🏐 Kansas Drops 5-Setter to Texas Tech in Big 12 Opener

LUBBOCK, Texas – The 17th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks fell in five sets at Texas Tech (25-22, 25-14, 17-25, 21-25, 12-15) on Friday night at United Supermarkets Arena in their first Big 12 match of the season.

The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Jayhawks and dropped Kansas to 9-2 on the season. Texas Tech improved to 8-5 with the win.

Playing on the road, Kansas came out strong and claimed the first two sets. The Jayhawks led most of the first set, leading 7-3, 10-5 and 12-6 early. Texas Tech staged a comeback, however and eventually took a 21-20 lead, which was the first of the match for the hosts. Texas Tech won the next point to go up 22-20. But the Jayhawks answered back with five straight points to win the first set, 25-22. Ayah Elnady had three kills over the final four points of the set, including a kill to close it out.

The second set was tight early and was tied at 11-11 after a kill from London Davis. The Jayhawks then won the next four points to go up 15-11 and take control of the set. Kansas eventually stretched the lead to 10 points at 22-12 off a block solo from Elnady. After Texas Tech closed it to 23-14, the Jayhawks won the final two points to win the set with a service ace from Molly Schultz to close it out.

The Red Raiders got hot in the third, however, jumping out to a 10-1 lead over Kansas. The Jayhawks got the deficit to eight on three separate occasions, but could never get closer in the set. Texas Tech closed it out on a kill to earn a 25-17 win.

Texas Tech was again hot to start the fourth and opened up a 7-0 lead to start the set. KU slowly started chipping away, however and closed it up to a three-point differential, before Reagan Cooper registered a kill to bring the Jayhawks within two at 19-17. The Jayhawks then trailed 21-19 and 23-21, before Texas Tech won the final two points of the set to force a fifth and deciding set.

Trailing 10-7 in the fifth, Kansas won three straight points to knot it up at 10. Texas Tech won the next two points to go up 12-10, before KU got to within one on a service error and then tied it up on a Caroline Bien kill. But Texas Tech got kills on the next three points to close out the set and earn the win.

Four Jayhawks finished in double figures in kills, including Elnady (14), Cooper (13), Davis (11) and Toyosi Onabanjo (10). Camryn Turner finished with 46 assists in the five-setter, Raegan Burns led Kansas with 28 digs. Bien finished with 21 digs.

UP NEXT
The Jayhawks will turn around and play the Red Raiders again tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. CT in Lubbock, Texas.