UA Sports Roundup

by Rob Keys

Posted on Thursday, September 25, 2008

URL: http://www.wholehogsports.com/adg/238344/

Arkansas short on runners

Arkansas’ cross country team will face a stout field at less than full-strength when it competes at Saturday’s Stanford Invitational.

Seniors James Strang and Andy McClary will not run among a field that includes top-ranked Oregon, No. 11 Stanford, No. 19 California, No. 20 Notre Dame and No. 21 Cal Poly. Strang continues to be bothered by a heel injury, while McClary has been limited by a busy summer schedule that included the U. S. Olympic Trials.

Coach Chris Bucknam said both could be back in time for the SEC Championships, but he won’t rush either at the risk of negative long-term effects.

“We’re not a onedimensional program,” Bucknam said. “We’ve got a big picture to look at with indoor and outdoor track.”

That doesn’t mean Bucknam isn’t looking forward to No. 22 Arkansas’ first true cross country test, with only the four-mile Arkansas Dual under its collective belt. Bucknam said Saturday’s race will be important as the Razorbacks prepare “to get their minds right for what’s coming in October and November,” a reference to the conference and national meets.

Senior Scott McPherson will make his season debut Saturday and will be joined by sophomores Lane Boyer, Michael Chinchar and Duncan Phillips, among others. The 8 K Stanford Golf Course is relatively flat, Bucknam said, and should result in a torrid pace. Bucknam said the combination of those factors should give the sophomores a chance to “make an impact and see what they’re made of.”

SOCCER Power surge Coach Gordon Henderson predicted senior forward Lindsay Patterson would strengthen Arkansas’ team when she returned to full-time play. Henderson didn’t envision Patterson scoring four goals in two Arkansas victories last weekend. “I knew we would be better with her in the lineup,” Henderson said with a grin. “I didn’t know she would have the impact she did.”

Henderson also said Patterson, who was rested through much of the nonconference schedule because of a knee problem, gave the Razorbacks (7-1-0 ) more than just a scoring boost. Patterson’s play has injected confidence into a team that opens SEC play this weekend with matches at Ole Miss (2-4-2 ) and Mississippi State (5-4-0 ).

With Patterson playing alongside leading scorer Kelly O’Connor (5 goals, 11 points ), Arkansas is optimistic about returning to the SEC Tournament for the first time under Henderson. Henderson said Patterson and O’Connor form “a scary combination up top, a combination a lot of the teams in the SEC are going to have to respect.”

VOLLEYBALL Big and little Arkansas (4-7 ) opened SEC play with a victory at Auburn last week, but it will face significantly stiffer competition when No. 10 Florida (8-1, 2-0 ) and South Carolina (10-1 ) visit Barnhill Arena this weekend. Coach Robert Pulliza said the key to any success Arkansas might have against the Gators and Gamecocks will hinge on paying attention to detail and fundamentals.

“We’re going to get big kills, they’re going to get big kills. We’re going to get big blocks, they’re going to get big blocks,” Pulliza said. “It’s going to come down to the little things this weekend.”

TENNIS Busy weekend Both of Arkansas’ tennis teams will have players in action this weekend. Coach Robert Cox will travel with his top three singles players — Blake Strode, Matt Hogan and Chris Nott — to the Baylor Invitational.

Coach Michael Hegarty faces a longer trip when he takes Aurelija Miseviciute, Ela Kaluder, Anouk Tigu and Nanar Airapetian to the Riviera / ITA Women’s All-American Championships in Los Angeles.

Miseviciute, the nation’s top-ranked singles player, is the main draw, while Kaluder and Tigu are entered in qualifying sections. Miseviciute and Kaluder also will play in the main doubles draw, while Tigu and Airapetian will team in a qualifying section. Overheard “We’ve lived in the bunkers the last

two weeks.” — Women’s golf coach Shauna Estes-Taylor on the Razorbacks’ attempts to improve their sand shots By the numbers 6 Shutouts by Arkansas’ soccer team, tops in the SEC 8 Ranked teams, according to the Golfweek / Sagarin performance index, that the Arkansas women’s golf team will face at this weekend’s tournament hosted by Vanderbilt. 16 &. 314 Season-high kills and hitting percentage for senior volleyball player Christina Lawrence in Arkansas’ victory at Auburn last week.