🏐 Jayhawks Defeat Roos, 3-1, in Opening Round of Jayhawk Classic

LAWRENCE, Kan. – It took a set but Kansas volleyball got clicking as the Jayhawks came from behind to defeat Kansas City 3-1 (22-25, 25-18, 25-21, 25-18) in the opening round of the Jayhawk Classic at the Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena Thursday.

Kansas won its fourth-consecutive match of the season to improve to 6-3 on the year. With the loss, Kansas City had its eight-match winning streak snapped and fell to 8-2.

Freshman Caroline Bien shot a blistering .565 with 14 kills and just one error in 23 attacks. The Overland Park, Kansas, outside hitter also had 11 digs, three service aces and two blocks for the match. Sophomore Caroline Crawford also had an efficient night posting a .400 hitting efficiency with eight kills.

Senior middle blocker Rachel Langs hit .385 for the match with eight kills. The Fairview, Texas, product also had four blocks in the victory. KU super-senior Jenny Mosser was just behind Bien with 13 kills on the night while freshman outside hitter London Davis had seven kills in her second start of the season. Freshman setter Camryn Turner paced KU with 26 assists, while sophomore Elise McGhie had 17 assists in the win.

As a team, Kansas had a .100 hitting efficiency for the first set and then posted a .414 in the second, .320 in the third and .481 in the fourth and final set.

“I thought we got better as the night went on and that was good to see,” KU head coach Ray Bechard said. “You don’t overreact to youth making youthful mistakes and give them time to work their way into the match. When you hit .100 in the first set and go .414, .320 and .481, that means our passing settled down, set selection got better and the Jayhawks started clicking offensively.”

Kansas City won the opening set 25-22. With the set tied at 13-13, the Roos went on a 6-1 run to make it 19-13. Kansas did not give in and used a balanced attack to claw back to 24-22 on a Mosser kill but it wasn’t enough. Also, in the KU comeback run, the Jayhawks got kills from Bien, Crawford, Langs and a block solo from redshirt-senior Anezka Szabo.

Kansas tied the match at 1-1 with a 25-18 win in the second set. With the frame tied at 10-10, the Jayhawks took control of the set going on a 6-2 run highlighted by kills from Davis, Crawford, Langs, Mosser and Bien to make the score 16-12. KU would keep Kansas City at arm’s length and a pair of kills by Davis would give the set to the home team.

Kansas took a 2-1 set lead with a 25-21 win in the third set. Tied at 10-10, the Jayhawks went on a 6-0 run with kills from Mosser and Davis and Langs and Mosser combining for a block. Kansas City fought back and cut the score to 23-21 before KU put the set away, which included a thundering Mosser kill, her ninth of the match.

Kansas dominated the fourth set winning 25-18. With the score tied at 13-13, Kansas would go on a 5-0 run headlined by Crawford and Bien kills and the Jayhawks never looked back. KU outscored Kansas City 6-3 down the stretch with two kills by Bien and Davis. Langs and Szabo combined for a block to end the match.

Kansas will play Missouri State in the second round of the Jayhawk Classic on Friday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. The contest will be televised on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.