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Come on ride the Waves
Former Phoenix Suns and Seattle SuperSonics coach Paul Westphal was named basketball coach at Pepperdine on Monday.
The University Daily Kansan
Come on ride the Waves
Sports
Inside: Kansas senior rower Alane Thomas has made big strides on the water.
SEE PAGE 3B
Inside: Paola native and Kansas track member Brian Blachly looks forward to the Kansas Relays.
SEE PAGE 3B
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2001 For comments, contact Shawn Hutchinson or Shawn Linenberger at 864-4858 or sports@kansan.com
Softball sweeps Oklahoma City
By Brent Briggeman sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
Oklahoma City didn't travel to Kansas for experience. The top-ranked softball team in NAIA came to Lawrence to win.
KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
"That's why we schedule them," said Stars assistant coach Jana Ivy, whose team came to Lawrence riding an 11-game winning streak. "We don't come up here to lose."
However, the Stars ran into a streaking Kansas team and left with two losses yesterday. 3-0 and 2 at Javahawk Field.
The team's performance didn't impress the Oklahoma City coaches, who made the players run sprints for 20 minutes after the second game.
"It's a pride factor." Ivy said. "We stunk today, and we want to show to our girls that we don't expect them to play like that."
Kansas had a hand in the sweep as well. Kara Pierce threw another masterpiece in the first game, running her record to 17-7.
The Stars managed only two bloop singles against the Kansas freshman, who has allowed only two earned runs in her past 31 innings.
Kansas coach Tracy Bunge marveled at Pierce's performance.
"Today she had a good drop ball, curve
ball, rise ball and she had a good screw ball." Bunge said. "When those are all working, that's tough."
Oklahoma City catcher Heather Martin said Pierce's ball was difficult to pick up.
said Pierce's ball was difficult to pick up.
"She gets great movement," said Martin, one of Pierce's eight strikeout victims. "The velocity isn't all that great, but it moves all over."
The Stars coaching staff was equally impressed.
"We just don't see that quality of pitching at the NAIA level." Ivv said.
Kansas received timely hitting to support Pierce.
Junior shortstop Courtney Wright, who was named Big 12 Player of the Week before the game, hit a two-run triple and got the 'Hawks on the board in the fourth inning. Wright later scored on an Amy Hulse sacrifice fly.
Again, a big hit from Kansas proved to be the difference. Junior Leah Tabb knocked in junior Christi Musser with a two-out hit single in the sixth.
"Courtney's really been swinging the bat well," Bunge said. "The ball must look like a watermelon to her right now." Game two brought another quality pitching performance for the Jayhawks. Sophomore Kirsten Milhoan limited the Stars (30-9) to four hits in collecting the 2-1 victory.
"I expect that from myself," said Tabb.
who leads Kansas with 31 RBI. "I always want to come through when the team needs me."
Kansas is now riding a five-game winning streak as it improved to 26-20 on the year. To remain hot down the stretch, Wright said Kansas needed to remain focused.
"A lot of us have issues like school and just whatever else is going on that we need to just forget right now," she said. "We need to just go out, have fun and go out and play ball."
Kansas' homestand will continue tomorrow as Missouri comes to town for a Big 12 Conference game. The first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
— Edited by Joshua Richards
LINESCORES
Game One
Oklahoma City 000 000 0 - 0 2 0
Kansas 000 300 0 - 3 5 1
WP-Pierce, K. 17-7. LP-Voss 16-5
B-2U-quarter, M. (8), Tabb, L. (12), 3B-Wright, C. (2),
SB Wright, C. (9)
Sarah V. Park
Oklahoma City
1000 100 0 — 1 4 0
Kansas
100 001 — 2 5 1
WP. Milton, K. 7.10 JR. POB. 14.3
2B. Grange (8),Campbell, Ka.(11). 3B. Polonich (1).
SB. Gavely, E.(10)
Game Two
Kansas junior Christi Musser digs out a close play at first base. The Jayhawks swept a doubleheader against Oklahoma City yesterday, 3-0 and 2-1. Photo by Jamie Roper/KANSAN
Kansas hopes to dominate Wichita State
By Ryan Malashock
By Ryan Malshack
sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportswriter
Kansas senior Pete Smart makes his first mid-week start in almost two months tonight as the Jayhawks take on rival Wichita State at 7 p.m. at Eck Stadium.
