SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Friday, October 1, 1993
Volleyball team prepares to open Big Eight season
By Gerry Fey
Kansan sportswriter
After working its way into the regional rankings, the Kansas volleyball team opens Big Eight competition in Norman, Okla.
The 12th-ranked Jayhawks will face
Oklahoma at 7:30 tomorrow night.
Senior middle blocker Cyndee Kanabel said the road trip to Norman was a long one.
"Oklahoma is tough competition," Kanabel said. "I hate the Oklahoma road trip. It is a hard crowd to play against. One year we were coming back in a match down there, the crowd started throwing candy on the court. And someone threw a golf ball."
The 10-5 Jayhawks will face the 5-7 Sooners. Last year, Oklahoma played in the Big Eight tournament, for which Kansas failed to qualify. Only the top four teams in the Big Eight advance to the postseason tournament.
A goal for Kansas is to make the Big Eight tournament this season, but to do that the Jayhawks must defeat teams like Oklahoma, Kanabel said. The Sooners defeated Kansas both times the teams played last year.
"Last year when we played Oklahoma here, we played horrible," Kanabel said. "We have a totally different team compared to last year."
One thing that hasn't changed from last year is the size of Oklahoma's players. Albiz said Oklahoma's front line had several players 6-foot-3 or taller.
"The two teams we'll probably have trouble with are Nebraska and Colorado," Kansas coach Frankie Albizt said. "Those are the top two teams in the Big Eight. It leaves two spots. Iowa State and Oklahoma played in the tournament last year. Somebody's got to get knocked off."
"They are the biggest team in the Big Eight," Albitz said. "They hit over our blocks and use quick hits in the middle."
"If we pass well, we can run the middle, which is what we like to do," Pabst said. "The thing I'm more concerned about is trying to keep our players healthy."
Oklahoma coach Miles Pabst said that his team had to deal with injuries. Junior outside hitter Karina Sullivan and senior setter Holly Olson are questionable for tomorrow's game.
Albizt isn't concerned about the affect of Oklahoma's injuries.
"It always seems like he has one injury every year," Albizt said. "I don't think an injury on his side of the net will make much of a difference."
Pabst, whose team is not ranked,
said a victory against the Jayhawks
would give his team a chance at a
regional ranking.
Freshman outside hitter Katie Walsh said that it was a big boost for the team to be ranked but that it would take more effort to be a top team in the Big Eight.
Kansas softball ready for Big Eight rivals
Senior infielder Kim Newbern tags out a Johnson County Community College player as she slides into third base. The Kansas softball team will play in the Big Eight Fall Classic this weekend.
John Gamble / KANSAN
Kansas coach Kalum Haack said that all the teams would be ready to play but that Oklahoma State would
be the team to beat because of its College Softball World Series experience last season.
Oklahoma State coach Sandy Fischer said that winning the Big Eight tournament was a matter of pride.
"Everybody wants that psychological edge, that feeling of winning," she said.
The tournament does not have much bearing on the spring season, but it is competitive nevertheless. Haack said. The players fought for positions during the fall season.
The conference does not have a spring tournament.
For the only time this year, the Big Eight softball teams will face each other in a tournament.
Haack said that Kansas needed to work on its intensity level if it wanted to do well during the tournament. The only way to work on intensity is to talk about it.
Haack said that the team used the fall season to evaluate its mistakes on the field and to give players a chance to gain experience.
"I drive home the message, and the team will pick it up," he said.
Morgan said that Haack was always telling the team that if its intensity level was high, then it could carry the team through a difficult game.
Iowa State coach Deb Kuhn said that her team wanted to win but that the No. 1 goal was to give her players game time. Iowa State has 10 new players on its roster.
from last year's team, but Kuhn said her new players were more athletic than the players she lost. Only one of the new players is a freshman. The other players have Division I experience or have transferred from junior colleges.
This is the only tournament for Kansas this fall. Morgan said the team probably would take a week off before it went into its off-season training.
1 p.m., Saturday Memorial Stadium KLZR, KLWN
Kansas Jayhawks KU (1-3-0) Head Coach: Glen Mason
Offense:
WR 83 Greg Ballard 6-3 195 Sr.
