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SPORTS
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THE UNIVERSITY BABY KANSAS
WEDNESDAY,SEPTEMBER 13,2006
BIG 12 VOLLEYBALL
Competition stacks up this season
Expectations, awards, outlook of conference competitors analyzed
BY JEFF DETERS
Editor's note: The Jayhawks open the Big 12 volleyball season tonight when they travel to Lincoln, Neb., to take on the Cornhuskers. Kansas writer Jeff Deters previewed the Big 12 in advance of the season. Oklahoma State does not field a team.
Nebraska
2005 record:(33-2,19-1)
Key players: Nebraska is led by preseason All-Big 12 selections junior outside hitter Sarah Pavan and sophomore outside hitter Jordan Larson. Pavan was named Big 12 Player of the Year in 2005 and is expected to repeat that honor again this year. Larson was named Honorable Mention All-Big 12 and Big 12 Freshman of the Year after leading all Big 12 freshmen in kills, digs and hitting percentage.
2006 outlook: The Comhuskers won the Big 12 Championship for the eighth time last season and were last year's NCAA runner-up. Nebraska is the top team in the Big 12 and the No.1 ranked team in the nation. They have their sights set on another conference title and a return trip to the national championship game. They open conference play tonight at 7 p.m. in Lincoln, Neb., against the Kansas Jayhawks.
Texas
2005 record: (24-5, 17-3)
Key players: If the Longhorns want to overtake Nebraska in the conference, they will need big performances from senior outside hitter Dariam Acevedo, senior middle blocker Brandy Magee and junior middle blocker Leticia Armstrong. All three were selected to the preseason All-Big 12 team and combine to form as talented a trio as there is in the Big 12.
2006 outlook: The Longhorns are talented enough to challenge Nebraska for the league title and will play the Jayhawks at 7 p.m. this Saturday at the Horesei Family
Athletics Center.
Missouri
2005 record: (25-5, 16-4)
Key players: Senior outside hitter Jessica Vander Kooi leads the Tigers attack. Vander Kooi, a two-time all-conference performer, was named to this year's preseason conference team as well.
2006 outlook: The Tigers finished third in the conference last year and are picked to do the same this year. The Tigers and Jayhawks will play Oct. 4 in Columbia, Mo., and at the Horejsi Center on Nov. 18.
Kansas State
2005 record:(21-11, 11-9)
Key players: The Wildcats leader is senior captain and outside hitter Sandy Werner. Last season Werner ranked 11th in the Big 12 in total kills.
2006 outlook: The Wildcats defeated No. 23 ranked Notre Dame at the UNI Invitational last week and are now ranked in the Top 25. The Wildcats and Jayhawks split the series 1-1 last year, each winning on the other's home floor. The two teams will continue their rivalry Oct. 11 at the Horeksi Center and Nov. 25 in Manhattan, Kan.
Texas A&M
2005 record: (16-14, 9-11)
Key players: Senior middle blocker/outside hitter Christi Hahn is the only senior on the team. Hahn is a preseason All-Big 12 pick and has been a two-year starter.
2006 outlook: The Aggies will try to reach the upper division of the Big 12, but will likely remain in the middle of the pack. The Aggies and Jayhawks split the season series last year and the two teams will play Sept. 20 at the Horejsi Center and Oct. 21 in College Station, Texas.
2005 record:(15-13, 10-10)
Colorado
Key players: Senior setter hitter Ashley Nu'u finished third in the conference in assists per game (13.16) and was an honorable mention All-Big 12 pick in 2005.
2006 outlook: The Buffaloes will look to improve their 10-10 record in conference play last year and make it past the first-round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years. The Buffaloes will play the Jayhawks Sept. 23 in Boulder, Colo.
2005 record:(15-15.7-13)
Kansas
Key players: Junior right side hitter/setter Emily Brown and senior outside hitter Jana Correa lead the Jayhawks. Brown was named to the preseason All-Big 12 team this year and has no doubt played to that level. Along with Brown, Correa has displayed the talent and leadership qualities needed to be an all-conference player. Correa's performance in the Temple Classic earned her the tournament MVP title.
2006 outlook: Following a disappointing 2005 season, the Jayhawks are picked to finish seventh in the Big 12. But after going 7-2 through the non-conference schedule, and earning tournament victories and a sweep against No. 16 ranked BYU, Kansas enters conference play with a lot of momentum. Kansas is not as talented as Texas or Nebraska, but don't be surprised if it finishes the season as one of the top four teams in the league and plays in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth year in a row.
Iowa State
2005 record:(16-15,9-11)
Key players: Junior middle blocker Erin Boeve broke the Cyclones' season record for block assists last year with 155. Boeve was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2005.
