for two first-quarter touchdowns while the Cardinals shook up Grossman.
The Bears' QB lost two fumbles, was intercepted four times and struggled to hit receivers when he did manage to get the ball clean away, going 14-for-37 for 148 yards.
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