Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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ONE UP, ONE DOWN
Two-game split for Kansas soccer
Jerry Wang/KANSAN
BY MIKE LAVIERI mlavieri@kansan.com
The soccer team's hot start on Friday was quickly cooled off Sunday afternoon as Kansas lost to Georgia 5-0.
The layhawks (1-1) took control of their 3-0 win Friday against Eastern Kentucky early. In the 14th minute, senior midfielder Erin Lewis took a corner kick that was flicked in by senior defender Caitlin Noble.
The team has been practicing its set pieces and Noble was not able to score during practice.
Those would be all the goals the Jayhawks needed, but they continued to add more.
"Each time I would connect with the ball it it would go way wide," Noble said. "I said, 'Don't worry guys. I'm just saving it for the game tomorrow."
In the 67th minute, sophomore midfielder Whitney Berry hit a shot from 22 yards out that was placed in the upper left corner of the goal.
In the 41st minute, freshman midfielder Caroline Kastor scored her first career goal when she hit a shot from the top of the box off a corner kick by senior midfielder Erin Ellefson.
"I thought it was good. I thought the first half was better than the
Coach Mark Francis was pleased with the team's performance.
Right: Sophomore forward Whitney Berry kicks the ball for her first goal of the seasons 11 minutes into the second half Friday afternoon. Kansas played aggressively throughout the match, outshooting Eastern Kentucky 20-6. Above: Freshman forward Caroline Kastor hugs sophomore forward Whitney Berry after Kastor scored her first career goal with five minutes left in the first half. Kastor and Berry each scored a goal in the 3-0 victory over Eastern Kentucky.
second half," Francis said. "I thought some of the stuff we did on the attacking end was pretty good."
The Jayhawks got a little help from some fans that were in attendance. The
Noble said. "It's really fun to get a lot of people out here to support us."
The lajayhaws were dominant in the offensive third. They had
"The whole atmosphere makes it so much more enjoyable to play."
men's and women's club soccer teams were also supporting the Jayhawks with a bass drum and vuvuzelas.
"The whole atmosphere makes it so much more enjoyable to play."
CAITLIN NOBLE senior defender
20 shots with eight being on goal compared to EKU (1-2), who had six shots with two being on goal.
This was not the case on Sunday, however. Georgia (2-1) outspot
The Jayhawk defense looked
Kansas 26-3. Georgia had 20 shots on goal.
SEE SOCCER ON PAGE 3B
Jerry Wang/KANSAN
VOLLEYBALL
Jayhawks sweep Bluejay Invitational over weekend
Volleyball team shows record start
BY IAN CUMMINGS icummings@kansan.com
The layhawks are 3-0 this season after defeating Lipscomb, San Francisco and Creighton in a three-match tournament Friday and Saturday in Omaha, Neb. That makes for the best season start since 2005, when the team opened the year with four straight wins.
The Jayhawks began by defeating Lipscomb 3-1 (32-30, 25-27, 25-22, 25-16), with two outside hitters, senior Karina Garlington and junior Allison Mayfield contributing 17 and 17 kills, respectively.
"It was a real dogfight," said coach Ray Bechard in a release. "I liked the way we came back after the break. We played great late in set three and very well in set
four. We got a lot from Karina and Allison, but we need more balance on offense. But it was a good win against a team that is going to win a lot of matches."
In their collegiate debut, three freshmen put up good numbers on defense. Libero Brianne Riley had a team-best 20 digs, setter Kara Wehrs her first double-double with 16 digs and 42 assists, and middle blocker Caroline Jarmoc had nine blocks to add to her six kills.
Jarmoc got everyone's attention by serving five aces, the most by any Jayhawk since graduate Melissa Grieb scored five against Kansas State on Oct. 1, 2008. Senior outside hitter Jenna Kaiser contributed nine kills to go along with Garlington's 11 and Mayfield's 10,
On Saturday, the Jayhawks began by winning over San Francisco 3-0 (25-17, 25-19 and 25-18) before going on to complete the sweep 3-1 against Creighton.
Garlington kept the ottense going in the third match, against its host, Creighton, notching 13 kills. Over the weekend, the outside hitter averaged 4.00 kills per set on a .290 attack percentage and was named MVP of the tournament.
"I think we played really well," Garlington said. "There were some soft spots, but the team really came together and we stepped up what we needed to step up. I think, all in all, it was a successful weekend for us."
"Serving was the key," Bechard said. "We were outstanding with 11 aces and only four errors. That dictated the flow of the match."
helping the Jayhawks record 42 kills against the Dons' 29.
After two days off, the Jayhawks will begin an eight match home stand with their home opener against UMKC at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 31.
In fact, no quarterback will be the deciding factor for the Big 12 this season. Gone are the days of Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy and Todd Reesing. Expecting their unproven replacements to step in and produce with the same skill level is unwise.
BY COREY THIBODEAUX cthibodeaux@kansan.com
The same goes for Missouri Blaine Gabbert. And Jerrod Johnson from Texas A&M. Or Baylor's Robert Griffin.
— Edited by Anna Nordling
Talented Big 12 running backs could steal the spotlight from unproven QBs
With the talent of almost all the conference quarterbacks still up in the air, we have to look to the ground game.
COMMENTARY
Sorry, Kale Pick. You will have no bearing on how the Big 12 is decided.
All the Big 12 running backs basically have the same background; they have shown immense talent for maybe a full season, but have yet to solidify themselves as an elite back in the country.
"We've got a lot of big-name players coming back," senior running back Angus Quigley said. "I think it'll definitely be a year that the running backs will be able to become headliners."
That changes this year.
Here are some of the names you should learn:
Oklahoma State — Senior Kendall Hunter led the conference in rushing two years ago with 1,555 yards and 16 touchdowns. An ankle injury last season brought his numbers back down, but he will likely rebound.
Missouri — Senior Derrick Washington scored 10 rushing touchdowns last season one year after a 1,078 yard and 17 touchdown season. He's 6-foot-0 and 215 pounds. That is considered a miniature tank. Unfortunately, he is suspended indefinitely for sexual assault.
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Nebraska — Senior Roy Helu Jr. is a little under the radar, maybe because he has a total
of seven rushing yards in two bowl games. He was banged up last year but gashed opponents when he was healthy, finishing with 1,147 yards and nine touchdowns.
Kansas State — Senior Daniel Thomas is a possible first-round NFL draft pick according to Scout.com.
That leads me to Oklahoma
SEE THIBODEAUX ON PAGE 3B