Kansas Hosts Baylor Saturday in Big 12 Action

Oct. 13, 2006

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Kansas volleyball will look for its fifth win at home this season when it hosts Baylor Saturday at 7 p.m. The Jayhawks (9-9, 2-7 Big 12) are coming off a 3-1 victory over Sunflower State rival Kansas State Wednesday while the Bears (13-7, 2-6) are trying to stop a five-match skid. Fans in attendance Saturday at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center will receive a free Jayhawk key chain. Gametracker, a recap and box score for the match can be found right here.

About the Jayhawks
The Jayhawks (9-9, 2-7) are averaging 16.12 kills and 14.94 assists per game, which rank third in the Big 12. Senior outside hitter Jana Correa paces a balanced KU offense with 4.18 kills per game — good for eighth in the league — and has recorded 14 or more kills in 15 matches this season. With her 14 kills against the Sooners Saturday, Correa became the ninth Jayhawk in school history to record 1,000 for her career and currently ranks ninth on the KU all-time list. Junior right side hitter Emily Brown (3.58 kpg), a threat in all six rotations, and sophomore middle blocker Savannah Noyes (3.26 kpg) round out the top KU hitters. Redshirt freshman setter Katie Martincich averages 11.75 assists per game and ranks eighth in the league. KU’s defense features senior libero Jamie Mathewson (3.60 dpg) and four Jayhawks who average 2.27 or more digs per game. KU also gets a boost from rookie middle blocker Brittany Williams, who replaced injured Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Natalie Uhart in the starting lineup.

Scouting the Bears
Baylor’s skid moved to five matches after a 3-1 loss to Texas A&M Wednesday night. The Bears’ recent stretch has been tough, with four of their last five matches against ranked opponents and three on the road. The squad’s league wins came against Texas Tech on Sept. 20 and then-ranked No. 24 Kansas State on Sept. 13. Baylor is led by senior outside hitter Nicole LeBlanc, who averages 3.65 kills and 3.28 digs per game. Senior middle blocker Desiree Guilliard-Young ranks sixth in the Big 12 with a .374 hitting percentage and second with 1.53 blocks per game. Freshman setter Taylor Barnes runs the offense, averaging 11.19 assists, 1.22 kills, 2.30 digs and 0.62 blocks per game, while ranking third in the league with 0.55 aces per game. Junior libero Kristen Schramek leads the Bears defensively, ranking fifth in the conference with 4.25 digs per game. The Bears are currently tied for seventh in the league standings.

Kansas vs. Baylor
The Bears lead the all-time series against KU, 14-9, but the Jayhawks have won six of the last eight meetings and are 6-1 against Baylor in the Horejsi Family Athletic Center. KU head coach Ray Bechard is 8-8 against BU while Bears coach Jim Barnes is 2-2 against the Jayhawks.

Crimson and Blue Bits
-Senior Jana Correa has tallied 14 or more kills in 15 of KU’s 18 matches this season. In fact, she has had exactly 14 kills in six matches and 10 or more digs on nine occasions. Correa notched a season-best 24 kills against Texas A&M on Sept. 20 and a career-high 23 digs versus K-State on Oct. 11.
~Junior Emily Brown has notched 20 or more kills on five occasions and has eight double-doubles (kills/digs) this season. Brown recorded a rare triple-double against UMKC on Aug. 29 — 12 kills, 10 assists and 10 digs.

Up Next
The Jayhawks will play two of their next three matches at home. After traveling to Texas A&M Oct. 21, KU will close out the month of October with home matches against No. 24 Oklahoma (Oct. 25) and Texas Tech (Oct. 28).

Match Notes in PDF Format
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