Two victories and one defeat. That’s how Kansas finished its season-opening weekend at the Oregon Invitational in Eugene, Ore. After a victory over Cal-State Bakersfield on Friday, and a victory over Idaho State on Saturday, home team Oregon spoiled Kansas’ bid for a perfect weekend, handing Kansas its first loss of the season 3-0 (30-20, 30-20, 30-20). Kansas’ fell to 2-1 on the season.

“They were real good physically,” coach Ray Bechard said, referring to Oregon. “We were exposed in some areas.”

Kansas had no response to the Oregon offensive duo of junior Gorana Maricic and sophomore Sonja Newcombe, an All-Pac 10 freshman last year. Maricic and Newcombe had 12 kills each, while sophomore Nevena Djordjevic efficiently ran the offense and recorded a match-high 29 assists. Oregon posted a team hitting percentage of .370, while Kansas, hamstrung by its 27 hitting errors, was able to muster a hitting percentage of only .040.

“Maybe it was lack of experience,” Bechard said. “There’s always some pressure the first time out.”

A Kansas victory would have given Kansas the Oregon Invitational Championship. Instead, Oregon took the title for the third consecutive year. After getting strong performances from freshman Jenna Kaiser and sophomore transfer Flavia Lino in the first two games of the tournament, Kansas’s offense went silent against Oregon. Freshmen Karina Garlington, sophomore Brittany Williams, and junior Natalie Uhart led the team with six kills each, while senior Emily Brown and sophomore Katie Martincich led the team with 12 assists each.

Oregon, an NCAA tournament team a year ago, played like its 2006 success will carry over to this season. Oregon scored 50 kills in 93 attempts.

Idaho State

Coach Ray Bechard put his name into the Kansas record books when Kansas swept Idaho State in its first game on Saturday. Kansas defeated Idaho State, 3-0 (30-20, 30-21, 30-25), and Bechard registered his 149th win at Kansas, tying Frankie Albitz for the most wins by a volleyball coach at Kansas. Still, Bechard was hoping for a little more out of his team. “I was a little disappointed in game three,” Bechard said.

“Games one and two were good, and we got to play 13 or 14 players, so that was a positive.”

Kansas earned its second victory of the season, and continued the trend of strong performances from Kansas newcomers.

Sophomore Flavia Lino’s 13 kills led Kansas offensively. Lino, a Sao Paulo, Brazil native, played collegiately last season at Universidade Paulista in Sao Paulo.

Freshman Jenna Kaiser added 12 kills for the Jayhawks in her second collegiate game, while junior Natalie Uhart had 10 kills in only 16 attempts. Uhart, who transferred from Long Beach State a season ago, was playing in her first game as a Jayhawk after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the 2006 preseason.

“It’s great to have her out there,” Bechard said. “She tweaked her ankle, and that slowed her a little, but she adds so much experience to the team.”

Senior Emily Brown was the main playmaker, racking up 25 assists against Idaho State.

Cal-State Bakersfield

Kansas opened its season with a strong result, beating Cal-State Bakersfield 3-1 (30-23, 20-27, 25-30, 31-29) in the opening game of the Oregon Invitational on Friday.

Kaiser and Lino, both outside hitters, led the offense with 14 and 13 kills respectively, while Uhart, playing in her first competitive college game since 2005, had seven kills, four service aces, and two blocks.

“We had good match-ups for our outside hitters, and they did a good job when we went to them.”

Coach Bechard said he was also pleased with the play of freshman Melissa Manda, who had 22 digs in her Kansas debut. Lino, Kaiser, Uhart, Manda, and freshman Karina Garlington all played their first game as Jayhawks.

— Edited by Luke Morris