KU eager to snap streak at K-State

By Andy Samuelson     Oct 30, 2004

? If Kansas University’s football team could do it earlier this fall, then why not the Jayhawk volleyball squad?

At least that is the attitude KU coach Ray Bechard has about trying to snap rival Kansas State’s 19-match win streak over Kansas.

“It’s gonna take a great effort, but we think we’ve got it in us,” said Bechard, whose team tangles with the Wildcats at 1:30 p.m. today at Ahearn Fieldhouse.

“They know since they’ve been here that it hasn’t worked out as well as they’d hoped,” Bechard said of the streak that extends beyond his coaching career at Kansas. Bechard started in 1998, but the Wildcats’ win streak dates back to Nov. 16, 1994.

“This is one last shot to go into Manhattan for those seniors that really want to get this done.”

A win today over the 18th-ranked Wildcats (13-7 overall, 7-4 Big 12 Conference) certainly would help the Jayhawks (13-7, 4-7) improve their bid for a return trip to the NCAA Tournament, not to mention extend their current conference winning steak to three straight.

But the Wildcats are a tough opponent on their home court. K-State is 6-2 this season in Manhattan, suffering setbacks to only top-10 teams in Nebraska and Texas.

“This is our last chance,” said KU senior middle blocker Ashley Michaels, a Wathena native. “We came real close the last couple of years a couple of times. So we’re gonna go down there and just give it our all and try to win.”

Earlier this season, behind a career-high 24 kills from Michaels, the Jayhawks appeared poised to knock off the Wildcats at the Horejsi Center, but KSU came out with a 3-2 victory, winning the fifth game, 15-12.

“We played our butts off last time when they came here,” Michaels said. “We just have to pick up our serving and go out there and give it everything we have.”

KU eager to make statement against Nebraska

By Chris Wristen     Sep 29, 2004

An angry group of Kansas University volleyball players will take the Horejsi Center court at 7 tonight against No. 7 Nebraska.

The 24th-ranked Jayhawks (10-2 overall, 1-2 Big 12 Conference) were irritated by their performance Saturday during a 3-0 loss at home to then-No. 22 Texas.

KU never was in the match against Texas and stopped doing the things that have allowed them to be successful this season — smothering opponents’ hitters with solid blocking, and extending matches with exhausting hustle from their back-row players.

That would be different tonight, said seventh-year KU coach Ray Bechard.

“We’re gonna bounce back,” he said. “We want to prove we’re a better team than we showed Saturday, and now we’ve got arguably the best team in the country in Nebraska coming in.

“This is a chance to prove to ourselves that the effort we showed Saturday is just not acceptable by current Kansas volleyball standards.”

Kansas came close to beating Nebraska (9-1 overall, 4-0 Big 12) last year in Lawrence. But the Cornhuskers escaped with a 3-1 victory in a tight match. NU outblocked KU 22-3, and the Jayhawks had 16 service errors in the 31-29, 25-30, 30-28, 30-24 defeat.

Bechard said this year’s Husker squad was drastically improved.

“Last year’s matches were very competitive, but they’re a whole different team,” he said. “They’ve got the best freshman in the country and they’re playing very well right now. They’re a Final Four or national championship-caliber team. That can motivate us, but we’ve got to worry about what goes on over on our side of the net.”

Behind the Big 12 preseason co-freshman of the year Sarah Pavan — a 6-foot-5 outside hitter from Kitchener, Ontario, and last week’s Big 12 Player of the Week — Nebraska has won six straight matches. KU, meanwhile, has dropped two of four.

Records for the all-time KU-NU series are disputed. Kansas lists the Huskers with a 71-1-1 lead with the lone KU victory coming in a 2-1 win on Oct. 17, 1975, at Graceland College in the schools’ first-ever meeting, and a 1-1 tie on Nov. 5, 1977. Nebraska claims to be 72-0 against the Jayhawks.

KU eager to face Huskers

By Ryan Wood     May 21, 2003

? It’s funny where some Kansas University baseball players mine their motivation. Take outfielder Casey Spanish, one of the Jayhawks’ top hitters, for instance.

After backing into the Big 12 Conference tournament following Sunday’s loss to Kansas State, Spanish vented about how the 8-6 defeat might help his team while playing top-seeded Nebraska.

“Hopefully, it will send a little fire underneath us to get out there and get after somebody,” Spanish said. “Me personally, I kind of let myself slip a little bit, so I’ll be fired up to redeem myself.”

Game time is 8 tonight at SBC Bricktown Ballpark, with a live broadcast on KLWN radio 1320.

Spanish was 0-for-5 in the basically meaningless loss to K-State, but one night before making those comments Spanish blasted two home runs and drove in four, propelling KU to its only victory in the three-game set.

The Jayhawks settled for the eighth and final seed in this week’s tournament by a half-game over Texas Tech, making that one victory a matter of postseason life or the same old regular-season death KU had experienced for the last six years.

Spanish’s desire to escape his Sunday O-fer aside, the senior outfielder from Savage, Minn., is thrilled to be able to play tonight. Spanish, who is hitting .384 with 10 home runs, 53 RBIs and 14 stolen bases, earned his first postseason appearance in his last chance.

