THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 30,2005
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 11A
SOCCER
Josh Kirk/KANSAN
Caroline Smith, Kansas senior forward, stays in control of the ball as Becky Olson, middle, Texas A&M senior, tails behind her during last Saturday's game in Lawrence. The Javahawks have an away game against Nebraska today at 4 p.m.
Ready for round two
Loss motivates Kansas
BY ALISSA BAUER
abauer@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
It's been almost a year since Nebraska ended the Jayhawks run in the NCAA Tournament. Even though it's been a year, the heartbreak still drives them to reverse last years outcome.
"Ive seen them play the last two years," freshman forward Jessica Bush said.
"So I know last year when Nebraska beat us it was very heart-breaking. We just decided that we're not going to go through that again."
The Jayhawks will face off against Nebraska and Iowa State this weekend. They will travel to Lincoln, Neb., first and seek revenge at their 4 p.m. game.
One more assist this weekend would put senior forward Caroline Smith past former Jayhawk Hilla Rantala as the all-time assist leader in the history of Kansas soccer.
Nebraska and Iowa State stand in the way of the record. The Cornhuskers have had the Jayhawks' number lately on the soccer field.
Smith continues to lead the Jayhawk offense with five goals and three assists.
Freshman forward Jessica Bush has four goals and two assists on the season.
Sophomore keeper Colleen Quinn has contributed to four of the five Kansas shutouts of the year. All five Kansas victories have come via shutouts. In her eight starts, Quinn has racked
up 35 saves and a 1.11 GAA.
The Jayhawks (5-4-1, 1-1 Big 12) will play a well-rested 'Huskers team. A 2-1 comeback victory against Colorado last Friday was the last time Nebraska (6-3-0, 1-0 Big 12) took the field. Kansas will head to Ames, Iowa, to take on Iowa State at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
"I know a lot of us have family coming so we're extra motivated," junior midfielder Rasmussen said. "We're excited for every game we play, but Nebraska is definitely one we want to beat."
Kansas will have to defend against Nebraska sophomore midfielder Jessie Bruch and junior forward Brittany Timko.
the tandem hooked up for the goal and assist for both scores against Colorado. Timko now ranks second in the nation with 1.11 assists per game.
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"We're excited for every game we play, but Nebraska is definitely one we want to beat."
Michelle Rasmussen Junior midfielder
The 'Huskers have shot a solid 54 percent on goal, accumulating 18 goals this season, while holding their opponents to a combined 10.
SOFTBALL
Practice game develops skills
In goal, freshman Jamie Klages and junior Katie Wright have split time as keepers.
"We lost to them twice last year," senior forward Caroline Smith said. "So we owe them a little something."
SEE KANSAS ON PAGE 8A
BY SAM CARLSON
scarlson@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWRIETER
The Kansas softball team wore practice jerseys while the coaches took turns playing umpire in a scrimmage against William Jewell yesterday.
The game ended after 13.5 innings instead of the standard seven innings. After the fourth inning, the William Jewell Cardinals went up to bat with at least one runner on base each inning.
Despite this advantage, William Jewell managed only one run against Kansas. The Jayhawks defeated the Cardinals 13-1.
The game gave both teams a chance to play before the spring season begins. Despite the absence of umpires and official rules, Kansas softball coach Tracy Bunge said the game was a valuable experience for the Jawahrs.
"It puts us in a situation where we've got somebody else and we
don't know how they are going to react," she said.
The scrimmage allowed the team to experiment with stealing bases and bunting. The Jayhawks also mixed up their defensive positions.
Bunge said she wasn't concerned with the opponent, but rather on a way to work on the elements of the game her team needs to work on.
"I don't think it really helps our confidence that much or hurts our confidence," she said. "I think it helps our learning experience."
Junior pitcher Kassie Humphreys said the team benefited from facing different pitchers than the ones in practice.
Humphreys had strong performance, pitching eight innings, throwing 18 strikeouts and allowing only one hit. At bat, she went 3-4 with two doubles and a single.
SEE PRACTICE ON PAGE 8A
Rachel Sevmour/KANSAN
Junior Jayhawk picther Kassie Humphrey recieves a high five from a fellow teammate after pitching during the fourth inning. Kansas played a practice game against William Jewell Thursday.
VOLLEYBALL
Josh Kirk/KANSAN
Andi Rozum, senior setter, sets up another play during last Saturday's game against Baylor. The Jayhawks will play Colorado in an away game this Saturday.
