🏐 Jayhawks Supporting Jayhawks in Slovenia as European Tour Continues

MARIBOR, Slovenia – The Kansas Volleyball team’s European Tour reached the one-week mark on Wednesday, May 29, as the Jayhawks visited downtown Maribor, Slovenia before facing Slovenia U20 for the second time in as many days.

The day started with a bike tour to the center of Maribor, which was followed by free time for players and staff to visit the town’s historic scenery and try the local cuisine.

“Today was an amazing day for KU Volleyball,” sophomore Ellie Schneider said. “We rode bikes into the old town of Maribor, taking in the scenery of the mountains on our trail, then we were able to enjoy the sites that this gorgeous city has to offer. We had cappuccinos and lattes in the city center, went into two different centuries old and gorgeous basilicas, and had lunch on the Drava River. We prevailed through the slightly uphill battle on the bikes back to hotel and rode right into our second day of volleyball. It seems we gained energy from taking in the city of Maribor because we really came to play, winning all of our sets! Days like this make me feel so incredibly lucky and grateful to be a Jayhawk!”

After returning to the Dras Center, the Jayhawks had a quick break to prepare for competition. KU came out and controlled the match from the get-go, winning the first three sets 25-14, 25-17, 25-22 to clinch the match victory, while also besting the Slovenian team in an extra fourth set.

“Biking around and seeing the city was a perfect start to our day,” freshman Grace Nelson said. “We all had a delicious lunch together in Maribor before our match. Everyone contributed in our match today and we did an amazing job controlling our side. We swept them again and it was a fun team win!”

One thing that made the match different on Wednesday was a new fan in the stands who came to support the Jayhawks. Johanna Ebner, a junior on the Kansas Women’s Golf team, made the two-and-a-half-hour trip over to Maribor from her hometown of Villach, Austria, to cheer on her fellow Jayhawks.

“I felt like they’re playing super close to my home, so I thought that would be a perfect opportunity to support them,” Ebner said following the match. “I go to every volleyball game in Lawrence when I have the chance and I love watching them and cheering them on. It’s a win-win. I love watching them and I think they appreciate the support from other sports.”

The support was certainly appreciated by the volleyball squad, who posed with Ebner and her family for photos prior to the match.

Kansas concluded the day with a visit to the scenic Doppler Winery before spending one final night in Maribor. Next up for the Jayhawks is a travel day to Venice, Italy, where the team will spend one night before departing for Modena.

Match Schedule
Subject to change

May 24 – vs. Vasas Óbuda (Budapest, Hungary) – Kansas 3, Vasas 1
May 25 – vs. Vasas Óbuda (Budapest, Hungary) – Kansas 3, Vasas 0
May 28 – vs. Slovenia U20 (Maribor, Slovenia) – Kansas 3, Slovenia 0
May 29 – vs. Slovenia U20 (Maribor, Slovenia) – Kansas, Slovenia 0
May 31 – vs. B1 Volley Modena (Modena, Italy)
June 2 – vs. Italian Federation Team (Milan, Italy)

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