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Friday, October 8, 1993
SPORTS UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Kansas looks for road victory
Jayhawks'experience may provide advantage
By Gerry Fey Kansan sportswriter
If Kansas wants to qualify for the Big Eight, post-season volleyball tournament this year, the team must beat programs like Iowa State, Kansas coach Frankie Albizt said.
Holly McQueen / KANSAN
The 11-6 Jayhawks will have a chance when it plays the Cyclones at 7 p.m. tomorrow in Ames, Iowa. Iowa State finished third in the Big Eight last year and was one of the four teams that qualified for the tournament. Kansas finished sixth.
Iowa State's last match was a four-game defeat against Oklahoma on Wednesday. The 3-10 Cyclones had defeated Missouri but lost against Nebraska, making Iowa State 1-2 in the Big Eight. Iowa State coach Jackie Nunez said the Nebraska match was nice because the team finally played at home after playing all of its September matches on the road. A Big Eight home match, or any home match, is helpful for Iowa State, she said.
"In general, it helps teams that have small facilities like ours," Nunez said. "We had 300 people in the stands against Nebraska and the place was rocking."
More important than the crowd, Nunez said she was concerned about the team's senior leadership – or the lack of it.
"We don't have any seniors," Nunez said. "In many areas we have done well. We're striving to be consistent and put together all areas of the game."
Tracie Walt stretches to bump the volleyball team with Erin Kramer watches during a game against Kansas State University.
An example of the Cyclones inexperience is at the setter position. Freshman Jenny Lansink is the current starter at that position.
"She's just broken into the starting lineup," Nunez said. "She started against Nebraska and did a good job."
Nunez said that when two teams were equally matched, the setter could make the difference.
"It's like the quarterback on a football team," Nunez said. "They control the offense. They decide who gets the ball. It's critical that they play well because they are involved in every play."
Nunez said Lanssir needed to play well against Kansas.
"She needs more consistency," Nunez said. "She's doing a good job for us. I know she'll be pumped up for the match against Kansas."
Kansas' Albitz said experience at the setter position was important. Sophomore Lesili Steinert has emerged to become the Jayhawks setter. She is already third in career
set assists with 1.567.
"I think a setter can make a tremendous difference in a match," Albiz said. "Lesli is playing really well. She's doing some really amazing things. She's seeing what the offense can do."
Kansas will enter the match after a decisive 15-9, 15-11, 16-15 victory Wednesday against Kansas State.
Kansas water ski team glides to national finals
Special to the Kansan
By Mac Engel
Following last weekend's upset performance in the Midwest regionals, the Kansas water ski team advanced to the national finals this weekend in Sacramento, Calif. It is the first time that Kansas has reached the finals since 1990
The three day event began yesterday and will conclude tomorrow.
Michigan State finished first out of 15 teams in the regional competition, with Kansas finishing second. The
Jayhawks edged Michigan in the regionals last weekend in Syracuse, Ind. The top two finishers advanced to this weekend's finals.
Other Big Eight schools participating were Kansas State, which finished fifth, and Iowa State, which finished eighth.
Sophomore Lisa Doelejs, who placed first in the women's slalom, was looking forward to the competition but maintained her perspective.
"It's kind of a joke because we're from Kansas and everybody else is from southern schools," Dolejs said.
"It will be an amazing experience from the competition. We're going to be overwhelmed."
Central Florida, Rollins College,
Eckerd College and Northeast Louisiana head into the tournament as the favorites to win. Because water skiing is not a sanctioned NCAA sport, teams are allowed to have professional skiers as members.
This competition will mark the final appearance for senior Tim Shellenberger. Being a member of a collegiate ski team is far from where he thought he would be when he came to
Kansas as a freshman.
"When I came here I didn't even know we had a ski team," Shellenberger said. "Collegiate sking is beyond my wildest dreams, and now to go to nationals and see world-class skiers is amazing."
Shellenberger was a team member when Kansas made its final appearance in 1990. But this is a much different team.
"Our team is a lot better now," he said. "I think we can surprise some people if our men's team skies the way we are capable."
McGriff helps Atlanta overcome Philadelphia
The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA — Just like he did during the season, Fred McGriff got the Atlanta Braves going in the National League playoffs.
Before he arrived, Atlanta's batting average had fallen to the bottom of the National League. And while his bat was quiet, the Braves lost the opener of the NL playoffs to Philadelphia.
Then, in the first inning of Game 2,
he hit a 438-foot home run that
bounced off of the upper deck in right
field.
"I think that was the key hit of the night, getting us out in front early," Cox said. "Any time you can do that."
The potent pounding finished off Tommy Greene and Bobby Thigpen. The Braves went on to a record-setting rout of the Phillies 14-3 last night, tying the series at one game aniece.
For Braves manager Bobby Cox, the night got a bit easier after McGriff's big blow.
you have a great chance of winning."
I have a great chance of winning.
When Atlanta acquired McGriff from San Diego on July 18, the Braves had trouble winning. They were eight games behind first-place San Francisco and their batting average was 2.46, worse than the expansion Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins, even lower than the New York Mets.
The turnabout was almost immediate — McGriff homered the night he arrived. The Braves hit .283 over the rest of the season and overtook the Giants. With McGriff, Atlanta was 51-17.
"I think he relaxed our offense, to tell you the truth," said Pendleton.
Crew ready for Big Ten teams
Anne Felstet
Anne Feistet
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas crew team travels eight hours tomorrow to Rockford, Ill, for its first seven-minute race of the season.
Competitors from club teams, including Minnesota, Michigan, Northwestern and Wisconsin's varsity team, will compete Sunday in the Head of the Rock Regatta.
Crew coach Rob Calloth said that Wisconsin would be the toughest competitor for both the men's and women's teams because it always had been a powerhouse in the Midwest. Wisconsin is the only fully funded Midwestern team.
Crew president, senior Mike Amick, said he thought that the Big Ten schools would be tough competition but that all the Kansas boats were capable of winning.
Catloth said the teams used the fall regattas to improve technical skills and to put those skills into practice.
Races in the fall, called head races, differ from spring sprint races in length. Spring races are typically 2000
meters, or 1.25 miles. The race on the Rock River will be 2.5 miles long. Fall races can be as long as four miles.
To prepare for the lengthy competitions, Amick said, the teams spent the week doing endurance work and fine-tuning techniques.
He said that he liked head races because they were more traditional than the sprint races and allowed the teams to judge opponents' performances. However, he does not like the fact that the race results are not known immediately, he said.
Junior Maggie Romens said that besides practicing on the water, the team had been training individually for the competition.
"Everyone seems pretty well-prepared, we just have to get a lot of sleep." she said.
After the eight-hour trip, the team will rig the boats, which have been dismantled for the trip.
Before the race, spectators can see the Kansas crew members separated into teams, running together in sync on the shore.
"That kind of psyches out the other teams." Romems said.