🏐 Jayhawks Post Five-Set Win Versus Wake Forest

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Kansas volleyball picked up its second-consecutive win with a come-from-behind victory against previously undefeated Wake Forest, 3-2 (24-26, 25-21, 23-25, 25-23, 15-11), in the second round of the LUV Invitational in Nashville Saturday.

Behind 16 kills from super-senior Jenny Mosser and redshirt-senior Anezka Sazbo, and a career-high 50 assists from sophomore setter Elisa McGhie, Kansas improved to 2-2 on the season, while Wake Forest fell to 3-1.

“It was one of those uneven matches where you needed to make enough hustle plays and we were able to do that,” Kansas head coach Ray Bechard said. “Wake Forest certainly put some pressure on us and in the end, we responded well.”

Kansas hit .225 for the match compared to Wake Forests’ .164. The Jayhawks combined for 17 blocks in the victory. KU went deep into the lineup as 13 Jayhawks saw action in the match.

“We went pretty deep on our bench tonight in key moments and some people came through,” Bechard said.

Senior Rachel Langs added 11 kills and had just one hitting error, recording a .476 hitting percentage for the match. Junior Kennedy Farris paced KU with 22 digs and three service aces, while sophomore Caroline Crawford added nine total blocks in the victory. Freshman Caroline Bien added 14 digs to go along with eight kills for the match. McGhie’s career-high 50 assists for the match surpassed her previous high of 48 against Iowa State in 2020.

Wake Forest led 10-3 early in the first set and Kansas fought its way back to tie the score at 17-17. No team led by more than two the remainder of the way with the Demon Deacons ended the set with a pair of kills.

KU responded with a 25-21 win in the second set. With the Jayhawks up 16-14, KU went on a 4-0 run after a Farris ace and never looked back. A Bien kill made the score 23-17 en route to tying the match at 1-1.

Kansas once again saw itself in a deficit as Wake Forest edged KU 25-23 in the third set to go up 2-1. KU led 11-5 after senior Lacey Angello’s ace and 18-11 following a kill by Mosser. Wake Forest climbed back and tied score at 20-20. The Demon Deacons scored three of the final points to win the set.

With their backs against the wall, the Jayhawks edged Wake Forest 25-23 in the fourth set to knot the match 2-2 and force a fifth and deciding set. Down 15-12, KU went on a 9-2 run in the fourth frame highlighted by Mosser and Szabo kills to go up 21-17. KU would keep the cushion at 24-20 after a Bien ace. A Mosser kill would force the final set.

Kansas trailed 7-4 in the final set only to go on a 7-1 run that included kills by Szabo, McGhie and Crawford. Back-to-back kills by Mosser put KU up 13-10 and McGhie and Langs would team up for a block to end the match at 15-11.

Kansas will conclude the LUV Invitational when it plays No. 15 Western Kentucky at 12 p.m. (Central) on Saturday, Sept. 4.