Smart, 7-2 on the season with a 3.77 ERA,
said he will cherish the chance to pitch in tonight's rivalry match-up.
"I don't like them too much, to be honest. I never have," he said. "Last time I pitched there they got the best of me, so I'm looking forward to tonight."
Starting Smart tonight is a sign the Jayhawks (16-23) are taking tonight's game with the utmost seriousness. With Kansas State still ahead on the schedule, the Jayhawks can still repeat as the unofficial best team in Kansas.
Smart: cherishes the chance to pitch against WSU
"We're taking this game very seriously." Kansas coach Bobby Randall said. "They beat us pretty good last time we played them. Last year we were the champs of Kansas, and we've still got to defend that title."
Kansas looks to enact revenge on the Shockers after Wichita State humiliated the Jayhawks 6-0 at Hoglund Ballpark on April 4. Pitchers Erich Bryan and Reuben Krebs combined for the six shutout that night.
Although Wichita State (28-14) hasn't yet announced a starter for tonight's game, Randall said the Jayhawks could expect a great pitcher regardless of who they face.
Before Kansas' initial game with the Shockers earlier this month, Randall said defeating Wichita State would aid in-state recruiting. Going into tonight's rematch, Randall said tonight's game was still important for recruiting purposes, but a victory would do more for the team's morale.
With a victory tonight, Wichita State will sweep the season series with Kansas and pay the Jayhawks back for Kansas' season sweep of the Shockers last season.
"They've got a great pitching staff." Randall said. "They have four or five starters who can get the job done for them. We're expecting to see good pitching."
"I'm sure that a lot of high school guys will be watching tonight," Randall said. "But we need just a win. Success breeds confidence, and we've been lacking confidence. We were so confident after the first two weekends, and we need to get that back."
Kansas added three games to its home schedule to make up for three cancellations earlier in the season. Kansas will play host to Nebraska-Omaha on Tuesday, April 24. Newman University on Wednesday, April 25 and Washburn on Tuesday, May 1 with all three games scheduled for 6 p.m.
'Hawks lose fourth straight
Edited by Brandy Straw
Women's tennis drops inaugural match at new Robinson courts
By Aaron Johnson sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
The excitement that accompanied the refurbished Robinson tennis courts was not enough to bring victory to the Kansas women's tennis team yesterday.
The No. 48 Jayhawks (10-
10, 4-6 Big 12 Conference)
were unable to match the
No. 47 Nebraska
Cornhuskers (16-3, 4-3)
consistency, and the
'Hawks fell 4-3.
The Jayhawks fell behind early, losing the doubles point 2-1.
Kansas coach Kilmeny Waterman understood how important the doubles point was in relation to the momentum of the match.
Courtney Steinbock, Kansas freshman, prepares a forehand against Nebraska doubles players Katarina Balan and Amy Frisch in a match yesterday at Robinson tennis courts. Nebraska won 4-3. Steinbock and her twin sister, Kristen, are the top-ranked doubles team for Kansas.
Photo by Katie Moore/KANSAN
"The doubles point could have been helpful." Waterman said. "We have two pretty good doubles teams and are still needing a third."
The Jayhawks have now lost four straight matches, but Waterman said a quick start would have turned things around.
Freshman Emily Haylock extended her winning streak to five matches, defeating Rose Ketmayura 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 at the No. 5 singles slot.
"If we could have won the doubles point, it would have given us momentum heading into singles and it might have been a different story today," she said.
Steinbock, a freshman,
bounced back from a first-
set loss, winning 5-7, 6-3, 6-0 against Amy Frisch.
Mallaiah, a junior, also
The Jayhawks were able to match Nebraska in the singles matches earning a 3-3 mark.
No. 3 and No. 4 singles
players Courtney
Steinbock and Lisa
Mallalah joined Haylock in
the win column.
"If we could have won the doubles point, it would have given us momentum heading into singles and it might have been a different story today."
won three sets against Elissa Kinard.
The Jayhawks were unable to obtain that elusive fourth singles victory which would have solidified a Kansas victory.
