2B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2006
VOLLEYBALL
Arkansas tops Kansas in five-game match
BY DREW DAVISON AND MICHAEL PHILLIPS
The Jayhawk lost the match, but still left the weekend as the champions of the Jayhawk Classic, thanks to a victory against BYU earlier in the weekend.
Kansas and Arkansas provided a thrilling conclusion to the weekend of volleyball at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center, as all five games were up for grabs through the final points. The final score was 33-35, 30-27, 26-30, 30-25 and 11-15.
In a match where every point mattered, KU serving errors allowed Arkansas to take Kansas to a fifth game, where the Razorbacks edged the Jayhawks for a key early-season victory.
The Jayhawks committed 16 serving errors, each of which resulted in an automatic point for the Razorbacks.
"Serving is just one of those things," Emily Brown, junior right side hitter/setter, said. "It's either our biggest weapon, or biggest weapon against us."
Katie Martinich, freshman setter, sets the ball for Savannah Noyes, sophomore middle blocker, during Saturday's home loss to Arkansas in Horejsi Family Athletics Center. It was the final match of the Lahawkville Noyes had a career high 20 Kills against Arkansas.
In the first game, Kansas made errors on three straight serves, allowing Arkansas to fight back for a 35-33 victory to open the match.
Vanessa Pearson/KANSAN
The game also ended on an error. In the fifth game, with the Jayhawks down 14-11 and at match point, Linsey Morningstar, senior defensive specialist, ended the game and match with a serving error.
serve aggressively, and didn't fault her for being aggressive.
Other than serving, Bechard said the team needed to play better in close situations.
Coach Ray Bechard said morningstar was in a situation to
"In in-game situations we need to be better," Bechard said. "I mean at 25 all, we need to be very, very good."
On the brighter side for Kansas, Savannah Noyes, sophomore middle blocker, had a career-high 20 kills against Arkansas. Jamie Mathewson, senior libero, also set a career-high in digs with 24. And Katie Martincich, freshman setter, set her assist career-high with 67.
Arkansas may have had the edge in experience, but both teams matched up well in a physical early-season game. Kansas ended the game with 23 more kills than Arkansas.
Brown said that the layhawks must look at the weekend as a whole, and not just the final game.
"We were upset we lost, but at the same time, we had a good weekend," she said. "It was a good match, it's not like we didn't play well and get killed. It's just hard to see right now, but we came away with a lot from this weekend."
Next up, Kansas begins Big 12 Conference play when it travels to Lincoln, Neb., to battle No. 1 Nebraska.
Kansan sportswriters Drew Davison and Michael Phillips can be contacted at editor@kansan.com.
Edited by Travis Robinett
Kansas State improves despite kicking blunders
MANHATTAN — After missing two of three field goal attempts in Kansas State's 45-0 win against Florida Atlantic on Saturday and going 3-for-6 during his first two games, KSU kicker Jeff Snodgrass
is going to be churning them out during practice this week as Kansas State prepares to host Marshall.
But while making kicks was a problem for the Wildcats, returning them wasn't. Justin McKinney's 88-yard touchdown return on the opening kickoff was the Wildcats' first game-opening score since Red
Elder did it against Oklahoma on Nov. 7, 1936. It was Kansas State's second kick-return TD in as many weeks, after Yamon Figurs ran back a punt against Illinois State in the Wildcats' opener.
But after managing just 207 yards of offense and not scoring a touchdown in that game, the
Wildcats rolled up 346 yards on the Owls (0-2). Meanwhile the Wildcats' defense had three sacks and nine other tackles for loss, holding Florida Atlantic to 202 yards. The Owls have yet to score a touchdown this season.
Associated Press
athletics calendar
Women's golf, CSU Ptarmigan/Ram Fall Classic, 8:30 a.m., Ft. Collins, Colo
TODAY
Player to watch:
Amanda Costner, a Claremont, Okla.,
senior, finished last year's Ptarmigan/
Ram Fall Classic with a third place finish
and a three-round,
career-best total of
212.
WEDNESDAY
Volleyball at Nebraska, 7 p.m.
Lincoln, Neb.
Costner
Women's golf, CSU Ptarmigan/Ram Fall Classic, 8:30 a.m., Ft. Collins, Colo.
TUESDAY
FRIDAY
Soccer vs. Pepperdine, 5 p.m., Jayhawk Soccer Complex
Football at Toledo, 7 p.m.,
Toledo, Ohio, ESPN2
SATURDAY
SATURDAY
Volleyball vs. Texas. 7 p.m., Horesi Family Athletics Center
SUNDAY
Soccer vs. UCF, 1 p.m., Jayhawk Soccer Complex
SOCCER
Late goal pushes Kansas past Duke
Kansas' freshmen forwards lead Jayhawks to victory against No.15 Duke tournament title at UAB Nike classic
BY MARK DENT
Strong performances by young and experienced players alike led Kansas to an unexpected victory against No. 15 Duke at the UAB Nike Classic.
Shannon McCabe blasted the game-winner off a pass from Monica Dolinsky with 26 seconds left, as the freshmen forwards led the Jayhawks past the Blue Devils 4-3 in Birmingham, Ala.
"The girls showed a lot of heart,"
"Kansas coach Mark Francis, said.
"This was one of the best performances I've seen since I've been here."
The Jayhawks (4-1-0) had a goal kick in the 90th minute that went to Dolinsky. She collected the pass around midfield and forwarded the ball to McCabe.
"The girls showed a lot of heart. This was one of the best performances I've seen since I've been here."
Gault tallied her second goal of the season on a pass from sophomore midfielder Jessica Bush. Duke added another goal to extend it.
Boyer made a final pass to Dolinsky, who knocked it in from the center of the box. It was her team-leading fourth goal of the season.
Kansas' victory against Duke Sunday, paired with a 2-1 victory against Alabama on Friday, meant it won the UAB Nike Classic.
A slow start made the Jayhawks comeback necessary. The Blue Devils scored in the second minute and then again in the 62nd minute to take a 2-0 lead. Senior midfielder Holly Gault ignited the Jayhawk resurgence.
MARK FRANCIS Kansas coach
McCabe's goal was her first of the season, and it gave Kansas its first lead of the game, after trailing 1-0 early and 3-1 for much of the second half.
Dolinsky did more than just set up the game winning shot. She also tied the game eight minutes earlier. Dolinsky and another freshman forward, Kim Boyer, passed the ball between themselves deep on the offensive side of the field. Their game of back and forth ended when
Her fellow freshman caught it on the run, beat a defender and fired the ball into the net from barely inside the goal box to give the Jayhawks their first win against a top-25 opponent since 2004.
lead to 3-1, but it didn't have much time to celebrate. Gault responded eight seconds later to pull Kansas within one.
Senior forward Lacey Novak passed the ball to Gault on the
ensuing kickoff. A streaking Gault received the pass, sprinted past her defender and squeaked the ball past the goalie.
Gault's goals kicked off a 24-minute span in which Kansas scored all four of its goals, culminating in McCabe's game winner.
"Offensively, this was our best game of the season," Francis said. "We showed intensity consistently throughout the game."
Kansas has a chance to defeat another quality opponent when it plays former top-25 team Pepperdine this Friday at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex. It will be the Jayhawks' first home game in three weeks.
Kansan sportswriter Mark Dent can be contacted at mdent@kansan.com.
Edited by Catherine Odson
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