Friday, September 14, 2007
Melissa Manda did all the normal things freshmen do when they move to college. She went to Target with her parents, decorated her room, and tried to get used to being in 250-person lecture classes.
Kansas at Oklahoma
11 a.m. Saturday
Kansas travels to Norman, Okla., to take on the Sooners at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Kansas is 7-4 this season and 0-1 in the Big 12.
Oklahoma (8-2, 1-0), a Sweet 16 team last season, is 8-2 this season, but the Sooners are coming off their biggest win of the year, a 3-2 victory at No. 25 Texas A&M.
Key Players
Kansas – Emily Brown, senior
– With junior Natalie Uhart out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury, Kansas needs a special effort every time out from the versatile Brown. The Baldwin City native is averaging 1.83 kills per game, 6.68 assists per game and 1.73 digs per game.
Oklahoma – Mariana Blum, Senior
– The Big 12 conference defensive player of the week for Sept. 4-9 is averaging 5.40 digs per game.
But unlike most freshmen, Manda also had to deal with moving right into the starting libero position for the Kansas volleyball team.
“It can be kind of tough to find time to sleep,” said Manda, a Wichita native.
But Manda’s story is a familiar one around the Kansas volleyball program. Coach Ray Bechard has used four freshmen in his rotation at certain times this year. Manda and Jenna Kaiser, another Wichita native, have seen substantial court time. Freshmen Karina Garlington and Melissa Townsend also have played big points for the Jayhawks this year. Bechard said he didn’t remember the last time he had this many freshmen contributing to the team.
“You have to expect some growing pains, a little bit of inconsistency,” Bechard said. “Hopefully as they get more comfortable, we’ll see less and less of those up and down times.”
Manda has shined at times for a Kansas team that is 7-4 after losing its Big 12 conference opener to Kansas State on Wednesday. She has played in all 11 matches. Her 3.8 digs per game leads the team and ranks ninth in the Big 12. But while the libero’s main job is to feed the ball cleanly to the setter, it also requires constant communicate with teammates.
“It can be kind of intimidating,” Manda said. “But the upperclassmen have been very welcoming.”
Bechard said that Kaiser, who leads the team with 2.38 kills per game, has been thrown into a tough situation as well. Kaiser, an outside hitter, has played most of the season on the left side. “It’s one of the most difficult positions to try to make the transition to in Big 12 play,” Bechard said.
Junior middle blocker Savannah Noyes said the toughest part about the freshmen transition is keeping your confidence up. The Indianola, Neb., native said it’s natural for freshman to get down when things don’t go right on the court.
“The upperclassmen just need to keep them confident,” Noyes said.
While Bechard said he had maybe done a little more teaching at times this year. He said the real key was having your captains and upperclassmen provide good examples.
“That’s the biggest thing,” Bechard said. “That’s where the young players are going to look to first, their teammates.”
— Edited by Ashlee Kieler
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