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MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TENNIS
Texas teams leave Kansas winless in Big 12 play
TYLER CONOVER
tconover@kansan.com
FRIDAY
In need of a spark to make a run in the Big 12, the Jayhawk tennis team was unable to fend off a duo of teams from Texas. The No. 29 Texas Longhorns and the No. 15 Texas Tech Red Raiders were able to ground the Jayhawks to 0-6 in conference play. The loss dropped Kansas to 8-8 for the spring.
Kansas needed to start well
in order to be in good shape going into singles play against the Longhorns. Unfortunately, the Jayhawks dropped two of three in doubles play and were unable to overcome the early losses. The lone win in doubles play came from freshman Anastasija Trubica and senior Victoria Khanevskaya.
When singles play started,
Kansas was down 1-0 and was
unable to gain traction, losing
all but one match. The single
Jayhawk victory came from
Trubica, who played well all day. Going into the match, singles play was a concern for Kansas because Texas has two-time ITA All-American Aerial Ellis who, true to form, won in doubles play and beat Maria Jose Cardona (7-6, 6-2) in singles play.
The match was not how the Jayhawks wanted to enter Sunday's match against No.15 Texas Tech.
SUNDAY
For the second straight game.
Kansas lost two of three in doubles play, and for the second straight match, Anastasija Trubica and Victoria Khanevskaya were the lone duo to get a victory. Kansas, coming off a loss on Friday to Texas, was in need of a conference win to escape a last place conference tie and snap, a now, 21 game, Big 12 play losing streak.
The Jayhawks were unable to mount a comebreak and dropped the match 6-1. Managing two wins in singles play, the Jayhawks are left among the winless this
spring in Big 12 play. The only other school in the Big 12 without a conference win is West Virginia (0-7) as of Sunday.
Something will have to change this weekend as Kansas takes on West Virginia this Friday at the Jayhawk Tennis Center. The match is set to begin at 2 p.m.
- Edited by Elise Reuter
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
EMILY WITTLER/KANSAN
Seniors Monica Engelman, Angel Goodrich and Carolyn Davis pose during Senior Night on March 5 at Allen Fieldhouse. The seniors combined for 43 points in their 74-67 win against Texas Christian University.
Goodrich and Davis await WNBA picks
mgoodwin@kansan.com
MAX GOODWIN
It is decision time for the 12 teams of the WNBA. Tonight at 7 p.m., each organization will decide which college seniors they are willing to bet the future of their franchises on in the 2013 WNBA Draft.
Angel Goodrich, the all-time assists leader in Kansas basketball history, is still waiting to find out where she will end up.
Some of the mock drafts Goodrich has seen project she will be drafted in the top half of the first round, but she wasn't one of the 12 players invited to attend the draft in New York, so she said she's not exactly sure what to expect.
"It is kind of like 'what does that mean?' Goodrich said. "I not too worried though. I'm just ready to get it over with, to see where I'm going."
New York Liberty coach Bill Laimbeer said the players who will be selected between the 4th and 16th picks are "pretty muddled together," according to a recent article on ESPNW.com. Kansas seniors Angel Goodrich and Carolyn Davis are both likely to be selected in that range.
"I've been working out all week, and that's where my mind has been because of everything," Goodrich said. "I just want to get to the point where I know where I'm going and just not think about it anymore."
The Phoenix Mercury are expected to select Baylor forward Brittney Griner for its first pick. The next two players off the board will be Notre Dame guard Skylar Diggins and Delaware forward Elena Della Donne. After that, the projections become anybody's guess.
Davis and Goodrich have dreamed about professional basketball since they were kids.
Goodrich, a 5-foot-4 point guard,
has the ability to make passes
that most others would never see,
according to Kansas coach Bonnie
Henrickson.
Davis, a 6-foot-3 forward, can dominate a game in transition or in half-court offense. Davis is known for her ability to catch any pass that comes into the post, and most of the time she finishes the play with a score, shooting over 60 percent and scoring 15.6 points per game in her career at Kansas.
Goodrich grew up playing basketball in the driveway with her brother. She would pretend she was Allen Iverson. She had his shoes and gear. She wore his number, three, on her jersey for most of her Kansas career.
"Because he was little and quick."
Goodrich said. "He was big time for me"
They have spent many evenings together watching WNBA or NBA games on TV. The two of them roomed together for a year in Jayhawker Towers and rented an apartment off-campus this past year.
Davis is a student of the game. She watches both NBA and WNBA games regularly and receives all of the updates on her phone. Goodrich watches the games Davis says will be a good matchup.
Goodrich said Davis is like an older sister, even though she's younger. Davis is an old soul.
"When I first got here, there wasn't anything about women's basketball," Goodrich said. "Nothing at all. I wanted to go somewhere where I could make a difference, and I feel like we did that."
Together they helped breathe new life into women's basketball at Kansas. Henrickson has said several times this season that when they leave, the program will be in a better place than it was when they arrived.
They met up in Kansas for a reason. Both hoped to make a difference at a major university.
Now, as Goodrich and Davis leave the program they came to change, they do so after two consecutive appearances in the Sweet Sixteen.
"I feel like we came in and made a little noise." Davis said after earning a trip to the Sweet Sixteen this season. "I think we've changed the face of women's basketball here."
Senior guard Monica Engelman said Goodrich and Davis are both smart, funny people. They are prone to sarcasm and keep their teammates laughing.
Though they are considering a couple of the same agents, they will make the decision separately.
Most people hope to make friends and memories that will last a lifetime during their college years.
"Now it's just like we're growing up and we've got to make our own decisions and figure out what's best for each other and ourselves," Goodrich said. "It's sad, but it's really exciting. We've been here. Now, that's our next step. It's just the next chapter of our book."
For Davis and Goodrich, those friends are their teammates and those memories are the collection of moments spent with them. Those memories include when their teammates would visit Davis and Goodrich's apartment.
Teammates would come over to use the washer and dryer, cook, watch the games and do each other's hair as they rested their legs after practices.
"It's the hang out spot," Goodrich said. "Like if our teammates just want to come off campus and hang out instead of just crunching in the Towers, it's a nice place for that. It's a really good place to just chill."
There are not many of those times left with their teammates for Goodrich and Davis in their apartment.
Both of them knew this day was coming. The next time Davis and Goodrich are on the same court, it will likely be in different uniforms. No more going out to eat together after wins to celebrate; no more staying up late and dissecting the mistakes made in a loss.
They will likely be parting ways after tonight, but neither Davis nor Goodrich can forget how they witnessed each other grow during their time in Lawrence. In the beginning, they hardly spoke, but before long they became inseparable.
"I hope we get together at least one more time to hang out because we're not going to see each other," Goodrich said.
Goodrich used her experience recovering from two torn ACLs to help Davis recover from a torn ACL and dislocated knee last year. It was the type of injury that could end a career. Davis has told Goodrich about her life and taught her how to push through the difficult times with a smile and a positive attitude.
They've learned a lot from each other.
The apartment they share, the one that was so often filled with sounds of laughing teammates, the smells of dinner simmering and the feeling of home, will soon be empty.
1
After tonight, Davis and Goodrich will likely take divergent paths, but the lessons they taught each other will remain ingrained in each of them.
"I don't know where she's gonna end up or where I'm gonna end up," Goodrich said. "But I hope that we stay connected wherever we go because that's a friendship that I really want to keep. We've been through so much together these last four years. I love her like a sister: She's family."
Edited by Brian Sisk