TE 1 Dwayne Chandler 6-2 235 Sr.
LT 54 Rod Jones 6-4 285 So.
LG 66 Hessley Hempstead 6-1 295 Jr.
C 63 Joe Hornback 6-2 277 So.
RG 69 John Jones 6-1 285 Jr.
RT 78 Mark Allison 6-3 280 So.
WR 7 Robert Reed 6-1 185 Jr.
QB 9 Asheiki Preston 5-11 180 Jr.
TB 22 L.T. Levine 5-10 210 So.
RB 33 Costello Good 6-1 212 Jr.
Defense:
OLB 39 Don Davis 6-1 212 Jr.
LE 91 Brent Willeford 6-3 250 Sr.
LT 94 Daryl Jones 6-2 275 So.
RT 61 Mike Steele 6-3 276 Sr.
RE 56 Jason Brown 6-4 238 Fr.
OLB 46 Ronnie Ward 6-0 212 So.
MLB 35 Larry Thiel 6-3 223 Sr.
CB 28 Tony Blevins 6-0 170 Fr.
FS 47 Clint Bowen 6-1 190 Sr.
SS 38 Robert Vaughn 5-11 188 Sr.
CB 3 Gerald McBurrows 6-1 188 Jr.
Colorado State Rams (1-3-0) Head Coach: Sonny Lubick
Offense:
WR 6 Ronald Antoine 5-9 168 Fr.
TE 81 Mark Smith 6-6 230 Sr.
WT 68 Pat Meyer 6-1 287 Jr.
WG 76 Derek Yurosek 6-3 290 Sr.
C 50 Bob Cox 6-1 278 Sr.
RG 69 John Jones 6-1 285 Jr.
SG 69 James Cregg 6-3 257 So.
RT 60 Brandon Evans 6-3 273 So.
WR 34 Eric Olsen 6-1 196 Jr.
OB 7 Anthony Hill 5-11 193 Sr.
TB 9 Terence Zenno 6-1 186 Jr.
FB 12 Leonice Brown 5-11 185 Jr.
Defense:
DE 44 Sean Moran 6-3 245 So.
DT 96 Steve Norton 6-2 262 So.
DT 46 Steve Hodge 6-2 262 Jr.
DT 41 Brady Smith 6-5 240 So.
DE 57 Mitch Palmer 6-4 226 Fr.
MLB 97 Kenya Ragsdale 5-11 218 Jr.
OLB 46 Ronnie Ward 6-0 212 So.
OLB 98 Kaneem Ingram 5-11 209 Jr.
CB 15 Andre Strode 5-8 170 Jr.
FS 3 Greg Myers 6-2 189 So.
SS 43 Scott Lynch 6-1 198 So.
CB 10 Vincent Booker 5-9 185 Jr.
Oklahoma State lost nine players
By Anne Felstet
Kansan sportswriter
The Bruins, 2-2, improved to 16-0-1 against San Diego State, 3-2. Last night's game was the last of a 10-year contract, during which UCLA outscored the Aztecs 400-153.
"It was embarrassing and humiliating. San Diego State coach Al Luginbill said. "For whatever reason, we don't think we can beat those people. So we do what it takes to not be competitive. It's a shame."
"It itse like we've never had a game like this," said coach Terry Donahue, whose Bruins were 0-2 before beating Stanford 28-25 on Saturday.
Fauk, the two-time national rushing leader and 1992 Heisman Trophy runner-up, carried 19 times and was held to his second-lowest output in three seasons, excluding two games cut short by injury. He scored on a 3-yard run 3:44 into the third quarter and didn't carry the ball in the fourth.
"He's the type of player who can bust open the game with big plays," Cook said. "It's exciting to have him as a receiver, and it's exciting to watch him after you throw the ball to him."
Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Iowa State, Missouri and Kansas converge on Kansas City, Mo., for the Big Eight Fall Classic this weekend.
Cyclone player arrested for drunken driving
Reid said that Ulrich also failed a breath test at the police station and was charged with first-offense drunken driving. Ulrich was released around 9 a.m. on his promise to appear in court.
