THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2005
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 12A
VOLLEYBALL
Jayhawks dominate
Kansas wins eighth straight season-opener
Andi Rozum, senior setter, sets the ball up for a spike by Josi Lima, senior middle blocker, during the volleyball match Saturday at Horeisi Family Athletic Center. The Jayhawks defeated the Kangaroos three games to none in a best of five match.
BY MATT WILSON
mwilson@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Kansas outmatched the University of Missouri Kansas City Saturday night in the finale of the State Farm Jayhawk Classic, winning 3-0 for its second straight victory.
Kansas volleyball coach Ray Bechard said he was pleased with the initial performance of his team.
The Jayhawks jumped all over the Kangaroo in game one. They quickly led 17-6 en route to a 30-18 blowout. Kansas topped a gaudy .542 attack percentage in a balanced effort at the net. UMKC, in contrast, had eight errors against six kills.
"In game one we were very clean," Bechard said. "We defended well."
From there, the Jayhawks seemed to lose the emotion that carried them in game one. UMKC went toe-to-toe with Kansas before falling 30-27. Senior middle blocker Josi Lima had five kills in the game, and the Jayhawks outblocked the Kangaroos 5-3.
Junior outside hitter Jana Correa said she noticed more of a slip in Kansas' game than an improvement in UMKC's game as the night progressed.
gressed.
"I think it was definitely more us," Correa said.
"We put a lot of pressure on ourselves because, in the Big 12, it's going to be tough. We want to be perfect."
The Jayhawks continued to struggle in game three. UMKC held a late 26-25 lead, but Kansas reeled off three straight points to regain control and close out the match. The Jayhawks won 30-28.
Lima led the Jayhawks with 12 kills on the evening. Freshman middle blocker Savannah Noyes was Kansas' most efficient attacker for the second consecutive match, hitting at a 667 attacking percentage, with nine kills. Senior defensive specialist/libero Jamie Mathewson had 10 blocks for her second straight double-digit performance.
performance.
Bechard said he was not pleased with the flat performance by the Jayhawks following the rout in game one.
SEE DOMINATE ON PAGE 8A
Kansas falls to Wisconsin in OT
Holly Gault, junior defender, and Amy Vermauilen, senior midfielder, try to get a head on the ball during a KU corner kick. The Jayhawks lost to the Badgers 3-2 in the first overtime yesterday in Topeka.
Justin O'Neal/KANSAN
BY ALISSA BAUER
abauer@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
With less than three minutes left in the game's first overtime, No. 23 Wisconsin was awarded a goal to defeat No. 25 Kansas, 3-2.
Yesterday's Kansas soccer game ended with the ultimate indignity: an own-goal.
Sophomore defender Afton Sauer and junior midfielder Michelle Rasmussen each attempted to clear the ball from the net, without success. Sauer appeared to knock the ball into her net while attempting to save it. The winning goal was charged to Kansas as an own-goal.
Wisconsin senior forward Amy Vermeulen took a shot from the corner. Sophomore goalkeeper Colleen Quinn deflected the ball to a pair of Kansas defenders who had made their way to the goal to help.
"There was no way to get it off the line," Sauer said. "We were dominating the whole game and they got one lucky chance and we just didn't clear it out. It just sucks to lose that way."
Of the seven shots on goal, Quinn saved four. The story was similar for Wisconsin's sophomore keeper Lynn Murray, who allowed two goals while saving four.
Kansas out shot its opponent 15-12, but for the first time the team had fewer shots on goal than Wisconsin, 7-6.
Kansas coach Mark Francis said he didn't blame Quinn for the goals.
kansan.com
SEE FALLS ON PAGE 8A
Check out
kansan.com/galleries to see more photos from this weekend's soccer games
A TEXAN'S TAKE
ERIC SORRENTINO esorrentino@kansan.com
Athletes need to walk away from off-court altercations
Enough is enough. This is not what Kansas athletics is about.
is about.
A week ago, Kansas prepared for the start of the football season. This was an opportunity for the Jayhawks to start on a clean slate after the fallout of departed running back John Randle. Then there was an incident at a Kenny Chesney concert involving sophomore fullback Bruce Ringwood.
more tunnels in basketball team is still having problems after current and former members were spotted at Abe and Jake's Landing, 8.E. Sixth St., Saturday night when several fights started.
