THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY JANUARY 26, 2007
SPORTS
FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2007
3B
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Texas victory crucial
BY RUSTIN DODD
The Kansas Women's tennis team has an added incentive entering its Big 12 Conference opener against Texas.
In addition to a crucial conference victory, the team will also be fighting for its first series victory against the Longhorns.
That's right, in 18 dual matches against Texas, Kansas has come away without a single series victory.
The stakes might be higher in this early season showdown, but expect Kansas to respond as they would in any Big 12 Conference match.
"Any conference match, the players know the importance," coach Amy Hall-Holt said. "They know they have to step up."
Kansas is coming off a 1-2 opening weekend, but Hall-Holt thinks the jayhawks might have a few advantages against the 20th ranked Longhorns.
"This is their first week playing," Hall-Holt said. "We have three matches under our belt. We have been playing and practicing inside, and they have been playing outside."
The indoor conditions at the First Serve Tennis Center, 5200 Clinton
Parkway, might give Texas problems, but the Longhorns still pose quite a challenge for the Layhawks. Texas defeated Kansas 6-1 last season with Kansas' lone victory coming from 2006 alumna Christine Skoda. "Texas has plenty of returning firepower, and has added a few
KU tennis
2004 The last
time Kansas defeated a conference opponent from the state of Texas (Texas Tech).
0 Seniors on the Kansas roster.
26
26 Victories coach Amy Hall-Holt has had in a little over three years at Kansas
Kansas victory in the 2006 Big 12 Champion ships. Kansas will host the 2007 Championships at The Plaza Tennis Center in Kansas City.
young guns to the mix, Petra Dizdar,
a three-time All-Big 12 selection,
returns to the fold, and freshman
Sarah Lancaster is currently ranked
70th in the ITA singles rankings.
Coach Hall-Holt, however, is more focused on her own freshman. "They have new freshmen that we do not have any info on, but we have Kumi Dorn."
Dorn, freshman, has proved to be an asset to Hall-Holt's squad after compiling an 8-7 record in the fall and starting off the spring season with a 2-1 mark. Kansas will look to Dorn and Elizaveta Avdeeva to score points during the singles portion of play, and hope that Avdeeva and doubles partner, Edina Horvath, can continue their 3-0 winning streak.
The dual will begin at noon this Saturday at the First Serve Tennis Center.
Kansas will also hope that Ksenia Bukina and Stephanie Smith can rebound from injuries. Bukina missed two matches last weekend and Smith has yet to be cleared to play.
Kansan sportswriter Rustin Dodd can be contacted at rdodd@kansan.com.
Edited by Trevan McGee
》 WOMEN'S SWIMMING
Swimmers hope to break .500
BY DANIEL MOLINA
Coming off a hard-fought victory against Nebraska, the Kansas swimming and diving team returns home this weekend to battle Iowa State in a two-day meet at the Robinson Natatorium.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
The contest marks both the final home and Big 12 Conference duel of the season for the 5-1 Jayhawks. Iowa State comes to Lawrence with three straight losses.
The KU women's swimming and diving team face Iowa State this weekend in their last Big 12 competition of the season.
Sitting at 1-1 in conference meets, this weekend's contest presents Kansas with an opportunity to break .500 before the Big 12 Championships on Feb. 14 through 17.
Today's events begin at 6 p.m. and will be preceded by a ceremony honoring the team's seven seniors. Co-captain Jenny Short, senior, played an instrumental role in the team's last competition, sweeping both backstroke events as well as helping the 200 yard medley relay and 400 yard freestyle relay teams to first place finishes.
The recognition ceremony is scheduled to take place approximately 15 minutes before the first event kicks off. The second day of action begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Because of the limited availability of parking expected because of the men's basketball game, those attending Saturday's portion of the meet can park in lot 34 located on the corner of Illinois Street and Sunnyside Avenue. Both parts of the meet are free to the public.
Kansan sportswriter Daniel Molina can be contacted at dmolina@ kansan.com.
