TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2005
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
11A
VOLLEYBALL
Rylan Howe/KANSAN
cently be not
Kansas to face top teams
Junior outside hitter Jana Correa makes a dig during a game against Michigan State last Friday at Horeasei Family Athletics Center. The Jayhawks improved to 8-1 on the season after sweeping the Pizza Hut Jayhawk Invitation during the weekend. Conference play will begin this week.
Nearly half of league ranked nationally
BY MATT WILSON
mwilson@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
The Big 12 volleyball season will begin Wednesday with five of the league's 11 teams ranked in the national preseason top 25 poll.
Coach Ray Bechard said he knew that what his team has seen thus far will pale in comparison to the stiff competition the Jayhawks will face from now on.
Kansas was picked to finish fifth in the conference by the league's coaches in the preseason. The Jayhawks have dominated their pre-conference opponents en route to an 8-1 record.
"The Big 12 will be the very best it's been in my 8 years here," he said.
"There are four or five Sweet Sixteen teams this year. You better be ready every night in this league."
The overwhelming favorite this year is Nebraska. The Huskers are ranked first in the nation and are the defending conference champions.
They finished the 2004 season with a perfect conference record for the fourth time in five years.
Sophomore outside hitter Sarah Paven was tabbed preseason player of the year. She was an all-American selection last season, becoming the first freshman in Nebraska history to earn that honor.
Nebraska was ousted from the NCAA Tournament in the regional finals by eventual na
tional champion, Southern California.
Missouri was picked second in the poll. The Tigers will enter conference play ranked 10th in the country and are coming off a sweep of No.9 Wisconsin.
The Tigers will return six starters off last year's NCAA Tournament squad. Looking to the future, Missouri has only one senior on its 2005 roster.
Texas was picked third. The Longhorns graduated two all-Americans and have only four starters returning from last year's team.
Kansas' opponent Wednesday, Texas A&M, was selected fourth. The Aggies, like the Jayhawks, advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament last season.
They will be aided, however, by junior middle blocker Jennifer Todd. This will be Todd's first season in Austin after transferring from Washington State, and she was named the Big 12 preseason newcomer of the year.
Senior outside hitter Laura Jones is the anchor for the Aggies. Jones was an all-American last year and is expected to be this season as well.
We know we'll have to play well to win. Having a sustained effort for the entire match is the biggest thing for us."
Ray Bechard
Kansas Volleyball Coach
Kansas junior*outside hitter Jana Correa said the Jayhawks were looking forward to the tough start to the season.
"I think we are ready to play, but it will be pretty hard," Correa said. "The competition will make us a better team. A&M is a very good team.
The Jayhawks are ranked fifth in the league, followed by Kansas State. Baylor and Colorado tied for seventh in the voting and preceded Oklahoma and Texas Tech. Iowa State rounded out the poll in 11th. Oklahoma State does not field a team.
Beachard said the Jayhawks had a lot to learn from last season. He said the team was inconsistent at times during the 2004 campaign, finishing in a sixth-place tie.
Bechard said that with the talent level in the Big 12 this season, the team couldn't afford to let its guard down at any point during the season.
In order for the Jayhawks to start off on the right foot, they will have to be sharo Wednesday night.
"We know we'll have to play well to win," he said. "Having a sustained effort for the entire match is the biggest thing for us."
- Edited by Erick R. Schmidt
ATHLETIGS CALENDAR
TODAY
- Men's golf, NCAA Central Regional Preview, all day, Chardon, Ohio
TOMORROW
♦ Volleyball vs. Texas A&M, 7 p.m., Horejsi Family Athletics Center
♦ Women's golf, Ptermigan/Ram Fall Classic, all day, Fort Collins, Colo.
FRIDAY
♦ Soccer vs. UC Irvine, 5 p.m., Jayhawk Soccer Complex
SATURDAY
- Tennis, Tulsa Invitational, all day, Tulsa, Okla. *
- Volleyball vs. Oklahoma, 1 p.m., Horejsi Family Athletics Center
- Tennis, Tulsa Invitational, all day, Tulsa, Okla.
- Football vs. Louisiana Tech, 6 p.m., Memorial Stadium
ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT Big Jay leads the way
After trailing in the Capital One Mascot Challenge for most of last week, Big Jay defeated Washington State University's Butch T. Cougar in the first round of competition. Big Jay won by nearly 1,000 votes after trailing by as many as 2,000 during the week. The two mascots received the most votes of any in the round. Mascots are paired up each week for an 11-week period. In the second round of the mascot challenge, Big Jay is paired with Baylor University's Bruiser. Bruiser lost to Auburn University's Aubie.
Currently, Big Jay leads Bruiser by more than 4,000 votes.The second round of competition ends Sept.19. Next week Big Jay will face off against Aubie.
Ryan Schneider
BIG 12 FOOTBALL
Conference names players of the week
DALLAS — Texas quarterback Vince Young and Iowa State cornerback La-Marcus Hicks and punter Troy Blankenship were named Big 12 players of the week yesterday.
Young passed 18-29 for 270 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 76 yards in the Longhorns' 25-22 victory against the Buckeyes to earn offensive honors.Hicks, defensive player of the week, returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown and recovered a fumble in Iowa State's 23-3 upset of No. 8 Iowa.
Blankenship placed three punts inside Iowa's 20-yard line for special teams honors.
The Associated Press
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