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SPORTS / THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
Jayhawks'attack errors cause four-set loss to Baylor
BY IAN CUMMINGS icummings@kansan.com
Freshman middle blocker Caroline Jarmoc attacks the Baylor defense Wednesday at Horesi Family Athletic Center. The Jayhawks won their first set, before falling the next three to lose the match to the Baylor Bears.
Senior outside hitter Karina Garlington dives for the ball Wednesday against Baylor. The Jayhawks won the first set but fell 3-1 to the Bears.
The layhawks struggled with hitting errors in a four-set loss to the Baylor Bears Wednesday. The Baylor defense is ranked No. 2 in the nation. After the match, coach Ray Bechard pointed out the 33 attack errors that cost his team the match.
the match.
"I wish that number right there would go away," he said.
Despite recording more digs and more blocks than the Bears — and winning the first set — things got worse for the Jayhawks' offense each time the team took the court. Senior outside hitters Karina Garlington and Jenna Kaiser led the Kansas offense with 12 kills each, but it was not enough to overcome the Baylor defense.
Kaiser said she wasn't sure what caused so many offensive plays to go wrong.
"I have no idea what actually happened between the pass and the hit," Kaiser said. "Sometimes things aren't right; your feet aren't there. It just very frustrating this time of year."
The most difficult part about the match, Garlington said, was not bouncing back after the Bears started to gain the upper hand.
"It's frustrating to see us do after all of our hard work," she said. "To see a team push us and us not respond."
Kansas drops to seventh in conference play with the loss. Baylor improves to 15-13 and 8-9 in the Big 12.
Kansas (16-12, 7-10 Big 12) took a lead early in the first set, with Kaiser scoring three kills and junior outside hitter Allison Mayfield contributing a kill and an ace. But Baylor (16-12, 7-10, Big 12) reacted quickly and kept the game close. The Bears took a three-point lead midway through the set behind some Kansas errors and kills by Baylor senior middle blocker Elizabeth Graham and senior outside hitter Ashleigh Christenson. Mayfield took three shots in succession, with the help of several teammates who kept the volley going until the outside hitter registered a kill. Baylor held a slim lead for much of the set with several players producing kills and by benefiting from Kansas errors. Surprisingly, Baylor did not overwhelm Kansas with digs: the jayhawks scored six more digs in the first set. Kansas continued to see plays go badly at the
net as the set went into the final stretch at 19-20. Kills by Kaiser and Mayfield helped the layhawks regain the lead, and a block by Mayfield and redshirt freshman middle blocker Caroline Jarmoc ended the set 25-23.
The Bears opened the second set with four unanswered points before Mayfield scored a kill for the Jayhawks. Baylor responded with a block and proceeded to establish a four-point lead. Neither team had many outright offensive successes, but the Jayhawcs caught up and took the lead behind kills by Mayfield and Kaiser. The Jayhawcs extended their lead to three points at 11-8 after Garlington combined with Jarmoc for a block and then scored a kill. Garlington and Jarmoc continued to have success, recording another kill and another block, respectively, while freshman libero Brianne Riley worked hard to keep the ball away from the floor.
The layhawks seemed at times to fall into mild disorder, requiring defensive specialists to scramble to save points. Both teams saw
their offensive efforts blunted by errors and tough defense in the second set, but the Jayhawks' hitting efficiency dropped to .043 while the Bears slowly gained ground. Kansas battled back in the final stretch of the game and narrowed Baylor's lead to three points behind big plays by Garlington, Kaiser and Tolefree, but Baylor closed out the set by scoring a quick kill and winning another much-contested volley, taking the set 25-20.
taking the set 25-20 Kansas bounced back in the third set, taking a five-point lead at 18-13 from a hitting streak by Mayfield and Garlington, who scored four and five kills, respectively. But a series of unforced errors cost Kansas the lead and Baylor won the set 25-23.
Baylor won the set 25-22.
The fourth set took a disastrous turn for the Jayhawks as they struggled with errors while the Bears' offense swung into high gear. Baylor outside hitters Christenson, junior Allison King and redshirt freshman Zoe Adom scored nine kills among them while middle blockers Graham,
sophomore Torri Campbell and junior Briana Tolbert recorded six. While Baylor's defense continued to pull off improbable saves, the layhawks began to have trouble moving the ball around without some mishap occurring to cost them another point. After a 5-15 tie, Baylor scored six unanswered points before Kaiser put Kansas back on the board with a kill.
Baylor quickly wrapped up the match 25-12. The Bears hit for a .500 efficiency as a team while Kansas dropped to negative numbers in the fourth and final set.
"It's unfortunate." Bechard said. "It seemed like the hitting errors got a little contagious, and the thing that hurt us the most is they came in runs, in bunches," he said. "It kept us from winning a critical
game three, and I think, obviously,
that momentum carried over into
game four."
The Jayhawks travel to Austin, Texas for a rematch with the Longhorns Friday. In their last meeting Oct.20. Texas swept Kansas in Lawrence.
- Edited by Lisa Curran
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