2006 outlook: The Cyclones will look to build upon their first winning season in more than 10 years and will
try to make the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in school history. The Cyclones and Jayhawks will play Sept. 30 at the Horesei Center and Nov. 4 in Ames, Iowa.
Bavlor
2005 record:(15-17.6-14)
Key players; Senior middle blocker Desiree Guillard-Young broke the school record last year by averaging 1.85 blocks per game. She is a preseason Big 12 pick this year and was Big 12 Honorable Mention last year as a sophomore.
2006 outlook: Baylor has won nine games in a row and opens conference play tonight against K-State. The Bears are scheduled to play the Jayhawks Oct. 14 at the Horeisi Center and Nov. 15 in Waco, Texas.
Oklahoma
2005 record:(7-22, 2-18)
Key players: Senior middle blocker Eliane Santos led the Sooners in blocks and kills last year. Santos set the Oklahoma season record in blocks per game, solo blocks and block assists.
2006 outlook: The Sooners are picked to finish second to last in the league but head into conference play with an 8-2 record. The Sooners lost both games last year against the jayhawks and will look for revenge when the two teams play Oct. 7 in Norman, Okla., and Oct. 25 in Lawrence.
Texas Tech
2005 record:(11-20, 6-14)
Key players: 2005 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Philister Sang leads the Red Raiders. The senior outside hitter ranked third in the conference in kills last year and had 21 kills in a game last year against Kansas.
2006 outlook: Texas Tech finished 10th in the league last year and will struggle to climb out of the conference cellar this year. The Red Raiders and Jayhawks split the season series last year and the two teams are scheduled to play Sept. 27 in Lubbock, Texas and Oct. 28 at the Horeisi Center.
Kansan sportswriter Jeff Deters can be contacted at jdeters@kansan.com.
— Edited by Jacky Carter
Chiefs quarterback receives two weeks to heal from injury
SORAYA NADIA
MCDONALD
ASSOCIATED PRESS
>> NFL
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Even Lia Edwards is beginning to think that wherever her husband goes, something bad happens to quarterbacks.
Last year, Chad Pennington lasted only three games, and by the end of the season, coach Herm Edwards had played five different New York Jets quarterbacks, and the Jets had finished a dismal 4-12.
This season, Edwards' first in Kansas City, Trent Green lasted less than three quarters before sustaining a severe concussion that landed him in the hospital for two nights.
Before Edwards arrived, Green had been an NFL ironman, starting 81 straight games.
Edwards said Green would go home from the hospital Tuesday afternoon but would definitely not play against Denver on Sunday. It's uncertain when he'll play again, Edwards said.
"She said, 'Before you married me, in that life you were living, you did something bad to somebody," Edwards quipped Tuesday.
Edwards said the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback was in good spirits.
Green was knocked unconscious and hospitalized after his head slammed into the ground on a hit by Cincinnati's Robert Geathers in Kansas City's home opener. He sustained what the Chiefs described as a severe concussion and will have at least two weeks to recover because Kansas City has a bye after the Denver game.
"If it was up to Trent, knowing him and the kind of guy he is, he held up tomorrow," Edwards said. "Hed show up tomorrow, and hed go into meetings, and he'd be whispering in my ear saying, 'Coach, you know by Friday I'll be ready to go.'"
But if it takes longer, Edwards promises to understand.
Meanwhile, the focus has shifted to Damon Huard, who replaced Green in the third quarter of Kansas City's 23-10 loss to the Bengals and completed 12 of 20 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown.
The connection to Tony Gonzalez was the first touchdown pass Huard had completed since he threw one for Miami at Indianapolis on Nov. 26, 2000.
Edwards also is preparing to defend against Denver's famously trickv bootlegs.
The Chiefs haven't won in Denver in five years, and the Broncos bootleg always seems to vex them.
"It looks, to the spectator and to everyone that views it, 'What's so hard about that play? Why can't they stop it?" said Edwards, who explained exactly what's so hard about it, complete with hand motions. The only thing missing was a chalkboard filled with X's and O's.
Part of the challenge, Edwards said, is how well the Broncos run the football.
The key to tripping them up is having defenders who can keep up.
Another worry will be protecting Huard. Kansas City's offensive line allowed seven sacks against the Bengals, which Edwards blamed on too much passing and anemic first down yardage.
But he bristled at the suggestion that he's too conservative and will rein-in the high-strung offense he inherited from Dick Vermeil.
"If the people went to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play, that's the same offense they watched for the last five years," Edwards said.
As far as Sunday's game, he said: "Shifts, motion — we threw the ball more than we ran it, which I hate, because generally when you do that you're going to lose the game."
Meanwhile, both Edwards and general manager Carl Peterson said they didn't know anything about a news conference retired left tackle Willie Roaf is planning to hold Thursday.
Edwards shrugged, joking that perhaps the 11-time Pro Bowler who retired so abruptly was in town for some barbecue.
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