SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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VOLLEYBALL
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19,2007
Jayhawks seek first conference road victory
In 2005, Senior Emily Brown was a sophomore starter on a Kansas team that advanced to the NCAA second round, sophomore Katie Martincich redshirted for the season, and freshman Jenna Kaiser was a junior in high school at Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School.
BY RUSTIN DODD
rdodd@kansan.com
That's how long it's been since Kansas last scored a road victory in the Big 12 conference, a 3-1 victory against Oklahoma on Nov. 9, 2005. Thirteen consecutive road conference losses later, Kansas (7-5, 0-2 Big 12) will try to put an end to that streak when they play Missouri (7-3, 0-1 Big 12) tonight at 6:30 in Columbia.
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Despite the string of road losses, coach Ray Bechard said that being successful on the road is all about atti-
"You just have to have a different resiliency on the road," Bechard said. "You just have to have a little more edge to you."
the road is all about attitude.
Bechard said he thought his team displayed that edge at times during training.
Bechard
"Right now the creed is 'Play better longer.'" Bechard said.
Oklahoma on Saturday, but he said his teams needs more of it against Missouri.
Kansas has played well in spurs this season. After starting the season 2-3, Kansas put together a five-game winning streak to end the non-conference schedule. But mental mistakes have hurt the Jayhawks during their conference losses to Oklahoma as well as Kansas State in their big 12 home-opener last Wednesday. Bechard said that correcting mental mistakes requires a delicate balance.
"If you see something in a practice situation, you obviously have to stop and make corrections," Bechard said. "But you don't want to do to much and make kids real mechanical."
— Edited by Ashlee Kieler
at a glance
— Missouri (7-3, 0-1 Big 12) comes in
tonights match fresh off a 3-0 loss at
No. 7 Texas in its Big 12 opener.
Tigers At A Glance
After Missouri, Kansas will return home to play Texas Tech at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
— The Tigers have made the last seven NCAA tournaments, and last season Missouri upset them No. 21 Santa Clara in the first round before falling to eventual National runner-up Stanford in five games in the second round. "A lot of people say that Missouri out-played Stanford in that match," Beard said.
— Kansas and Missouri have one common opponent. Both team swept UMKC 3-0.
— Missouri holds the all-time edge over Kansas 44-31.
— Kansas vs. Missouri, 6:30 p.m.
— Kansas lost both matches to Missouri last season, falling 3-1 at home and 3-0 in Columbia, Mo.
Game info
— Kansas. Brittany Williams, sophomore — Williams, KU's leading attacker from last season is currently fourth on the team in kills per game, but she leads the regulars with a .248 hitting percentage. Bechard has said he wants his team's hitting percentage to be around .220-.230. Williams is also second on the team with 1.00 blocks per game.
Players to Watch
- Missouri: Juliana Klein, sophomore.
- Klein is leading the Tigers on offense this season, and her 4.44 kills per game rank her fourth among Big 12 players.
Up Next
KANSAS 1, MISSOURI STATE 0
Sarah Leonard/KANSAN
Jessica Bush, junior midfielder, fails to push ball passed Missouri State goalkeeper. Kansas claimed its first win of the season after 1-0 overtime victory. The win marked the Javawks' sixth against Missouri State
Soccer team wins in sudden death
BY ALISON CUMBOW
The stormy weather on Tuesday afternoon could have stopped the Kansas women's soccer team against the Missouri State Bears, but the Jayhawks claimed their first victory.
FIRST VICTORY OF THE SEASON
The overtime game took the Jayhawks to a record of 1-5-1.
The goal came from sophomore forward Kim Boyer with assists from sophomore forward Shannon McCabe and junior midfielder Jessica Bush. The golden goal, which is the game-winning goal in sudden-death, was Bower's first of her college career.
"I know I couldn't have done it without Jess, it was a perfect ball, and all I had to do was place it in." Boye said.
The win was Kansas' sixth against Missouri State. The last time Kansas faced Missouri State was in 2005, a game that was a shutout for the Bears, 2-0.
AGAINST THE ODDS
In the first half the Missouri State's goal posts did more saving than the team's junior goalkeeper, Jackie Jasper.
The Bears were second to Kansas in shot attempts with only nine, but led in corner kicks 8-1.
Despite the weather the Jayhawks barreled through many obstacles during the regulation, including 12 frustrating shot attempts that never hit the net.
Jayhawk senior goalkeeper Colleen Quinn didn't get the opportunity to save many goals during the game, a welcomed
change from the consecutive losses of the season.
"It was good that we created as many chances as we did. I was definitely proud of the kids today." Coach Mark Francis said.
NEXT UP FOR THE JAYHAWKS
Fans can watch the soccer team at home this weekend for two games. Kansas will play Illinois on Friday at 5 p.m., and California on Sunday at 1 p.m.
G
Sophomore defender Estelle Johnson, said she felt like the team's win was a turning point in the season. Francis said, "It was a test of character, today. We need to use this as a stepping stone to keep improving, and looking to do better things."
Edited by Rachael Gray
shots by period
Shots by period 1 2 OT Total
Kansas 8 4 2 14
Missouri State 1 8 0 9
Corner kicks 1 2 OT Total
Kansas 1 0 0 1
Missouri State 1 7 0 8
Saves by period 1 2 OT Total
Kansas 0 4 0 4
Missouri State 0 3 0 3
Fouls 1 2 OT Total
Kansas 4 5 0 9
Missouri State 5 5 0 10
Team defends deep ball better
Jayhawks improve pass defense
BY ASHER FUSCO afusco@kansan.com
If Memorial Stadium feels a little cooler so far this season, the reason why should be no surprise; the Kansas secondary hasn't been burned, toasted or smoked during the first three games.
afusco@kansan.com
"The safeties are doing a good job of staying on top of routes." Kansas coach
Mark Mangino said. "And they're getting good help from the corners, so we're playing deep balls a lot better."
Last year the deep ball was the Achilles' heel of the Kansas defense. Linebackers Mike Rivera, Joe Mortensen and defensive tackle James McClinton all defended the run well, but opponents rarely needed to
SEE DEFENSE ON PAGE 4B
Sarah Leonard/KANSAN
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Agil Talib, junior cornerback, positions himself for a tackle against Toload last Saturday. Offenses have had a tougher time attacking Kansas' passing defense.
Quarterback Todd Reed continues to throw passes to his favorite weapon, wide receiver Marcus Henry. The Jayhawks' wide receivers dropped eight passes in last week's 45-13 victory over Toledo.
Receivers seek consistency in catches
BY CASE KEEFER
ckeefer@kansan.com
Senior wide receiver Marcus Henry said every time a wide receiver drops a pass in practice, he has to do push ups.
If Saturday's game against the Toledo Rockets serves as any indication, the Jayhawk receivers are going to be doing enough push ups to make a marine cadet at boot camp crinee.
"Catching the football is a fundamental we have to get back to," Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. "We just have to re-emphasize and re-teach that."
Kansas players dropped eight passes in the 45-13 victory. The drops didn't seem to hurt the Jayhawks on Saturday. But with Big 12 conference play a mere three weeks away, mistakes like dropped passes must be addressed immediately.
If anyone has a reason to be perturbed about the dropped passes, it's sophomore quarterback Todd Reeing. Although he was on target most of the night, his final
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SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 4B
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