8A / SPORTS / WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
VOLLEYBALL
Big 12 Rookie of the Week leads Jayhawks
Kansas will travel to Nebraska to face the No.4 Cornhuskers
BY IAN CUMMINGS icummings@ku.edu
The volleyball team will take the Big 12 conference's latest rookie of the week on the road Wednesday in a match against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln, Neb.
The league named freshman libero Brianne Riley the rookie of the week in an announcement on Monday, after Riley's outstanding performance in Kansas' victory past the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday. Riley said she was more honored than excited.
"I couldn't have done it without everyone else on my team," she said. "It was a lot of hard work and extra hours in the gym and stuff, and we still have a long way to go, but I'm excited."
Riley led the team with 15 digs, had 34 successful service receptions, and tossed in a kill for good measure. The win — coach Ray Beard's 200th with Kansas — stopped a four-match winning streak for the Aggies and improved Kansas' conference record to 1-1. In the previous game, the Jahwaks' conference opener against Kansas
State, Riley led Kansas with 18 digs and contributed a seasonhigh six assists.
Riley said having good players on both the "A" and "B" squads helped in preparing for pressure situations.
"it's good to have that kind of competition every day in practice," she said.
Senior outside hitter Karina Garlington described Riley as determined.
blocker Brooke Delano leads the Big 12 with a hitting percentage of .415 and 1.48 blocks per set. She is among three AVCA All-Americans that Nebraska returns this season, along with two seniors: settter Sydney Anderson and outside outter Tara Mueller.
"It was a lot of hard work and extra hours in the gym."
Garlington said that Nebraska was a consistently physical team
"I just think she has a lot of fire," Garlington said. "She kind of has
BRIANNE RILEY
Freshman libero
that same never say-die attitude that we've needed in a back row player for a really long time. She doesn't let the ball hit the ground."
No. 4 Nebraska has its own highly effective libero in senior Kayla Banwarth. Banwarth leads the Big 12 with 5.43 digs per set. As a team, the Cornhuskers lead the conference, and are in the top five nationally for kills, blocks and assists. Junior middle
that puts up a big block and digs well in the back row.
"They're just technically sound," she said. "They can put on a show, but I think more so they're in
the right spot at the right time
they're pretty disciplined. I think
it'll be a good match-up and I
think it'll be a lot of fun."
Match time is at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the University of Nebraska Coliseum. The match will be televised on Metro Sports in Kansas City (Sunflower Broadband channel 37).
—Edited By Tim Dwyer
Dalton Gomez/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Freshman defensive specialist Brianne Riley bumps a球 during a match against Texas A&M last week. Riley was named BIG 12 freshman of the week by the conference this week.
MLB
Halladay is first 20-game winner, Phillies top Braves Halladay became the first Phillies pitcher in 28 years to get 20 wins
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHILADELPHIA — Roy Halladay became Philadelphia's first 20-game winner in 28 years, Jayson Werth hit a three-run homer and the Phillies increased their lead in the NL East to five games with their ninth straight win, 5-3 over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.
Halladay (20-10) allowed three runs and seven hits in seven innings to reach 20 wins for the third time in his career. Hall of Famer Steve Carlton was the last to do it for the Phillies when he won 23 in 1982. Robin Roberts, another Hall of Famer, was the last right-hander to win 20 for Philadelphia, in 1955.
The two-time defending NL champions are 43-15 since July 21, when they trailed the Braves by seven games. They are 17-3 in September.
The Philies reduced their magic number to clinch the division to six.
Rookie Mike Minor (3-2) lasted just 2 1-3 innings in his eighth career start, allowing three runs and seven hits.
Atlanta's Freddie Freeman hit his first major league homer, a solo shot off Halladay in the seventh. Freeman was 1 for 13
before he connected.
Ryan Madson tossed a scoreless eighth for Philadelphia and Brad Lidge finished for his 25th save in 30 chances.
While the Braves used two rookies — Brandon Beachy, who made his major league debut on Monday, — to start the first two games of a crucial series, the Phillies adjusted their rotation so their three aces would pitch.
Halladay followed up another impressive start by 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels. Next up is Roy Oswalt. The Braves send Tommy Hanson to the mound as they try to avoid a sweep Wednesday night.
A crowd of 45,264 was the 119th straight sellout at Citizens Bank Park. They stayed in their seats and waved white-and-red "Fightin' Phils" rally towels. On Monday night, a teenager in a head-to-toe red spandex suit ran onto the field and eluded security guards until Braves left fielder Matt Diaz tripped him.
Werth gave the Phillies a 3-0 lead in the third with his fourth homer in five games, and 25th this season.
Werth tossed the bat and turned to look at teammates in the dugout before circling the bases, emphatically slapping hands with first-base coach Davey Lopes on his wav around.
Placido Polanco walked to lead off the inning and advanced to second on Chase Utley's single.
The Braves got runs in the fifth and sixth to cut the deficit to 3-2, but Raul Ibanez hit a two-run double with two outs in the sixth to give the Phillies a three-run lead.
