UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, January 30, 1996
3B
Men's tennis wins
By Spencer Duncan Kansen sportswriter
TOPEKA — Kansas proved it had the best tennis players in the Big Eight Conference as the Jayhawks won the singles and doubles championships at the Big Eight Indoor Championships at Woodvalley Racquet Club last weekend.
During the three-day tournament, players competed not as a team, but as individuals. Kansas players won five of seven doubles matches and nine of 10 singles matches against Big Eight opponents.
The surprise of the tournament was Kansas senior Michael Isroff, who captured the Big Eight Indoor Singles Championship after defeating the defending champion of the Big Eight tournament, second seed Marc Bauer of Colorado, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3.
"I have been playing really well," Isroff said. "I have a lot of confidence now."
Isroff went into the tournament unseeded. He struggled last fall, after working through a foot injury, with only a 2-4 record. However, Isroff has won nine of his last 10 matches.
"He really got back into shape." Kansas men's tennis coach Michael Center said. "He didn't play tennis last summer, but this
is his last year, and something has gotten into him and he's playing great right now."
Kansas also dominated the doubles competition by making it an all-Jayhawk championship.
Kansas freshmen Luis Uribe and Fernando Sierra captured the Big Eight indoor doubles championship with a 9-7 victory over teammates sophomore Enrique Abaroa and Isroff.
"It was a little weird to play my teammates," Iroff said.
Not only was it all Kansas players in the doubles championship match, but Sierra and Uribe defeated senior teammates Victor Fimbres and Xavier Avila in the semifinals to earn the right to play their own teammates in the finals.
The biggest upset for Kansas was when Arthur Rusiecki of Colorado defeated first seed Abaroa in singles competition, 6-2, 6-4. Rusiecki later lost to Isroff in the semifinal round.
There were 16 competitors in singles competition and eight double teams. Kansas State and Iowa State do not have men's tennis teams.
Kansas will be remembered as the last winners of the Big Eight Championships as the conference becomes the Big 12 in June.
"We have the best players in the conference and the region," Isroff said. "We are a good team."
Netters ace Shockers
By Spencer Duncan
Kansan sportswriter
Everything would have been perfect for the No.22 Kansas women's tennis team on Friday, if only the No.2 ranked doubles team in the nation had not lost.
Kansas juniors Kyle Hunt and Jenny Atkerson, ranked No. 2 nationally, were upset by by No. 22 Allison Passmore and Jane White of Wichita State. 9-7.
"We really haven't found a form yet," Hunt said. "We played well, but we just didn't win."
The loss, however, was the only one Kansas suffered on Friday as it defeated the Wichita State Shockers and captured its first win of the season at Alvaram Racquet Club.
Teams earn one point for every singles match and one point for the entire doubles competition. Kansas won all six of its singles matches and was two of three in doubles competition. It allowed Kansas to have a 7-0 sweep.
"We competed hard in every spot," Kansas assistant women's tennis coach Frank Polito said. "It was a good meet for us."
In singles competition, Hunt, who is also No. 7 in singles, defeated Shocker Annette Hartman, 6-3, 6-2, while sophomore Christie Sim, ranked No. 74 in the tournament, won 6-2, 6-0, against White. Kansas did not
lose a set in singles competition.
On Sunday, the Jayhawks traveled to the Topeka Country Club for a meet against No. 26 Northwestern. Kansas lost 4-3 to the Wildcats and dropped to 1-1 overall.
"I feel the team could have won," Hunt said. "We knew we could beat them, we just didn't do it."
Kansas dropped two of three doubles matches as Hunt and Atkerson were the only winners by defeating Marjorie Gantman and Siri Eklund, 9-8. The double matches were the deciding factor as the Jayhawks went on to split the six doubles matches, 3-3.
Hunt, Sim and junior Bianca Kirchof were all victorious for Kansas. Kirchof had been down one set before she came back and won her match against Marybeth Novak, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Losing for Kansas were Atkerson, freshman Kris Sell, and sophomore Maria Abiatioglou.
"We were getting good play," Polito said. "It was tight all the way through. We just didn't win."
The Jayhawks are now preparing to face No. 13 William and Mary and No. 16 Notre Dame. They will be in Lawrence on Friday and Sunday.
"Now that the season has started, we will get better," Hunt said. "We're looking forward to playing these tough two teams."
'Zoning out normal for Jayhawk divers
Diving coach keeps Jayhwaks focused
By Dan Gelston
Kansan sportswriter
Sometimes it's the state of mind athletes get into when everything is going right and they feel unstoppable.
Kansas men's and women's diving coach Don Fearon always has his divers in the zone.
The other is the prestigious NCAA Zone meet where Fearon has sent 20
divers during his seven years at Kansas.
Qualifying for the zone is a spring board, or is it diving board, for the NCAA Championships, of which Fearon has had four divers quality.
That success has carried over into this year, as senior Kris Hoffman, sophomore
qualifying scores.
"They're a good group of divers," Fearon said. "This is the time of the year when sometimes it starts to get too repetitious. But in practice, they keep doing the dives until they get the score they want rather than what they need."
That work ethic was on display Saturday at Robinson Natatorium. The meet between the Kansas and Iowa State swimming and diving teams was canceled. So the swimmers and divers showed up for a Saturday practice.
Fearon tried to treat the practice like a real meet.
"Hopefully, I can make the NCAA's and finish in the top 16 in both boards."
erian Humphrey and senior Michelle Roihow have already posted zone
Kris Hoffman Kansas senior diver
"The divers would see me flash a score after a dive or two," he said. "They just kept working on improving their scores."
personal bests this year on the one-
meter board in dual and champi-
improving scores has been a constant under Fearon.
Hoffman, the 1995 Big Eight Conference Men's Diver of the Year, has set
onship meets and the three-meter board in dual and championship meets.
"We're looking pretty good for a competition championship," Hoffman said. "Personally, I'd like to try and at least repeat what I did last year. Hopefully, I can make the NCAA's and finish in the top 16 in both boards."
Senior Pat Burke said that Fearon's
Kansas senior diver Kris Hoffman prepares for to break the surface. Hoffman has set a personal best this season in the one-meter dual and championships and three-meter dual and championships.
Tyler Wirken / KANSAN
willingness to change and learn like the divers has been a big plus for the team.
"I can tell a big difference in him between my freshman and
Fearon believes that at least three other divers can qualify for the zone with good scores at the Big Eight Championships.
"There's some high standards but they're capable of doing good," he said.
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