2B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY OF DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2007
TENNIS
Doubles difficulties plague Jayhawks
Comeback singles effort can't make up for dropped doubles matches against Missouri Tigers
BY RUSTIN DODD
When the Kansas tennis team has won the doubles point this season, the team's record is 4-0. When it has lost the point, its record is 0-12. Unfortunately against Missouri on Saturday, the Jayhawks were unable to come away with the point.
Wavering doubles play continued to haunt a team that just hasn't been able to win two out of three doubles matches. The team could not recover after dropping two out of the three doubles matches, and fell 4-3 to Missouri on Saturday in Columbia. Kansas dropped to 4-12 on the season and 2-5 in the Big 12 Conference, while Missouri improved to 7-10 overall and 2-7 in
the Big 12.
The No. 1 doubles duo of junior Elizaveta Avdeeva and sophomore Edina Horvath continued their winning season by opening the dual with an 8-2 victory against Racquel Wagner and Katelyn McKenzie. Avdeeva and Horvath improved to 13-4 on the season and 6-1 in the Big 12.
But the tennis version of the Border Showdown quickly swung in favor of Missouri with Tiger victories in the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles matches. Those two victories gave Missouri the dual's doubles point and the momentum heading into the six singles matches.
Things looked even bleaker for Kansas when junior Lauren Hommell
was forced to default her match to Missouri's Kaitlin Dunham at the No. 4 singles position. Hommell, one of many layhawks plagued with injuries this season, lost the first set 6-1 before injuries sidelined her for the rest of the dual.
Down 2-0, Kansas fought back with three consecutive singles victories. Avdeeva defeated Amanda Pratzel, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 1 singles while Horvath took down Erika Josbena, 6-3, 6-4, at the No. 3 position. Sophomore Yuliana Swiston gained her 10th victory in her last 12 matches by defeating Katelyn McKenzie, 6-0, 6-4, at No. 5 singles.
Kansas' comeback attempt was spoiled when they Missouri took
the two remaining singles matches.
Freshman Kunigunda Dorn lost the No. 2 singles match in three sets to Missouri's Chrisy Svetic, 2-6, 7-5,
6-1, and Missouri's Jacquel Wagner dropped junior Stephanie Smith at No. 6 singles, 6-3, 6-4, in the deciding match.
Kansas dropped to 1-6 on the road this season, while Missouri improved to 5-4 at home.
Kansas will return home to take on in-state rival Kansas State at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Kansan sportswriter Rustin Dodd can be contacted at rdodd@kansan.com.
Edited by Ashley Thompson
Men's golf at Wyoming Cowboy Classic, All day, Scottcitts Ariz
athletics calendar
MONDAY
women's golf at Susie Maxwell Berning Classic, All day, Norman, OKla.
TUESDAY
Baseball vs. Oral Roberts
p.5.m. Hogglund Ballpark
Men's golf at Wyoming
Cowboy Classic, All day,
Scottsdale, Ariz.
WEDNESDAY
2 p.m. Robinson Center courts Softball vs. Missouri, 6 p.m.
Volleyball
Volleyball vs. UMKC, TBA. Horrell Center
Baseball vs. Baylor, 7 p.m.
Hoglund Ballpark
Track at Sooner Invitational, All day, Norman, Okla.
FRIDAY
Softball vs. Texas A&M, 2 p.m. Arrocha Ballpark
SATURDAY
lund Ballpark
Volleyball vs. TBA, TBA, Chicago
Track at Sooner Invitational.
SUNDAY
Tennis vs. Colorado, 11 a.m.
Softball vs. Texas A&M Neen Archer Ballpark
Softball vs. Texas A&M,
》 TRACK AND FIELD
Baseball vs. Baylor, 1 p.m.
Rowing at Knecht Cup, All day, Camden, N.J.
Kansas big in Texas
Jayhawks bring home 4 titles,5 qualifying marks
BY TAYLOR BERN
Kansas wrapped up the Texas Relays on Saturday, leaving Austin with four individual titles and five regional qualifying marks.
On Saturday, junior Crystal Manning fought off the competition as
conditions and won the triple jump Manning's winning jump of 41 feet, 10.75 inches, qualifies her for the Midwest Regional Championships and sits as the fourth longest in the Big 12
both senior Abby Emsick and junior Barrett Saunders captured victories. Esmick took the discus crown, while Saunders won the long jump.
Saunders' winning jump of 25-10 was a 16-inch improvement on his previous personal best and was the best jump of anyone in the country
Saunders'winning jump of 25-10 was a 16-inch improvement on his previous personal best and was the best jump of anyone in the country so far this season.
Pole vaulters Jordan Scott, Kate Sultanova and Britany Parker were all scheduled to compete on Saturday but were unable to because of the rain.
Conference, Juniors Ashley Brown and Julius Jiles each qualified with their fourth-place finishes in the 100-meter and 110-meter hurdles, respectively. Brown finished in a career-best time of 13.55 seconds, while Jiles finished his preliminary race in 14.18 seconds.
so far this season.