Bludgeoning Buffaloes a point of pride for Hawks
BY MATT WILSON
mwilson@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
The Jayhawks will try to put a little swagger back in their step and pick up their first conference road victory of the year when they play against Colorado at the Coors Events Center Saturday night. First serve is set for 8 p.m.
Wednesday's loss to Texas Tech was the low point of the season for the Jayhawks. Kansas committed 34 attack errors and hit a season-low.075. The Jayhawks have not been swept since last year against Nebraska on Nov. 12.
Senior middle blocker Josi Lima broke the Kansas all-time kills record in the loss against Texas Tech. She said Kansas would not overlook Colorado despite a match with in-state rival Kansas State looming next week.
Kansas (11-3, 3-2 Big 12) has lost two of its last three matches, both losses coming on the road. Last season, the Jayhawks were 3-7 away from home in conference matches.
The Kansas volleyball team was swept for the first time in 20 matches Wednesday night against Texas Tech.
Kansas again will face a lower-tier Big 12 opponent. The Buffaloes are 5-5 this year with a 1-4 mark in conference play. They are fresh off a 3-0 loss to Iowa State in Ames, Iowa. Colorado sits in ninth place in the conference standings.
"Every time we play Colorado, it seems like we never play well," she said. "We just need to go over there and beat them."
The Buffaloes are led by two preseason all-conference players. Junior setter Ashley Nu'u is third in the Big 12 Conference with 13.39 assists per game, just behind Kansas senior setter Andi Rozum, who averages 13.84. Senior right side hitter Allie Griffin is second in the conference in kills with 5.09 per game. Both Nu'u and Griffin received all-conference honors for Colorado at the end of 2004.
Colorado coach Pii'Ai Aiu amassed a 148-91 record in his eight previous years with the Buffalooes. He guided his clubs to six NCAA Tournament appearances and he has made it as far as the Sweet 16 in 1997.
Last season the Jayhawks lost in Boulder 3-0. They won the return match in Lawrence to split the season series. Colorado has dominated the Jayhawks to the tune of a 50-8 record over the years. Kansas has won four of the last six meetings between the clubs, dating back to 2002.
Kansas volleyball coach Ray Bechard said the Jayhawks needed to work on passing and serving. Texas Tech outperformed Kansas in both of those areas on Wednesday.
"I know they're backed into a corner with their record where it is," he said of Colorado. "I know we're going to get a very inspired effort from them."
Bechard said they needed to win and build some momentum before worrying about Kansas State next Wednesday.
"We've got to give every effort Saturday in order to be in good shape for that match," he said. "We are focused on this one first."
Edited by Patrick Ross
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Kansas fans will get their first glimpse of the 2005-06 Jayhawks on the court at Late Night with Bill Self on Oct. 14. Kansas players, though, have been using scrimmages during the summer and in boot camp to get to know each other's playing styles.
Boot camp primes 'Hawks for Late Night
For the next two weeks of boot camp, the Jayhawks will play pick-up games on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. With the start of the season just around the corner, the Jayhawks hope they can take what they have been working on in the offseason and apply it.
BY MIRANDA LENNING
mlenning@kansan.com
KANSAN SENIOR SPORTSWRIVER
The Jayhaws select different teams each day they play pick up, just to make sure they get a feel for
Freshman forward Julian Wright said the games were more organized than they were in the summer. Players applied techniques they worked on in their individual workouts and boot camp. Wright said.
"We aren't just playing street ball anymore," Wright said. "Our chemistry is not there, but everyone is starting to apply the defensive stuff we've been working on and stuff they learned in individual workouts."
"Compared to last season I think we are in better shape, because in the spring we worked really hard and we were here in June and July working," Case said. "We only went home for two weeks and then came back and started working again."
The Jayhawks might even be better conditioned for their pick-up games this year than they were last year. Redshirt sophomore guard Jeremy Case said a strict offseason workout regimen helped the team get in better shape.
Case said the coaches recommended that players stay in town for the summer to get ahead in their conditioning, but it was a team decision to put in the extra effort.
all of their teammates. The games are five-on-five, and the first team to seven points wins. One point is given for each basket.
"As a team we all thought we should be here and that we had something to prove this year," Case said.
One thing the Jayhawks hope to find through boot camp and pick-up games is a leader. Case said players were still learning to play together, but he expected someone to emerge as the Jayhawks' leader.
SEE CAMP ON PAGE 10A
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