San Diego State falls to UCLA
The Associated Press
SAN DIEGO — UCLA's J.J. Stokes pulled up in the corner of the end zone after catching a 50-yard pass and bowed to nobody in particular. He was simply in his element.
AMES, Iowa — Iowa State fullback Chris Ulrich has been suspended from the team after being arrested for drunken driving two days before the Cyclones' Big Eight Conference opener.
Coach Jim Walden said that Ulrich will be suspended while he completes requirements of the athletic department's athlete assistance program, which includes counseling on substance abuse.
"Our primary concern is what is in Chris' long-term interest," Walden said in a prepared statement.
The Associated Press
Stokes had only 188 yards and two touchdowns on 16 catches in games against California, Nebraska and Stanford. He broke out against the Aztecs by catching touchdown passes of 36, 16 and 50 yards from Wayne Cook.
Stokes, held in check in the previous three games, caught five passes for 164 yards and three touchdowns, and UCLA held Marshall Faulk to only 53 yards rushing in a 52-13 victory against San Diego State last night.
An Ames police officer stopped Ulrich around 3 a.m. yesterday after he was reported to be driving erratically in the Campuspust area of the city. The officer smelled alcohol on Ulrich's breath and gave him a sobriety test, which Ulrich failed, police Sgt. Craig Reid said.
Source: KANSAN Staff Reports
Micah Laaker/KANSAN
Colorado State tailback Leonice Brown runs with the ball during the Ram$ game against Nebraska. The Jahways will play the Ram$ at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
Kip Chin / KANSAN
Kansas offense set for Colorado State
New quarterback to start against Rams tomorrow
By Matt Doyle
Kansan sportswriter
Preston replaces junior Fred Thomas as Kansas' starting quarterback for the 1 p.m. game tomorrow against Colorado State at Memorial Stadium.
Kansas junior quarterback Asheki Preston wanted an opportunity to start for the Jayhawks. His wish becomes reality tomorrow.
Even though Thomas entered the season as the starting quarterback, Kansas coach Glen Mason said there was not much difference between the two quarterbacks.
"Their performance from last spring was pretty close, and we tried to get both of them ready with that in mind," Mason said. "Asheiki deserves a chance to go out there, and I won't hesitate to use Fred Thomas. I'm not totally disappointed in how Fred's played."
Mason said that his decision to change starting quarterbacks was based on Preston's performance in the second half of the 41-16 loss against Utah two weeks ago.
Preston, who started the second half of the Utah game, completed 7 of 15 passes for 46 yards against the Utes. He ran for 53 yards on 10 attempts, including a 3-yard touchdown.
Preston said he was ready for the opportunity to start and did not foresee any difficulties for the offense with the change of quarterbacks.
"I'm definitely ready for it because this is my opportunity to show what I can do, and I'm ready to take that on." Preston said. "I don't think we've lost any steps on offense with me stepping in."
Junior offensive guard Hessley
Hempsted said that there was not a gap between the two quarterbacks in terms of talent but that he noticed a difference in the huddle.
"Asheki is a little more talkative," Hemped said. "Fred was in there when some bad things happened. By nature of the position, all the pressure goes to Fred, and it makes Fred look bad.
"Asheki came in and made some good things happen, but there were things that happened when Asheki was in that Fred didn't have an opportunity to take advantage of. I wouldn't say Asheki is that much better or Fred is that much worse."
The Preston-led offense will face a Colorado State defense that is allowing 320 yards of total offense a game. That is 110 fewer yards a game this season compared to last season.
The Rams lead the Western Athletic Conference in several defensive categories and held Nebraska to 360 yards
last week in the Huskers 18-13 victory. Nebraska entered the contest with an average of 487 yards of_total offense a game.
Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick was the defensive coordinator at the University of Miami for the last four seasons, during which the Hurricanes were annually among the national leaders in total defense.
"The players produce the results," Lubick said. "We're not doing anything different than they did here before. Our guys have adjusted well to our system."
Lubick's defense will be without its leading tackler, however. Senior linebacker Brian Schneider sprained both of his knees in the loss to Nebraska.
