THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAN
MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2008
SPORTS
》 TENNIS
3B
Kansas sweeps New Mexico in doubles
Team's victory boosts dual match record
BY ALEX DUFEK
adufek@kansan.com
Weston White/KANSAN
The Kansas tennis team started strong with a sweep in doubles to guide it past the 46th ranked New Mexico Lobos 4-3 on Sunday afternoon in Lawrence.
The layhawks took the doubles point and four out of the six singles matches to win their second straight match against a ranked opponent and improve their record in dual match play to 5-5.
"The confidence level is really building in each and every spot," coach Amy Hall-Holt said. "We've got to keep growing and building our level of play"
Junior Vuliana Swistun returns a shot from a New Mexico player. Kansas took the doubles point and four of six singles matches in its 4-3 victory against the Lobos Sunday afternoon.
Just four days after sealing Kansas' victory against Kansas State in Manhattan, senior Lauren Hommell again stepped up for the Jayhawks defeating the Lobos' Jennifer Ryba 6-3, 6-2 to give Kansas the match.
"I knew that it was coming down to me, and I was just trying to stay positive and stay upbeat and not let the pressure get to me." Hommell said.
Hommell, who missed the fall season of her senior year with an injury, is confident of her abilities at the No. 6 spot but says the position can be challenging at times.
The Jayhawk victory snapped New Mexico's three match winning streak, which included victories against 59th ranked Boise State and 67th ranked Kansas State. After dropping three straight matches decided by a 5-2 margin or less to start dual match play, Kansas found a way to pull out those close matches, winning five of its last seven.
"Sometimes it's hard to be number six because you go out there, and you already lost the match so it's kind of hard to stay focused when you already know it's not going to do anything," Hommell said. "You kind of just have to go out there for yourself when you play six, but if it comes down to me, I think I can do it every time."
A strong start in doubles is something the lajhwakes have been missing during the past several weeks. Sunday was the first time since the Feb. 16 sweep of UMKC that Kansas was able to pick up a doubles point and start the match with a lead.
"It's a lot easier if you win the doubles point to win those 4-3 matches," Hommell said.
The strong doubles push by Kansas was led by the veteran pair of senior Elizaveta Avdeeva and junior Edina Horvath. They improved their dual match record to 7-3 and their overall record on the year to 14-8.
Also picking up doubles victories for Kansas were the pairings of Hommell and sophomore Kunigunda Dorn, and of freshman Magdalena Tokarczyk and junior Yuliana Swistum.
In singles play the bottom half of the Jayhawks lineup had a strong showing, as Kansas emerged victorious at the No. 3, 4 and 6 singles positions.
Horvath defeated the Lobos'
Mackenzie White 6-1, 6-3, at the No.
3 position improving her dual match record on the year to 8-2. Horvath's combined singles and doubles dual match play record is an impressive 15-5 on the season.
"Each year, she has gotten better and better, and I'm very proud of her performance." Hall-Holt said. "She is helping with leading the team, as well. I don't want to say it's a match that we can count on, but it can always count on Edina giving 110 percent."
The Jayhawks' Dorn cruised by New Mexico's Emma Hayman 6-2, 6-2 at the No.4 spot to improve her dual match record to 3-5.
The Jayhawks' next match will be March 14th in Boulder, Colo., where Kansas will face Big 12 North foe Colorado.
Hall-Holt said she was proud of Sunday's victory but wants to maintain focus for the upcoming showdown against the Buffaloes.
"These girls have got to raise their level every time they step on the court," Hall-Holt said. "I'm proud of the girls. I want them to enjoy their victory today, but come Tuesday, it's all about Colorado."
Volleyball team places No.2 at Baker
Edited by Katherine Loeck
》 CLUB SPORTS
BY JOE PREINER jpreiner@kansan.com
The KU women's club volleyball team captured second place in the midst of a competitive field in the Kansas Spring Classic tournament, at Baker University Saturday.
The Jayhawks had three teams in the event with the national, regional and local squads all getting playing time. Five other teams from around the Midwest competed with the Jayhawks.
The tournament began at 9 a.m., but the early start did not affect the Jayhawks. The Jayhawks' national team, the best of the three in action on Saturday, showed it was ready to play in the first match against a weaker Missouri team. The Jayhawks made short work of the rivals, winning in straight games, 25-18 and 25-14. Amy Schrumpf, St. Louis, sophomore, said the victory was important to the team's title hopes.
The only team to give the Jayhawks' national team trouble was the regional squad for Iowa State. The match went into a tiebreaker after Iowa State split the first two games with the Jayhawks. The Cyclones then went on to dominate the extra game, continuing their unbeaten streak. Both national and regional Cyclones teams went undefeated in pool play and entered the bracket stage of the tournament as the top two seeds.
"For the team as a whole, the hardest thing was getting past the first game," Schrumpf said. "It was important for us to start off strong."
The championship bracket began with the Jayhawks playing against each other in the first round. Both the national and regional teams played well, with the favored national team eventually winning 2-0. Cori Simpson, Overland Park freshman and regional team member, said it was unfortunate to have to play her own school in the first round.
"It kind of sucked," Simpson said. "I don't think it was any less competitive, but we would
have liked to play them later on. We all stepped up for each other, but it was a little like practice."
The loss eliminated the first of the Jayhawk title contenders. Within minutes, another fell, as the local squad lost to the top-seeded Iowa State national team. The Jayhawks' last tournament hopes rested with their top team. To advance to the championship, the team would need to avenge the earlier tie-break loss to the Cyclones regional squad. The team had its work cut out.
The match did not start the way the Hawks wanted, as they fell behind 4-10 early in the first game. The team couldn't find a way to rally back and lost the game 15-25. It quickly made up for the lapse in focus by winning the next game, forcing yet another tiebreaker. The momentum from the first game propelled the Jayhawks through the 15-point mini game, and they advanced to the final. Cassie Nealon, St. Louis, sophomore, said playing so many games took a lot of focus.
"You have to treat each game as a separate entity," Nealon said. "You have to go into each game with a new mind set."
Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, Iowa State figured that out, too. It was deja vu in the championship as the undefeated Cyclones national team took the lead in the first game and didn't look back. The Jayhawks fought back in the second game but ultimately came up short. The nine-hour event ended with KU national, regional and local teams placing second, sixth and eighth, respectively. The team hopes to continue its competitive play in the two remaining tournaments before the national championships in Dallas.
Edited by Katherine Loeck
Weston White/KANSAN
Junior Allison Owens blocks a shot for a point against Iowa State. The Jayhawks lost the match 2-1 but finished second in the tournament.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Drake completes sweep with help from walk-on
ST.LOUIS — Drake completed its improbable clean sweep in the Missouri Valley Conference. So did former walk-on and bench warmer Adam Emmenecker.
Emmenecker added the conference tournament MVP to his regular-season MVP on Sunday, finishing up a dazzling weekend with 16 points and six assists in the No.20 Bulldogs' 79-49 rout of Illinois State in the title game.
Associated Press
"We thought that maybe by his senior year he could start for us," coach Keno Davis said. "But I never had any idea he could do this."
Drake's first postseason championship in the 32-year-old Valley tournament appeared just as unlikely of a prospect back in November.
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