6B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY BABY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2006
VOLLEYBALL
Jayhawks play old rival
2006-07 Border Showdown starts tonight in Columbia
BY DREW DAVISON
Tonight's match at Missouri will be a tough challenge for the Kansas volleyball team to snap out of its three-match losing streak.
The Tigers are undefeated at home this season and are ranked No.17 in the country.
"Obviously, they're going to be
heavy favorites," Kansas coach Ray Bechard said. "We've got to start having success, and we have to find a way to win on the road."
Missouri (11-4, 5-1 Big 12 Conference) has defeated Kansas (8-7, 1-5) in Columbia, Mo., the past five years. The Tigers have also won the last four meetings against the Jayhawks.
kantan file nhoto
Kansas hasn't won in the Big 12; it has losses against Colorado, Texas Tech and Iowa State. Freshman Brittany Williams and her teammates will try to start a winning streak at Missouri.
Even with everything in Missouri's favor, Kansas will have an opportunity for its first conference road victory tonight.
"I got to say this, even though we're disappointed, they come back and practice hard everyday," Bechard said. "We're going to do all we can do to get this thing headed in the right direction."
Missouri swept then No. 5 Texas on Sept. 23 during the team's current five-game winning streak. With the victory, Missouri climbed to No. 2 in the Big 12 standings.
"They knew at some point in time, they could be really strong," Bechard said. "They went through some growing pains in nonconference, but have recovered extremely well."
Missouri outside hitter Jessica Vander Kooi leads the team in kills with 4.40 per game. She also earned Big 12 Player of the Week on Sept. 25.
Bechard said the Jayhawks have made costly errors, which kept them out of the win column.
"We literally, at times, stop ourselves from being the team we want to be." he said.
Kansas right side hitter Emily Brown had a good feeling about tonight's game after being swept by Iowa State on Saturday.
"It's coming (tonight), for sure.
It'll be a good win for us," she said.
The match, set for 6:30 p.m., is the first event in the 2006-07 Kansas vs. Missouri Border Showdown. Kansas defeated Missouri to win last year's Border Showdown 23-17.
Kansas will next play at No. 25 Oklahoma on Saturday.
Kansan sportswriter Drew Davison can be contacted at ddavison@kansan.com.
Edited by Erin Wiley
>> NASCAR
Jimmie Johnson (48) makes a pit stop with four laps to go in the Banquet 400 on Saturday at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. Johnson was penalized for speeding in pit row while getting back into the race. He finished 14th.
Chase format drives fan interest
BY JEFF DETERS
NASCAR driver Tony Stewart's victory Sunday at the Kansas Speedway had no effect on his goal of winning the 2006 NASCAR championship.
"If you're not in the Chase, the only thing you can do is win races," Stewart said.
The Chase is NASCAR's version of a playoff system: a 10-race sprint for the championship. For three years, the Chase format has made a big impact on the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.
The first 26 races determine which drivers are eligible for the Chase: the top 10 drivers with the most points, and any drivers within 400 points of the leader. The driver's point totals are then adjusted for the final 10 races.
Before the Chase went into effect, some of NASCAR's top drivers, like Jeff Gordon, would accumulate so many points that they would cruise to the championship long before season's end. NASCAR thought this diminished the suspense and excitement, causing fan interest to wane.
The Chase has sparked fan interest and driver techniques in terms of strategy and momentum, which four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon knows all about.
"I think it is extremely important that you carry momentum into the Chase." Gordon said. "You want to peak while you are in the Chase."
Gordon finished third in each of his last two Chase races but finished a disappointing 39th on Sunday.
been a great addition to NASCAR.
"I think the Busch Series needs a Chase," Boywer said. "I think the Truck series needs a Chase. I think at the point of the season where it's starting to get a little stale, it adds a lot more excitement and gets the fans back into it."
Dale Earnhardt JF, one of the most popular drivers in NASCAR, finished 10th on Sunday and is seventh in the Chase standings. Earnhardt is thankful to be in the hunt this year.
"It's exciting obviously to be in the mix and to be one of the names in the hat," he said. "So we're trying to take advantage of it."
Kansan sportswriter Jeff Deters can be contacted at jdeters@kansan.com.
— Edited by Shanxi Upsdell
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