Esmick threw a season-best 175-
05 and won the discus.
During Friday's competition,
his toss of 223-04, and sophomore Zlata Tarasova finished second in theATA Tarasova finished second in the throw of 200-01.
Kansas next competes Friday and Saturday in Norman, Okla., at the Sooner Invitational.
Kansan sportswriter Taylor Bern can be contacted at tbern@kansan.com.
Kansas Relays
The 2007 Kansas Relays are approaching, and the field for the Relays Gold Zone competition was announced last week. The Gold Zone will be April 21 and will bring together many world-class athletes. Here's a look at some of the contestants in the event:
Edited by Carissa Pedigo
Men's Invite 100m Dash
Men's Invite 100m Dash
— Mark Jelks, Rae Edwards and Ivory Williams (Members of the Kansas City Nike Team).
Women's Invite 100m Dash
— Lakadron Ivey (Former Baylor All-American), Alexis Witherspoon (Former USC All-American).
Men's Invite 110m Hurdles — Dominique Arnold (U.S.
record holder). Dudley Dorival
(Two-time Haitian Olympian).
Women's Invite 100m
Hurdles — Joanna Hayes
(2004 Olympic Champion),
Nichole Denby (2006 Kansas
Relays Champ).
Men's Invite 400m Dash
— Renny Quow, Damion Berry and Ato Modibo (Members of Trinidad's World Champion 4x400m relay team), Greg Nixon (2007 U.S. Indoor Champion).
Women's Invite 400m Dash
- Laverne Jones (2004 Olympian). Anastasia Kapachinskaya (Two-time World Champion in the 200m dash).
Men's Invit 400m Hurdles
— Bershawn Jackson (2005 World Champion and two-time Kansas Relays Champion), Ian Weakley (2009 Olympic participant for Jamaica).
Men's Invite 400m Hurdles
Women's Invite 400m
Hurdles — Allison Beckford (2004 Jarnalac Olympian).
Emma Duck (Sixth-fastest 400m hurdle time in England's history).
Women's 800m Dash
Women's Scoot Bash
— Almee Teteris (Former Rice
All-American)
Men's Invite Pole Vault
Nick Hysong (2000 Olympic Champion), Jeff Hartwitt (U.S. Record Holder), Jacob Paull (2005 and 2006 Kansas Relays Champion).
Men's Invit Javelin — Scott Russell (Former KU Champion and Kansas Relays' record holder), Trevor Snider (Former NCAA Champion).
Women's Invite Long Jump
women's invite Long Jump
— Grace Upshaw (Three-
time U.S. Champion and 2004
Olympian), Lael Nelson (2006
Kansas Relays Champion), April
Holliness (Former Baylor All-
American).
Taylor Bern
8 a.m. REGISTRATION
8:30 a.m.WALK
9 a.m. RUN
Hike & Bike Path just south of South Wind 12 Theatres
Entry Fee:
$15 students
$20 adults
$1 raffle tickets
proceeds to benefit:
For entry information:
785.843.7874
or ncarroll@ku.edu
Or register @ the event!
ronald
mcdonald
charities
》 NASCAR
Driver powers way to finish line
BY MIKE HARRIS ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAS VEGAS — Second-year driver Will Power started from the pole and finished at the front Sunday, running away with the inaugural Champ Car World Series Vegas Grand Prix.
While three-time defending series champion Sebastien Bourdais and heralded rookies Graham Rahal and Simon Pagenaud all failed to finish the season-opening 1-hour, 45-minute race, Power never had a problem.
Power said he had been anticipating his first Champ Car win since last fall's race in his native Australia, where he started from the pole for the first time.
"I knew we could win after Surfers Paradise where we got taken out when we had the lead," he said. "This one is sweet."
It appeared for a while that the race would be a battle between Power, last year's top rookie, and
It appeared for a while that the race would be a battle between Power, last year's top rookie, and 2003 series champion Paul Tracy,
who started side-by-side on the front row. But Tracy had an early problem in the pits and wound up third.
"Obviously, Will was quick and I was quick. We were pulling away from everybody," said Tracy, getting a good start on what he hopes will be a comeback year after finishing seventh in the points in, 2006. "But, on my first pit stop, we didn't get all the fuel in and I had to come back in."
The victory was a great birthday present for Team Australia co-owner Derrick Walker, who last celebrated a Champ Car victory in 1999 when Gil de Ferran won at Portland.
With everyone driving the new Panoz DP01 cars in their first racing test, some drivers had problems, with fuel couplers, fuel bladders and gearboxes. But Power's No. 5 entry was perfect and he drove a flawless race.
With different pit strategies by several of the lead-lap cars, Tracy found himself in front late in what turned out to be a 68-lap event. But Power, who lost the lead when he made his final stop on lap 46, was easily the fastest driver on track at that point and likely would have passed Tracy if he hadn't given up the lead on his pit stop on lap 56.
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