Jayhawks To End Regular Season at Iowa State
Nov. 25, 2005
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Kansas will play its final regular season match Saturday when it faces Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. The Jayhawks (15-13, 7-12 Big 12) have dropped their last two matches while the Cyclones (15-15, 8-11) are coming off a 3-1 loss at Texas A&M Wednesday.
First serve is set for 1 p.m. Gametracker and post-match results will be available on Kansas Athletics’ official website, kuathletics.com.
KU PREVIEW
The Jayhawks return nine letterwinners including four starters in 2005. KU is led by senior middle blocker Josi Lima, a three-time All-Big 12 First Team selection who was named Sports Imports/AVCA National and Big 12 Player of the Week on Sept. 19. Postseason award candidates Paula Caten (senior) and Emily Brown (sophomore) are also in the starting six.
Lima averages 3.47 kills (.235 hitting efficiency) and a team-high 1.15 blocks per game. Freshman Savannah Noyes, at 6-3, adds 1.67 kills and 0.84 blocks per game in the other middle blocker spot.
Caten, a 6-3 outside hitter, contributes 3.18 kills and 2.30 digs per game and Brown, a 6-2 right side hitter, chips in 3.16 kills, 2.25 digs and 0.40 aces per game. Junior Megan Hill has started seven matches this season at outside hitter and adds 1.41 kills per game.
Junior libero Jamie Mathewson paces the defense and ranks ninth in the league with 3.34 digs per game while junior defensive specialist Dani Wittman (1.53 dpg) has made five starts for KU. Senior setter Andi Rozum (12.87 apg) is a four-year starter for the Jayhawks.
KU is without junior outside hitter Jana Correa, who suffered a season-ending injury against then-ranked #20 Kansas State on Oct. 5. Before the injury, Correa averaged a team-best 3.60 kills to go with 2.29 digs per game in 16 starts.
THE KU/ISU SERIES
With its win in Lawrence on Oct. 19, Iowa State tied the all-time series against Kansas, 33-33-1. The Jayhawks have won 10 of the last 11 meetings and have not lost in Ames since Nov. 24, 1999. First year head coach Christy Johnson is 1-0 against KU while the Jayhawks’ Ray Bechard is 13-2 against the Cyclones in his eight seasons at Kansas.
CYCLONE PREVIEW
After finishing just 8-21 overall and 1-19 in the Big 12 last season, the Cyclones’ turnaround under first-year head coach Christy Johnson has been very impressive. Iowa State is 15-15 on the season, including 8-11 in league play, and sits in seventh place in the Big 12 standings.
Sophomore middle blocker Erin Boeve had 17 kills but Iowa State fell, 3-1, to Texas A&M Wednesday night in College Station. The Cyclones have won two of their last three matches with victories over Oklahoma (Nov. 16) and Texas Tech (Nov. 19).
Junior outside hitter Katie Jessen leads the ISU hitters with 3.27 kills per game while Boeve chips in 3.18 per game and a team-best 1.62 blocks per game. Two other Cyclones average 2.00 kills per game and junior libero Katie Churm leads the Big 12 with 4.36 digs per game. Senior setter Amanda Craig runs the offense with 11.29 assists per game.
The Cyclones will honor their four seniors in a ceremony before the match Saturday.
LAST MEETING — IOWA STATE 3, KANSAS 1
Despite a school-record 22.0 team blocks and 16 kills from Josi Lima, Kansas dropped a four-game match to visiting Iowa State Oct. 19 at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center. KU totaled 11 solo blocks, tying the school record (vs. Colorado on Nov. 15, 1991) for a four-game match. The Jayhawks’ 22.0 total stuffs were the most since blocking records have been kept at KU.
Lima hit at a .361 clip and added 11 digs and 3.5 blocks in the effort. Paula Caten added 13 kills and tied a match-high with 14 digs and three aces. Megan Hill added nine kills and 4.5 blocks (two solo) and Savannah Noyes contributed eight kills and 6.0 blocks (three solo).
Andi Rozum ran the offense with 46 assists and Jamie Mathewson was once again solid defensively with 14 digs. The Jayhawks hit just .156 at the net and committed 12 service errors, including six in game four.
ISU was led by Katie Jessen’s 16 kills and libero Katie Churm led the Cyclones defensively with 14 digs. ISU totaled 14.0 blocks and hit .142 in the match.
Match Notes in PDF Format
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