Volleyball At Colorado Saturday

Nov. 9, 2007

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Complete Notes in PDF Format

With just three road contests remaining, the <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Kansas volleyball team takes an 11-15 overall record and 4-12 mark in the Big 12 to Boulder, Colo., Saturday, Nov. 10 for a matchup with the Colorado Buffaloes (6-18, 1-15) at 7:30 p.m. CST. The Jayhawks, who hit the road for the first time in two matches, stopped a six-match skid last Saturday in a 3-2 win over then-No. 18 Oklahoma. Most recently, Kansas was defeated 3-0 by the No. 3 Texas Longhorns.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>

After going winless in its first 14 Big 12 matches, Colorado snapped its losing streak with a 3-1 win over Texas Tech on Nov. 3. Most recently the Buffaloes, who sit at the bottom of the conference standings, fell 3-0 to No. 2 Nebraska in Lincoln last Wednesday.

Jayhawks At A Glance

The Jayhawks, who are hitting .170 in Big 12 contests, are led by junior Natalie Uhart with a .286 hitting accuracy. Uhart also leads the squad with 1.11 blocks per game and ranks second with 0.30 service aces per game for ninth-best among conference players. Newcomer Karina Garlington is also a threat at the service line ranking eighth in league standings with 0.31 aces per game. Freshman Jenna Kaiser continues to pace KU averaging 2.95 kills per game. Senior Emily Brown adds 2.71kpg while Uhart contributes 2.64. Brown also puts in 6.46 assists per game followed by Katie Martincich with 5.41. Defensively, freshman libero Melissa Manda digs up a team-high 3.85 balls per game, ninth among Big 12 players.

Scouting Colorado

As a team, the Buffs are hitting .195 in conference matches and .217 overall on the season. Since the start of Big 12 play, Lauren Schaefer has paced Colorado with 3.21 kills per game but has been absent from the box score in the the last three contests. Alex Buth adds just over three kills per game with 3.05 while Emilee Sisco contributes just under three with 2.93. Kaitlyn Burkett runs the CU offense setting 11.71 assists per game, seventh in the Big 12. Callie Webster also ranks among conference players coming in at number four with 4.45 digs per game to lead the Buffs. Schylur Edelman averages 1.08 blocks per game for a team that records 2.27 bpg.

The Series

Colorado leads the all-time series 33-10 against the Jayhawks. Of KU’s 10 wins against the Buffaloes only two have been in Boulder, the last road victory coming on Oct. 1, 2005.

Last Meeting With the Buffaloes

Kansas knocked off Colorado earlier this season on Oct. 10 in a four-game match to break a three match skid. Two Jayhawks enjoyed season-highs including Jenna Kaiser who collected a career-high 19 kills, while Katie Martincich chipped in a season-high 34 assists. Natalie Uhart recorded then-season highs of 14 kills and six block assists.

*Senior Night Time Change*

Kansas volleyball’s last home match scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 17 versus IowaState has been bumped up to an 11 a.m. start time.

The match is also senior day as seniors Emily Brown and Caitlin Mahoney will be honored in a ceremony following the match.

Three Jayhawks Named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District

Senior Emily Brown, junior Savannah Noyes and sophomore Katie Martincich were each named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Third Team for their performance on the court and in the classroom. Only two Kansas volleyball players have earned the award in the past and never more than one in a single season. Brown earns third team honors for the second consecutive year, while Noyes and Martincich are first time honorees.

Against the Ranks

The team’s win over #18 Oklahoma on Nov. 3 was KU’s first win over a ranked team since then-#16 BYU on Sept. 7, 2006. It was also the first victory over a top-25 Big 12 opponent since defeating KansasState on Nov. 5, 2005 when the Wildcats were No. 24 in the country.

For the Record

In her fourth season with the Jayhawks, Emily Brown can be found on five KU career record lists:

Kills Total Attempts Assists Digs Games Played

1,123 (7th) 2,937 (7th) 986 (10th) 997 (9th) 413 (8th)

1,000 Dig Milestone

Emily Brown is just three digs away from hitting the 1,000 milestone. If and when she accomplishes the feat, she will become just the third player in KU volleyball history to reach the 1,000 plateau in both kills and digs, and the first since Sarah Rome who played for Kansas from 2000-03. The other player who reached 1,000 digs and kills was Cyndee Kanabel (1990-93).

Follow the Jayhawks

Can’t watch the game? Fans can follow live stats of Saturday’s match at:

http://www.cubuffs.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml

Addidtionaly, live video is also available with a paid subscription at:

http://www.cubuffs.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml

Up Next

Wednesday, Nov. 14 the Jayhawks will head to Manhattan, Kan., to take on in-state rival KansasState. Match time is set for 7 p.m.