Page 14
Monday, July 22, 2013
The University Daily Kansan
VOLLEYBALL
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
Freshman middle blocker Janae Hall of the Blue team gets ready to block her opponent from the Crimson team senior middle blocker Tayler Tolefree's attack during the Crimson and Blue match at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center last fall.
Upcoming season relies on seniors
NATHAN FORDYCE
nfordyce@kansan.com
The Kansas volleyball team is coming off one of the best seasons in program history and is poised to make a big splash this season as it has nine upperclassmen to help anchor the team.
The team will begin its 2013 season with nine out of 10 games on the road.
Kansas will also have 14 matches against teams that made it the NCAA tournament a year ago, including defending national champion Texas.
"If we've ever been equipped to handle a schedule like that, this would be the year," coach Ray Bechard said. "Hopefully with a team that's been through three, four years of Big 12 battle, they'll be able to handle that, a very difficult non-conference road schedule this fall."
Bechard, who is heading into his 16th season as Kansas' coach, said the team has lofty goals, but with the national champion looming within the conference, the goals are realistic ones.
"All goals have to be realistic and challenging," Bechard said. "We were a top-three team last year in the Big 12, and that certainly would be a goal again this year. We were an NCAA
participant last year and got to host.
"The NCAA tournament and the Big 12 finish are two very important goals of ours. We want to have an upper finish in the Big 12 — top three, top two — whatever that may be, and I know this team wants to get back to the NCAA tournament."
Last season, the team set a program record with 17 victories inside Horeisi Family Athletic Center.
It should come as no surprise that the Jayhawks are playing the majority of their non-conference games on the road.
Bechard said teams aren't afraid to come to Lawrence to challenge the Jayhawks.
"You want to set up your nonconference road schedule to where you're going to have success, and we're no different than anyone else," Bechard said. "The sense is, KU was pretty good last year and they got all these players returning."
With the experienced team. Bechard said it doesn't have a glaring weakness, provided the injury bug avoids the team.
He also said the team has strengths that rest on both the offensive and defensive side.
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Bechard said the team needs to be more aggressive on serves and continue to improve and not get complacent on being where they are were a year ago.
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"I think we can hit the ground running because we feel like we can be a good team, but we can't forget how hard it was last fall," Bechard said. "In this league, it's much easier to take two or three steps back than it is to take one big step forward."
Edited Megan Hinman
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