Slate: Football, Volleyball and Soccer Seek First Big 12 Wins

That’s right. The big three team sports of the fall session are a collective 0-12 in league play. So the good news is, the only direction now is up. Right? Kind of hard to pump sunshine into a 0-fer.

Football

The holiday yielded little football news yesterday, but the athletic department has come along with its workmanlike preview of the homecoming contest against Oklahoma State, which kicks off at 11:00 Saturday morning and airs on ESPNU. Kellis Robinett also hit us with his game preview in the Kansas City Star, highlighting an intriguing running back showdown between Alex Barnes and Oklahoma State’s Justice Hill.

Basketball

Women’s coach Jeff Mittie began the season with four days of 4-hour practices. His purpose was to challenge the squad, while also allowing them an extra day to go home and rest up, physically and mentally, for the long grind ahead. It sounds as if some valuable team-building took place, as well.

Madness in Manhattan, a practice open to the public for both the women’s and men’s squads, will take place Friday at 8:00 p.m. Doors open at 7:00, and admission is free. Get there early enough, and you get free stuff commemorating the men’s Elite-8 run last year. A student pass holder will have an opportunity to win $50,000 in an on-court contest.

Golf

Freshman Ella Adams fired a 4-under 68 in the second round of the Illini Women’s Invitational to advance up the leaderboard and into 11th place heading into today’s final round. The Adelaide, Australia native’s effort was part of a 10-stroke improvement for the squad, which sits in 11th place in the 15-team field at a collective score of six over par.

Volleyball

Suzie Fritz’s squad will get the first chance to elevate the team sports off the “0-fer” heap Wednesday night, when they host an Iowa State squad that has struggled to an 8-10 start, yet still manages to lead K-State in the league standings. A win would pull the Wildcats (0-5 Big 12) into a tie with the Cyclones (1-4). West Virginia is also 1-4 in conference play.

Philanthropy

The Student-Athlete Action Committee will host its annual Cats for Cans food drive at Saturday’s homecoming football game, with a stated goal of collecting 5,000 pounds of food and $12,000 cash. Fans who are not attending the game can donate through the week at local Dillons, Hy-Vee and Wal-Mart locations. All proceeds benefit the Flint Hills Breadbasket, a longstanding, locally-run organization that fights hunger for about 20,000 area residents annually without the aid of any federal, state or local tax assistance. If you are not in Manhattan but remember the Flint Hills Breadbasket from your distant past (as I do) and want to help, you can make a cash donation at the organization’s website.