"I knew it was going to be a close match and that it might come down to the last match," Waterman said.
Kilmeny Waterman Kansas women's tennis coach
Lisa Malliaiah was also aware of the competitiveness of the match.
Maliaiah said it was important for the team to return from last week's
"We knew we had to come in and fight," Mallaiah said. "We gave it our best so I was really proud of our effort."
loss to Tulsa with more confidence.
Sports Columnist
"I started off well, while playing pretty confidently," Malaiah said. "They were just a better team today."
The Jayhawks have two more regular-season matches, against No. 35 Southern Methodist at noon Saturday at Robinson courts, and No. 12 Texas A&M at noon on Sunday at the Plaza Tennis Center in Kansas City, Mo.
The Jayhawks still can qualify for the NCAA tournament, which accepts 64 teams from across the country.
Michael Rigg
- Edited by Megan Phelps
sports@kansan.com
Quarterbacks named Zach destroying Allen Kansas football
Give Terry Allen credit — the guy likes his Zachs.
If Allen is to fail as the Kansas football coach — and seemingly every Jayhawk fan from California to Colby thinks he will — he will do it his way, with some guy named Zach at quarterback.
When Allen arrived in 1997, he immediately benched starter Matt Johner in favor of Zac Wegner. Then, when Wegner's health and accuracy went south, Allen went out of his way to recruit Notre Dame transfer Zak Kustok. Kustok eventually spurned Kansas for Northwestern, but that same year Allen landed Olathe South product Zach Dyer, who is in the lead for the starting job heading into Saturday's spring game.
But I'm begging you, Terry. Stop the Zach-sanity. You've taken it one Zach (or Zac, for that matter) too far.
Apparently, the prerequisites for playing quarterback for the Jayhawks are simple. If you're name is some version of Zach, you can play.
In comparison, Nebraska — which throws about as often as Ben Walker shares baseballs — averaged 123 yards per contest in that same span.
So far in the Allen era, his teams have been defined by two weaknesses — bad quarterbacking and worse defense. Allen, a quarterbacking guru at Northern Iowa, has developed one of the worst passing attacks in the Big 12 Conference. In Allen's tenure, the Jayhawks have averaged just a shade more than 160 yards passing per game — one of the Big 12's worst marks in the past four seasons.
But the Zachs aren't the only ones to blame for this. For a season and a half, Allen relied on the weary arm of Dylan Smith. Smith was high on "escapability" but low on "throwability." But true to his form, Allen backed up Smith with a Zac (or a Zach) each season.
Now, Allen wants to go back to Plan A. Toss the offense back to a Zach (Dyer), and tossing Mario Kinsey — who could either be the next Kordell Stewart or the next Johner, depending on how hard he works — on the bench.
Kinsey is an athletic redshirt freshman whose immature shoulders could carry Allen's future. Still, Allen insists the edge right now goes to Dyer, who filled in for six games last year in mopup time or when Smith's offensive line failed him, leaving the battered quarterback on the bench.
Granted, those six games didn't exactly give Kansas fans much of a glimpse. There was the "throw 'em to the bulls" performance by Dyer against Kansas State after Smith was injured on the game's first possession. Dyer entered the game, threw three passes — one directly to the ground — and spent the rest of the time showing his "escapability" by avoiding the stiff Wildcat pass rush.
Still, once Dyer falters, Allen will be hearing the "no more Zach" cheers he got to know so well during Wegner's tenure.
Of course, no conversation about Zachs' quarterbacking against K-State would be complete without touching on Wegner's performance against the Wildcats on Halloween in 1998. After being knocked out of the previous week's upset victory against Colorado, Wegner returned against the Wildcats. And, on the game's first possession, Wegner scrambled and was sandwiched between two K-State defenders.
The hit gave Wegner another concussion and nearly ended his career. The Wildcat fans, the classy pickup-driving bunch they are, still talk about that play like it was one of the greatest in K-State history (hey, when you choke every year, I guess you take what you can get). A few months later, the Jayhawks lost out on Kustok, who officially transferred to Northwestern. I guess he saw what happens to quarterbacks named Zac at Kansas.
Hopefully, Allen will do the same.
Rigg is a Greenwood Village, Colo., junior in Broadcast News.
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