1. The 2012 men’s basketball team advancing to the NCAA tournament final game vs Kentucky. The Jayhawks lost to Kentucky, though making the game was the universities top sporting moment.
2. The Kansas women’s basketball team also had a great run last season. The unit made it to the sweet 16 before falling to Tennessee, 84-73.
3. Kansas women’s volleyball team performing their best in team’s history, losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Kansas hosted the first two rounds of the tournament, only fell to Wichita State in a 3-1 loss in the tournament.
4. Diamond Dixon winning a gold medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The sprinter from Kansas, was part of the 4×400 relay women’s team that brought home the gold medal.
5. The Kansas women’s soccer team enjoyed some success this season finishing the season 10-8-2 though started the season 7-1-1. The unit shone brightly on the university.
6.  Kansas football head coach Charlie Weis and the team had some struggles this season, though did win their first game of the year vs South Dakota State. The team lost the next 11 on the year. Help is on the way for Weis and the Jayhawks as he is signing up  a storm on the JUCO circuit.
7. The Kansas men’s baseball team had a year full of ups and downs. One of the better highs was the team’s back to back wins over Wichita State on May 3^rd and May 4th, a national power in baseball.
8. Another great moment for the Kansas men’s basketball team occurred when they defeated former head coach Roy Williams and the North Carolina Tar Heels in the elite eight of the NCAA tournament. Kansas won the game 80-67.
9. Kansas offensive lineman Tanner Hawkinson started his 48^th straight game for the team on December 1^st in the team’s loss to West Virginia, 59-10.
10. Last but not least, the Kansas Jayhawks women’s basketball team making it to the sweet 16 was a bit of a surprise in defeating Delaware, and Nebraska in the women’s NCAA tournament.

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Dec. 18th, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Thomas Robinson (0) led the team to the NCAA tournament championship. This was the top moment in Kansas sports for 2012.

The host Jayhawks won the first set of the match, 25-23, then dropped the next three beginning with a 25-16 victory for the Shockers in the second. Wichita State then won the next two sets, 25-19, and 25-21. Sophomore Sara McLinton led the way for the host Jayhawks, in posting 18 kills. Brianne Riley accounted for 23 digs, while Caroline Jarmoc, and Catherine Carmichael finished with double-digit kills.

Kansas won a close first set that went back and forth. Key blocks by Jarmoc and McNorton helped key the finishing point for the Jayhawks. Wichita State took control immediately in the second set, jumping on Kansas, 22-10. The third and fourth sets were more like the first set, when neither team held much of an advantage until the end when the visiting team grabbed control.

Kansas finished the season with their best record ever, 26-7. Wichita State improved to 24-9 on the year. The Shockers were keyed by Ashley Andrande who totaled 18 kills and a great hit % of .439.

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Dec. 3rd, 2012; Lawrence, KS, USA, The Kansas Jayhawks women’s volleyball team season ended with a close loss to Wichita State in the second round of the NCAA tournament. 

On Wednesday, Kansas defeated the Oklahoma Sooners in three sets, 25-18, 29-27, 26-24. The Jayhawks held the Sooner offense to a .188 hitting efficiency and did not allow a single attacker to record double-digit kills.

The Jayhawks were led on offense by redshirt junior middle blocker Caroline Jarmoc. Jarmoc had a team-high of 16 kills. Kansas also got big offensive performances out of senior middle blocker Tayler Tolefree and sophomore outside hitters Chelsea Albers and Sara McClinton. Albers had a career-high 16 kills while Tolefree and McClinton both had 11 kills each.

The Jayhawks only recorded five team blocks compared to Oklahoma’s ten team block. Kansas’ leading blocker on the night was Albers with four. Brianne Riley also recorded 19 digs.

On Saturday, Kansas won their second match of the week against the TCU Horned Frogs. Just like the Oklahoma match, it only took Kansas three sets to defeat TCU, 25-18, 25-14, 25-17.

The Jayhawks broke a school record as nine players recorded a kill in the match and, with the win, the Jayhawks recorded their most wins in a season in school history since the Big 12 era.

Kansas was led again on offense by Jarmoc as she recorded 11 kills. Freshman outside hitter Tiana Dockery started for the first time against TCU and had 10 kills which is her sixth double-digit kill performance of the season.

Junior setter Erin McNorton dished out 34 assists while tying her career-highs in blocks (4) and aces (2). The Jayhawks had two players which double-digit digs. Juniors Brianne Riley and Jaime Mathieu recorded 14 and 13 digs, respectively.

After this week, Kansas is now 23-6 overall and 11-4 in the Big 12.

The next match for the Jayhawks will be on November 21st against the St. Louis Billikens. The game will take place in Lawrence, Kansas.

The Billikens are 10-19 overall and 4-10 in the Atlantic 10 conference.

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Check out my other writings on the Oregon Ducks blog, Autzen Zoo.