“We’re excited to get down there and surprise some people,” Spanish said. “We have to play hard and play all nine innings. I think we’ll be all right if we do that.”

Nebraska (42-14 overall, 20-7 Big 12) won the Big 12 regular-season championship in thrilling fashion Sunday, clipping Baylor 7-6 to take the title by a game over Texas A&M.

Earlier this season, the Huskers took two of three from the Jayhawks at Hoglund Ballpark.

“They’ve had a great year,” KU coach Ritch Price said. “For them to win the Big 12 Conference outright is a big compliment to coach (Mike) Anderson in his first year as head coach.”

Kansas (35-26, 9-18) will send senior Kevin Wheeler with his 6-5 record and 4.87 earned run average to the hill tonight. He’ll face NU’s Aaron Marsden, who’s 7-2 with a 2.64 ERA.

April 4 against KU, Marsden recorded just four outs, giving two runs on three hits before leaving the game with a sore arm.

If the Jayhawks can top Nebraska, ranked No. 7 in the latest Top 25 poll, they’ll play the winner of the Missouri-Baylor game at 8 p.m. Thursday. If the Jayhawks lose, they’ll play at 1 p.m. Thursday.

¢

Ex-Lion shines for NU: Nebraska sophomore Curtis Ledbetter, a 2000 Lawrence High graduate, has been sensational, hitting .341 with 12 homers and 46 RBIs this season. He’s a contender for Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors. Ledbetter, who played in junior college last season, compiled a 23-game hitting streak earlier in the season — the longest in the Big 12 this spring.

¢

Johnson update: Another former city prep standout, Free State High graduate and KU junior relief pitcher Brandon Johnson, hasn’t played in two weeks because of a sore elbow.

Who: No. 8 seed Kansas University (35-26 overall, 9-18 Big 12) vs. No. 1 Nebraska (44-14, 20-7).When: 8 tonight.Where: SBC Bricktown Ballpark, Oklahoma City.Radio: 1320 KLWN.Pitchers: Kevin Wheeler (6-5, 4.87 ERA) vs. Aaron Marsden (7-2, 2.64).

“We’ll only be able to pitch him one day in the tournament,” Price said of Johnson, who has a 7-3 record and seven saves.

Johnson likely will need surgery after the season to relocate his ulnar nerve, which is rubbing against his elbow.

“They say it’s a very simple operation,” Price said. “He’ll be 100 percent in two months.”

¢

Price-Anderson connection: Price credits NU coach Anderson with bringing him to Lawrence last summer. KU’s first-year coach learned of the opening through Anderson. A three-game series with Nebraska last season while Price was at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo intrigued him about baseball in the Big 12.

“I’ve never seen that type of fanaticism for college baseball,” Price said of Nebraska, which draws an average of 4,000 fans a game. “We’re trying now to take those same strides that they’ve been taking.”

KU eager to face Shockers

By Ryan Wood     Apr 29, 2003

Kansas University’s baseball series with Wichita State has been like a soap opera in recent seasons.

The series is tied 3-3 since 2000, further showing that no matter how tradition-rich a titan like Wichita State is, all advantages are thrown out the window for a rivalry game.

The two teams will meet for the first time this season at 7 tonight at Hoglund Ballpark.

“This,” KU’s Ryan Baty says, “is big-time.”

Certainly for Baty. He, brother Matt Baty and senior pitcher Ryan Jakubov all hail from the Wichita area. Jakubov’s brother, Mathew, pitches for the Shockers and started a game against Kansas last season.

“Growing up in Wichita, you dreamed for the day you played at Wichita State,” Ryan Baty said. “If that doesn’t work out, you dream of the day you beat Wichita State.”

Baty and the Jayhawks have had their moments. Last year, KU pitcher Chris Jones limited the then-No. 8 Shockers to just one hit in seven innings of work in his second career start. Kansas won 9-1, but afterward Shocker coach Gene Stephenson lashed out against Jones, questioning his credibility and criticizing KU while he was at it. He later apologized.

Jones is red-shirting this season after elbow surgery,

WSU won the rematch 10-1 at Eck Stadium a week later, behind four home runs and a triple play.

Truth is, this non-conference matchup has been anything but dull the last few years.

When: 7 tonight.Where: Hoglund Ballpark.Radio: 1320 KLWN AM.Series: WSU leads, 35-16.Records: WSU 31-18; KU 32-18.

Tonight, Kansas officials are expecting a near-capacity crowd. The Jayhawks’ 32-18 record gives them the most victories in a season since 1994 — with at least 12 games left to play. Wichita State, meanwhile, comes in with a 31-18 record after losing three of four to Creighton during the weekend. Both KU and WSU were weekly members of the Top 25 earlier this season before dropping out during conference play.

“Hopefully, the rivalry of Wichita State will bring a great crowd,” KU coach Ritch Price said. “We’ll see if we can get back on track.”

The first scheduled meeting between Kansas and Wichita State was last Wednesday at Eck Stadium, but it was postponed because of bad weather. That game has been rescheduled for May 7.

Kansas will play host to defending national champion Texas in a three-game weekend series. The Longhorns, first in the Big 12 Conference, are ranked No. 8.

PREV POST

Malashock: Don't blame coaches who follow dream

NEXT POST

3579KU eager to face Shockers