2B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Red Lyon Tavern
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2005
944 Mass.
832-8228
SPORTS
- Women's volleyball vs. Texas A&M, 7 p.m., Horeisi Family Athletics Center
TODAY
♦ Soccer vs. UC Irvine, 5 p.m.
Jayhawk vs. Soccer Complex
♦ Tennis, Tulsa Invitational, all day, Tulsa, OKa.
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
Volleyball vs. Oklahoma, 1 p.m.
Horeisi Family Athletics Center
- tennis, Tulsa Invitational, all day, Tulsa, Okla.
Football vs. Louisiana Tech, 6 p.m., Memorial Stadium
SUNDAY
- Soccer at Purdue, 1 p.m., West Lafayette, Ind.
Tennis, Tulsa Invitational, all day, Tulsa, Okla.
GOLF
Jayhawks in top 10 at tournaments
KU golfer Gary Woodland leads all individual scores after two rounds of golf at the Cleveland State Invitational in Chardon, Ohio.
The junior golfer fired back-to-back rounds of 67 and 66.
As a team, Kansas is in ninth place out of 17 teams after a two-round total of 594. Texas Christian University leads the tournament with a two-round total of 574.
The Kansas women's golf team is in seventh place out of 19 teams in a separate tournament in Fort Collins, Colo. The Jayhawks shot a two-round total of 597 in the Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic.
Baylor leads the tournament with a two-round total of 564. Junior golfer Amanda Costner led the Jayhawks with rounds of 72 and 71. She is tied for sixth place individually.
- Kansan staff report
FOOTBALL Fans invited to give to relief effort
FOOTBALL
The Kansas Athletics Department announced it is inviting fans to "Bring a Buck to the Game" on Saturday when the football team plays Louisiana Tech.
The department will collect donations at each gate of Memorial Stadium.
Donations will be collected by student-athletes, coaches department staff and several student organizations 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Proceeds collected at the game will benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina and will be donated to the American Red Cross Gulf Coast Disaster Fund.
Earlier this month, the department made a $10,000 donation to the relief effort.
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Contact Kellis Robinett
or Eric Sorrentino at
864-4840 or sports@kanan.com.
TALK TO US
Ryan Schneider
SOFTBALL
Jessica Moppin, then junior infielder, throws to first base for an out against Baylor last season and Arrocha Ballpark. Last season, the Jayhawks made it to the NCAA Regional in Athens, Ga.
Rylan Howe/KANSAN
SOFTBALL
Seniors seek success
BY SAM CARLSON
scarlson@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
The Kansas softball team, led by six seniors, plans to build on last season's success after its first week of practice.
The veterans will lead the Jayhawks, and new faces will be expected to make a big impact on the team as well. Senior infielder Jessica Moppin, who received AllBig 12 honors last season, will be a vital component to the success of the program.
Moppin said the team was coming together, despite only having practiced together for one week.
"There's definitely room for improvement," she said. "But I think we look fundamentally sound right now."
Moppin said success at the plate would come later in the preseason practices. Not able to hit against live pitching during the summer makes it hard to adjust to the first practices, she said.
The softball team made it to the NCAA Regional last year, something it hadn't done in six years. The last time the Jayhawks made it to the regional tournament was 1999.
Moppin said having a taste of postseason success motivated the team to work toward the same goal. Senior outfielder Heather Stanley said the seniors this year were no strangers to leading the team.
"We had to step up last year and try to be leaders, so this year we actually know how to do it," she said.
Stanley was selected to the All-Big 12 First Team last season, along with senior infielder Destiny Frankenstein.
Stanley said she was impressed with the fresh players so far.
The team is further ahead than it was this time last year, and this year's freshmen are more advanced than previous freshman classes, she said.
The expectations are high for the five freshmen who will be making their Kansas softball debut this fall.
"They seem like they really want to be here and they want to work hard, and that's just what
we ask of them." Stanlev said.
Freshman third baseman Val Chapple and freshman pitcher Valerie George highlight the cast of newcomers. Both earned All-American honors in high school. Kansas' defense ranked 14th in the nation and second in the Big 12 last season. The team's .973 fielding percentage was the best in the history of the program.
"The team chemistry is awesome," Moppin said. "It's the best it has been since I've been here, and this is my senior year. There's no selfishness, and the team knows what needs to be done when it takes the field."
"The freshmen have a really good outlook on things, and we know how far we can go," she said.
Stanley said she also thought that the team had a strong bond, and that the freshmen fit in well with the program.
The Jayhawks will kick off the fall season when they play host to the Kansas Softball Invitational on Sept. 24 and 25.
EXPERIENCE REAL WORLD SUCCESS IN OUR WORLD
Edited by Alison Peterson