🏐 Jayhawks Set to Host Top-Ranked Texas

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas Volleyball (11-4, 3-1 Big 12) continues a four-game home stand this weekend as they welcome the top-ranked Longhorns of Texas to the Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena for a pair of Big 12 Conference contests on Oct. 9-10.

Both games will be available for fans to watch, with the Oct. 9 match beginning at 4 p.m. CT and being televised on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+. The action will switch to ESPNU for a first serve at 3 p.m. on Oct. 10.

The NCAA released its first RPI ranking of the 2021 season on Monday (Oct. 4), with Kansas currently ranked No. 18 in the country. The Jayhawks are the third-highest ranked team from the Big 12, following Texas at No. 2 and Baylor at No. 6.

Kansas earned a two-game split with Iowa State last weekend by defeating the Cyclones 3-1 on Friday before suffering its first conference setback on Sunday. At 3-1 in league play, the Jayhawks are among a trio of teams tied for second in the Big 12 standings through the first two weeks of conference action.

KU sophomore setter Elise McGhie recorded the 1,000th assist of her career during the Jayhawks 3-1 win versus Iowa State on Oct. 1 in Lawrence, becoming the 15th player in program history to reach the milestone. McGhie leads the Jayhawks and ranks ninth in the Big 12 with 396 assists this season, which is an average of 7.33 per set.

Kansas super-senior outside hitter Jenny Mosser has reached double figures in both kills and digs in four consecutive matches, including a season-high 17 digs in games against Texas Tech (Sept. 25) and Iowa State (Oct. 1). For the year, Mosser is ninth in the Big 12 with 178 kills, an average of 3.30 per set, and she enters the weekend needing 21 kills for 1,200 in her career.

Through four conference matches, the Jayhawks rank third in the Big 12 in service aces with 22, which is an average of 1.3 per set, and digs with 246, an average of 14.5 per set. Kansas has the fourth-best hitting percentage in league play at .214.

Kansas matched its season-high with 68 digs in the four-set victory against Iowa State on Friday (Oct. 1), equaling a mark they previously set in two five-set matches against Wake Forest (Sept. 3) and Texas Tech (Sept. 24). The Jayhawks were led in that match by Mosser with 17 digs, while Kennedy Farris had 15 and McGhie recorded 14.

Farris had a combined 25 digs in two matches last weekend, extending her streak of matches with 10 or more digs to seven. The Jayhawks’ junior libero ranks eighth in the Big 12 with 175 digs for the season, which is an average of 3.2 per set.

The Jayhawks will face a ranked opponent for the second straight week when they travel to Waco, Texas, to face #12 Baylor on Thursday-Friday, Oct. 14-15.