Alex Gonzalez looped a double to right to start the Atlanta fifth. After Rick Ankiel singled to left, Gonzalez scored on pinch-hitter Eric Hinske's fielder's choice grounder to second. Ankiel broke up a double play by taking shortstop Wilson Valdez's throw off his left hand.
Martin Prado singled to right to start the Braves sixth and Brian McCann hit a double off the wall in right-center. Derrek Lee then hit a sacrifice fly that drove in Prado, but McCann inexplicably tried to advance to third and center fielder Shane Victorino, a two-time Gold Glove winner, easily nailed him with a no-hop throw.
Mike Dunn retired the first two batters in the sixth before he walked Ryan Howard. After Werth lined a single off the left-field wall, ibanez ripped a liner into the right-field corner to make it 5-2.
MLB
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Nick Swisher homered off James Shields to key a five-run burst in the first inning and the New York Yankees beat Tampa Bay 8-3 on Tuesday night, opening a $2\frac{1}{2}$-game lead over the Rays in the AL East.
The Yankees cut their magic number for clinching a playoff spot to four over Boston. The Red Sox played Baltimore.
Tampa Bay nicked Phil Hughes (17-8) and relievers Javier Vazquez and Joba Chamberlain, but never quite got the big hit it needed while stranding 10 runners.
Ahead 7-3, Chamberlain escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth by striking out pinch-hitter Brad Hawpe and getting John Jaso on a liner to center. Chamberlain finished for his third save.
New York has won the first two in this four-game series, and pulled even at 8-all with the Rays this season.
Robinson Cano blooped an opposite-field, two-run double to left in front of a diving Carl Crawford for a 7-3 lead in the seventh. Derek Jeter doubled home a run in the eighth.
Shields (13-13) started against the Yankees for the sixth time this season. He had done well in his previous outings, but this time they figured
him out in a hurry. It's a pattern that's troubled the Tampa Bay rotation for the last few weeks
A bright moon hung over the right-field facade when the game began, and Swisher hit a rocket into the bleachers on Shields' six pitch for his 27th homer. Jorge Posada hit an RBI single with two outs, Lance Berkman boomed a two-run double and Curtis Granderson's single made it 5-0.
Shields backed up the plate on Granderson's hit, and slammed his pitching hand into his glove and shouted at himself. Big Game James had a word, too, for plate umpire Mike Everitt in the third after Posada reached on a hit by pitch.
The ball skipped past Posada's shin and he instantly headed toward first base — it was impossible to tell from replays whether the pitch grazed his pants leg and besides, umpires make that call based on sound, rather than sight.
Shields, catcher Jaso and manager loe Maddon calmly discussed it with Everitt, surely still smarting from Jeret's admitted act last week after a Rays pitch the knob of his bat, not him. Maddon came out again when the inning ended to talk with Everitt.
BIG 12
League to cut down to10in June 2011
BY TIM DWYER
tdwyer@kansan.com
twitter.com/UDKbasketball
The Universities of Nebraska and Colorado have reached separate agreements with the Big 12 that will have the schools leave the conference, effective June 30, 2011. They will be inducted as members of their respective new conferences the next day.
Colorado will join the Pac-10 — which will be renamed the Pac-12 and Nebraska will join the Big Ten.
Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe said Tuesday night that he's been looking for a late September conclusion to the talks since they started.
"It's difficult to resolve when you have such disparity in your viewpoints," Beebe said.
The agreement said that the conference will withhold $9.255 million of the estimated $19 million that Nebraska earned as part of its last two years in the Big 12. If the Huskers are one of two Big 12 teams to make a BCS bowl, another $500,000 will be granted to Nebraska. Originally, the Big 12 planned to hold $19.37 million.
"The two institutions didn't think there was any damage to the conference." Beebe said. "We thought there was significant damage."
For Colorado, the Big 12 will withhold $6.863 million. Beebe explained the disparity in his Tuesday night teleconference.
"It's based upon the projections over two years of what each program has earned." Beebe said.
The Big 12 has yet to disclose how exactly the withheld funds will be disbursed among the remaining schools. Beebe said that decision will be made when the board meets in November. Beebe said the money would be distributed according to conference bylaws.
Nebraska athletics director Tom Osborne expressed his enthusiasm that the deal got done.
"We feel the long-term benefits of entering into the Big Ten, both academically and athletically, will make this a very good investment," Osborne said in a statement.
Colorado Chancellor Phil DiStefano said they still have kept strong ties to the Big 12, despite leaving it.
"Even as we leave for an exciting future in the Pac-10 Conference, we value the great friendships and memorable rivalries we have been a part of, and we appreciate the good faith Commissioner Dan Beebe has shown in working with us on our exit from the conference," DiStefano said.
The departure of both schools from the Big 12 will avert a potential scheduling problem had Colorado stayed and Nebraska left, as was rumored to be likely.
With only 10 teams in the conference, the schools will play a round- robin schedule in football, with each team playing every other team once, and a double round- robin in basketball.
GET CARRIED AWAY WITH SUA
Edited by Kelsey Nili
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