Jayhawks To Dig for the Cure Against Texas Tech
Oct. 27, 2006
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Kansas looks for continued success on its home court Saturday night when it hosts Texas Tech in a `Dig for the Cure’ match. The Jayhawks (10-11, 3-9 Big 12 Conference) and Red Raiders (10-11, 3-9), tied for eighth in the league standings, face off at 7 p.m. at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center. Live Gametracker and video streaming, a recap and box score for the match can be found here. In support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, teams around the nation have been collecting pledges and donations for digs to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
About the Jayhawks
The Jayhawks (10-11, 3-9) are averaging 16.11 kills and 14.89 assists per game, which rank third in the Big 12. Senior outside hitter Jana Correa paces a balanced KU offense with 4.11 kills per game — good for seventh in the league — and has recorded 14 or more kills in 16 matches this season. Correa recently became the ninth Jayhawk in school history to record 1,000 kills for her career and currently ranks ninth on the KU all-time list. Junior right side hitter Emily Brown (3.57 kpg), a threat in all six rotations, and sophomore middle blocker Savannah Noyes (3.24 kpg) round out the top KU hitters. Redshirt freshman setter Katie Martincich averages 11.88 assists per game and ranks eighth in the league. KU’s defense features senior libero Jamie Mathewson (3.58 dpg) and five Jayhawks who average 2.33 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 Red Raiders
Texas Tech (10-11, 3-9) heads into Saturday’s match with the same record as KU and is trying to stop a three-match skid that included losses to No. 8 Texas, Colorado and Kansas State. Senior outside hitter Philister Sang leads the Red Raiders and ranks second in the Big 12 with 4.60 kills per game. Junior middle blocker Amy Charlebois (2.64 kpg) ranks fifth in the league with a team-high 1.38 blocks per game and senior outside hitter Kiley Lyons adds 2.41 digs and 1.59 kills per game. Tech runs a 6-2 offense with setters Emily Ziegler (junior) and Holly Hicks (sophomore), who average 8.15 and 5.02 assists per game, respectively. Despite a league-best 1.77 service aces per game, the Red Raiders rank last in the conference in team hitting percentage (.195), assists (12.86), kills (13.99) and digs (13.84) per game through 21 matches this season.
Kansas vs. Texas Tech
Three Jayhawks notched double-digit kills as KU lost a four-game match to Texas Tech, 26-30, 25-30, 30-22 and 25-30, Sept. 27 at United Spirit Arena in Lubbock. Senior Jana Correa led the Jayhawks with 21 kills and had 15 digs on the night. Sophomore Savannah Noyes added 13 kills and junior Emily Brown had 10 and seven digs in the effort. Freshman Brittany Williams rounded out the top KU hitters with nine kills and had a team-best five blocks. Rookie setter Katie Martincich dished a match-high 48 assists and senior Dani Wittman led the serving effort with three aces. KU set a new season high with 10 blocks through four games. The Red Raiders lead the all-time series against KU, 14-8, but are 3-6 in the teams’ last nine meetings and have not won in Lawrence since 2001.
More About Dig For the Cure
On Saturday, Kansas volleyball will help the fight against breast cancer in a `Dig for the Cure’ match. The Jayhawks will raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation’s Kansas City affiliate through pledges for digs and other donations. Fans in attendance are encouraged to wear pink to show their support for the cause. Volunteers will also be on hand to collect donations and a running total of KU digs will be announced after each game. Pink ribbons will be distributed at the entrances and pink Dig For the Cure T-shirts donated by adidas will be thrown out each time KU serves an ace. The `Dig for the Cure’ campaign came into existence in 2003 and was started by UNC-Charlotte head coach Lisa Marston. Over $36,000 has been raised for the Komen Foundation since the event’s inception. Other programs participating in the campaign this season are Campbell, Cincinnati, Clemson, Florida State, Maryland, Miami, South Florida, Wake Forest and all 10 volleyball teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
The Komen Foundation
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was established in 1982 by Nancy Brinker to honor the memory of her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died from breast cancer at the age of 36. Today, the Foundation is an international organization with a network of more than 75,000 volunteers working through local affiliates and events like the Komen Race for the Cure® to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease. Together with its Affiliate Network, corporate partners and generous donors, the Komen Foundation has raised more than $740 million for the fight against breast cancer.
There’s No Place Like Home
The Jayhawks have had much success at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center over the last eight seasons. KU carries a 72-41 (.637) all-time record in Horejsi, including a 5-4 mark in 2006 and 10-6 home record in 2005.
Match Notes in PDF Format
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