Edited by Trevan McGee
NCAA BASKETBA
Wilkes returns to lineup, earns style points
BY BRIAN BAINUM DAILY CALIFORNIAN
BERKELEY, Calif. — If his recent play is any indication, Omar Wilkes is now completely healthy, which is good news for a Cal men's basketball team that has had its share of injuries in the 2006-07 season.
Wilkes scored 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting in 30 minutes in the
Bears' 92.84 loss Saturday at Oregon Wilkes connected on 3-of-4 3-pointers and was one of the reasons Cal was able to keep it close with the now-No.7 Ducks.
"He really had a good game," Bears coach Ben Braun said. "His play has been a factor for us."
Wilkes missed the Stanford game Jan. 3 with an injured tbone. He did not start against Washington
"We established the tempo well in the first half," Braun said. "We went away from that in the second half. When the shots are going down for you, you think it's always going to be that way."
State, but has since returned as a starter for Cal's last three games.
Braun was pleased with the style of play the Bears displayed Saturday against Oregon.
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KANSAS VS. NEBRASKA 7 P.M., SATURDAY, BOB DEVANEY CENTER
**Momentum** — Kansas played its best game of the conference season in a hard-fought loss at Kansas State on Jan. 24. The Jayhawks out-rebounded and out-hustled the Wildcats, nearly pulling off an unlikely upset. The fact that Kansas keeps fighting hard for a win game after game reflects well on the senior leadership of Mosley and Sharita Smith. The Jayhawks' optimistic demeanor suggests that a win may be on the horizon. Nebraska is coming off of a deflating one-point loss at Texas A&M, and could overlook this weekend's match-up, which comes just four days before an important game against Iowa State. Nebraska may be the more talented team, but Kansas has shown it has the heart to keep games close.
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Asher Fusco
Huggins holds: students need to show up
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Offense — Nebraska has posted a 16-4 record and inched its way into the Top 25 on the shoulders of its impressive offense. The Cornhuskers are led by one of the most prolific tandems in the Big 12 Conference. Senior guard Kiera Hardy provides flashy ball handling and an accurate outside shot, while sophomore forward Kelsey Griffin fills the role of low post scorer. Nebraska has been consistent all season long, scoring 60 points or more in every game. The Jayhawks have struggled in almost every way imaginable on offense this season. Kansas ranks near or at the bottom of the conference in nearly every statistical category and is recovering from a free throw debacle at Kansas State in which it shot 7-for-18 from the line.
"If you aren't going to use the tickets, let somebody else use them," Huggins said during a conference call Thursday. "That's what I was trying to say, and I don't regret that."
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And if the no-show trend continues, student fans could find themselves relegated to less desirable seats at Bramlage Coliseum.
BY STEVE BRISENDINE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kansas State coach Bob Huggins has no second thoughts over calling out students who stand in line to buy tickets to the Wildcats' games and don't show up.
Athletic director Tim Weiser sympathizes with Huggins and said the athletic department could make changes in the seating chart if the student section remains unfilled.
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Defense — Kansas' feisty defense has been the team's strength all season long. The young Jayhawks are not one of the best defensive teams in the conference, but they have improved steadily in recent weeks. The emergence of senior guard Shaquina Mosley could be the reason. Since taking over the role of starting point guard, Mosley has become the catalyst for a defense that forces turnovers and applies stiffing pressure on the perimeter. Nebraska is not a poor defensive basketball team, but they struggle to create turnovers. Although both stand tall at 6-foot-2, forwards Griffin and Chelsea Aubry have combined to block only 10 shots this season. Junior forward Danielle Page has provided the Huskers strong post defense, blocking 26 shots. However, Page's productivity has been curtailed by her tendency to frequently commit fouls. The forward is logging only 16 minutes per contest and has fouled out twice this season.
Kansas State coach Bob Huggins is known for his boisterous comments, including calling out students who buy tickets but don't come to games. This week, he stood by his word that fans need to show up or they might be relegated to less desirable seats in Bramlae Coliseum.
"Obviously, we're going to wait until the end of the season before we draw any conclusion." Weiser
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said, "But we either need people to use their tickets, or to see that somebody does."
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