"He was probably our leader on defense and overall one of our better players," Lubick said. "We're going to have to fight like heck if we want to win this game."
Meet carries weight in NCAA bid choices
By Kent Hohlfeld
Kansan sportswriter
The meets start to count for the Kansas cross country team this weekend as it travels to Roseville, Minn., just outside Minnesota, to compete in the Minnesota Invitational.
The at-large bids are given on the basis of the team's strength against other teams in its region. There are 16 women's teams and 18 men's teams that will automatically qualify by being one of the top two teams at the district meets in November.
The meet has added significance because it is a regional meet, which the NCAA can take into consideration when issuing at-large bids to the NCAA championships November 22.
Six at-large women's bids and three at-large men's bids are decided by the NCAA selection committee. The committee makes its decisions based on a team's record against the strongest teams within its region.
That gives this weekend's meet its added significance. The men's field competition includes No. 2 Iowa
Cross Country
These teams will face a Kansas men's squad that has been hampered by injuries to two runners who were expected to play key roles for the team this year. Jeff Peterson is out for the season with a bone spur in his knee. Chris Ronan will not compete because of tendinitis in his knee.
State, No. 4 Wisconsin, No. 11 North Carolina State and No. 16 Eastern Michigan.
Coach Gary Schwartz said that injuries were part of the reason behind the team's disappointing start.
"We had hoped to be a little stronger to start the season," he said.
He said that the team had experienced a breakthrough at last weekend's Boston College meet. Schwartz said that every member of the team ran a strong race and that he was especially encouraged by the consistency of the freshmen on the squad.
"The younger guys are definitely pulling their weight," senior Jon
Hays said. "The team has improved constantly."
While the men's squad will gain experience from this meet, Schwartz said that he expected a top-five finish from his No. 24 women's team.
The women's team will face No. 7 North Carolina State, No. 10 Iowa and No. 15 Nebraska. This comes in a season where Kansas already has faced both No. 1 Arkansas and No. 2 Providence.
Senior Ashley Ace said that she thought the team's tough schedule would prepare it for competitions against other highly-ranked teams. She said the team was pleased with the No.24 ranking.
“It's exciting to see the team ranked," Ace said. "We're not looking at this meet any differently than any other meet though."
"We don't want to have to rely on an at large bid," Schwartz said. "The best way to qualify is to win your district meet."
Schwartz said that he 'hoped the strength of the schedule would help prepare the women's team for both the Big Eight championships. Oct. 30 and the District V meet Nov. 13.
Golf team hits road, faces challenge of Oregon State
By Kent Hohlfeld Kansan sportswriter
Coach Jerry Waugh said that this type of schedule was not unusual for the Jayhawks.
The Kansas women's golf team will have traveled more than 5,500 miles this season after it completes this weekend's trek to Corvallis, Ore., and the Oregon State Invitational.
The team traveled to Iowa City, Iowa, and Las Cruces, N.M., for tournals earlier this season.
The team's strong performance last weekend may partly account for the
"We want to schedule a variety of teams from the different regions," Waugh said.
He said that since the team played in the West region of the NCAA tournament, he had tried to schedule teams from that region.
Waugh said that he was pleased with his team's performance in last weekend's Hawkey Invitational. The team finished third out of 10 teams, with senior golfer Holly Reynolds capturing a fourth-place tie with Kansas State's Jacque Wright.
Jayhawks' No. 24 ranking given by Golf Week magazine.
Reynolds was named to the presseason second-team all-American team by the magazine.
"We don't pay to much attention to the rankings." Reynolds said. Reynolds said the Jayhawks' performance was helped by drills they worked on during the previous two weeks which included extensive work on the team's short game.
"The shots of less than 60 yards have given us some problems," Waugh said. "We lost a lot of strokes in the first two tournaments because of our putting."
Junior Ain Holbrook said that her seventh-place finish was helped by the team's putting and chipping drills. Waugh said that the team had not played up to its capabilities so far this season, but he had seen improvement throughout the year.
That improvement will be tested by 14th-ranked Oregon this weekend.
"The toughest teams will probably be Oregon, Oregon State and us," Reynolds said.