The Lawrence Police Department responded to a brawl that erupted at Abe and Jake's earlier that night. Tyler Tromaden, Abe and Jake's manager, said student athletes did not initiate the brawl, but tried to break it up.
Sophomore guard Rodrick Stewart was injured during the incident and treated at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Former guard Aaron Miles and former forward Moulaye Niang were also seen at the hospital.
ward Montague Nang were used to help I hope Rodrick's recovering well, but it never should have to come to this.
I'm aware that student athletes undergo enormous pressure to succeed on the field or on the court. I can understand the difficulty of constant expectations to excel, even in the offseason. But there are different ways to deal with these types of incidents.
I propose a simple solution: walk away.
Below are several reasons why student athletes need to walk away from these kinds of situations.
First, while it's admirable to try and break up a fight from getting out of control, it would be unfortunate to get hurt in the process. Student athletes should consider their personal safety. An individual in a fight could be carrying a knife — or even a gun. It is not worth the risk.
Furthermore, athletes should consider their athletic careers. Helping or being involved in a brawl can turn into disaster. For instance, athletes should not risk their athletic and so on.
The Bruce Ringwood incident at a Kenny Chesney concert and, most recently, Rodrick Stewart being injured at a nightclub are examples of why student athletes need to avoid confrontation.
their athletic and or professional careers on getting involved in a bar brawl.
Also, consider the reputation of Kansas Athletics, which has declined during the past year. Randle was arrested five times since November 2003. Giddens left the school in the offseason after getting stabbed in his right calf. Kansas football coach Mark Mangino suspended Ringwood last week for assaulting a woman and her husband at a Kenny Chesney concert at Kemper Arena. Now, the Abe and Jake's incident happens.
in brains.
Athletes should have a social life, but there are ways to go out and have a good time without the police getting involved. When the night ends, we should be concentrating on beating Kansas State and Missouri instead of diverting attention to the hospital.
I know every athlete isn't responsible for these incidents. Simply put, though, this is embarrassing.
Many student athletes come to the University on a partial or full-ride scholarship. They should not undermine the value of a free education by getting involved in brawls.
So do yourselves, the fans and the police all a favor — walk away.
Sorrentino is a Plano, Texas, senior in journalism. He is Kansan associate sports editor.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
The NCAA hasn't yet cleared Brandon Rush to play basketball on an athletic scholarship, but he is a student at the University of Kansas.
BY MIRANDA LENNING
mlenning@kansan.com
KANSAN SENIOR SPORTSWITCH
Recruiting Web site rivals com ranked Rush as the 13th best player in the class of 2005 and the second-best small forward, behind Kansas freshman Julian Wright.
Rush, the 6-foot-6 guard from Kansas City, Mo., enrolled at the
"The school closed so they couldn't send them," Jacobs said.
Rush enrolls at University, waits for scholarship clearance
Rush was not able to retrieve the transcripts from Mt. Zion Academy in Durham, N.C., one of the four high schools he attended. Iacobs said.
University on Friday, said his grandmother, Jeannette Jacobs.
Rush has been linked to the University for several weeks, but can't become academically
eligible for a scholarship until the NCAA approves all of his transcripts.
Or ch
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She said the clearinghouse did
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"All of his transcripts are valid, he just couldn't get them," she said.
finally receive all of her grandson's transcripts and he expected to be cleared early this week.
Enrolling at the University increases the likelihood that Rush will be wearing a Jayhawks uniform this year.
Brandon's older brother
JaRon Rush was influential in Brandon's decision to choose Kansas over Illinois and Indiana, Jacobs said. She said JaRon Rush, who played basketball at UCLA, encouraged his brother to go to Kansas and stay close to home.
"They had a nice phone conversation about it," Jacobs said. "His brother told him it would be
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good for him to stay close to home so he could see him play."
Brandon Rush originally declared for the NBA draft, but withdrew his name. Jacobs said she didn't know if Brandon Rush would attend classes this morning, but said she thought he would wait until he is cleared.
i
— Edited by Katie Lohrenz
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