🏐 Jayhawks Dominate Delaware in Home Opener

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas defeated Delaware (25-15, 22-25, 25-15) in the first match of the Kansas Invitational on Thursday with the lead of super-senior Jenny Mosser and freshman Caroline Bien, who both had 11 kills in the home opener for the Jayhawks at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

The win puts Kansas 3-3 on the season, while Delaware is now 5-2.

The Kansas defense held Delaware’s hitting to .125, while Kansas hit .290 on the game. Adding more to the defensive side, Bien posted eight digs in the match, while Mosser was close behind with seven. Impressive performances also came from junior Kennedy Farris with 10 digs, redshirt senior Anezka Szabo with six blocks, and Caroline Crawford, who had five blocks.

“It seems like we’ve been preparing to play at home for a long time and it was good to get out here and get after a good Delaware team,” Coach Ray Bechard said. “I thought we did just a really nice job of defending them. Their .125 hitting percentage shows that we were pretty disciplined there, and we also had some good balance offensively as well.”

Bechard continued: “The crowd was great; the band was doing their thing. It’s what makes this place pretty unique, pretty special when you get that type of energy from the people who come watch us play.”

The first set started off with a kill by Crawford, sending the Jayhawks on a 4-0 run. Delaware put up four points, but Kansas fought back quickly, going on a 6-0 run, and made the score13-4. From there, the teams went back and forth on points, including a tip into the middle by setter Elise McGhie and an ace by Crawford. Kansas continued to add to their lead, and late in the set a block by Senior Rachel Langs put the Jayhawks up 23-12. A kill from Szabo rolled the Jayhawks to set point and Szabo sealed the set victory with a kill.

The second set was an intense battle with two call challenges, 12 ties and five lead changes. Bien put up strong numbers for Kansas in this set to pull them through with her eight kills. A point from setter Elise McGhie came late in the match, adding to the Jayhawk lead (18-15). Delaware got within one point at 22-21, but two kills from Bien and a block from Crawford put KU on top with two set wins heading into the third.

A block by Langs and three kills in a row by Mosser started the Jayhawks ahead in the third set. A Jayhawk challenge on an out-of-bounds call added to the Kansas lead, making the score 11-6. Delaware kept the set close, but London Davis’ two kills pulled the Jayhawks ahead by 5 (15-10). Camryn Turner landed an ace and Davis finished the match with a tip and a kill for a Jayhawk victory over Delaware.

The Jayhawks will get right back to work and face Wichita State on Friday at 7:00 pm to continue the Kansas Invitational at Horejsi.