Kansas Claims Jayhawk Classic despite Loss
Sept. 9, 2006
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
The University of Kansas women’s volleyball team fell to the University of Arkansas in the finale of the Jayhawk Classic in a thrilling five-game match– 33-35, 30-27, 26-30, 30-25 and 11-15. Despite the loss to the Lady Razorbacks, the Jayhawks were still crowned Classic champions due to the number of games the team won.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
Junior Emily Brown led KU with 22 kills on the match and also recorded seven assists. Sophomore Savannah Noyes registered a career-high 20 kills during the match, shattering her previous best by five. The Indianola, Neb. native also registered four block assists, two off her career best.
Two other Jayhawks set new career highs during the match. Redshirt freshman Katie Martincich tallied a career-high 67 assists, breaking her previous best by nine. Senior Jamie Mathewson set a new career high with her 24 digs.
The match was a back-and-forth affair for both teams. The first game saw the teams tied at 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 before the Lady Razorbacks claimed the victory. The Jayhawks responded in game two before suffering another loss in game three. KU rallied in game four to force the decisive game five, before ultimately falling.
Coach Ray Bechard was pleased with his team’s effort despite the outcome.
“It was a tough, tough loss, but if you look at some of these stats, we had 94 digs which means we really battled,” Bechard said. “We won a lot of the stats categories. But in the end, we would’ve liked to have game one back. We got into a little bit of a serving funk late in game one but it was a quality opponent. It was a great, great effort by our team. The execution wasn’t always there but the effort was.”
The Jayhawks return to the court on Sept. 13, when they open Big 12 play against nationally ranked Nebraska. The match, set to take place at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln, Neb., is slated to start at 7 p.m. Stay tuned to kuathleitcs.com for all the latest news and results.
