🏐 Kansas Returns to Action with Competition in Slovenia

MARIBOR, Slovenia – The Kansas Volleyball team played the third match of its European Tour on Tuesday, May 28, which highlighted the Jayhawks first full day in Maribor.

Before the competition, however, the Jayhawks had a memorable morning planned. Players rode chairlifts to the up the Pohorje Mountain at the Maribor Pohorje Ski Resort, while staff members had the opportunity to hike a path of more than half a mile up the mountain.

“The alpine slide was so fun and exhilarating,” freshman Zoey Burgess said. “At first, I was kind of nervous because it is a steep hill, and I didn’t know what to expect. On our second time going down, I knew what to expect so I went as fast as I could. it was so much fun to spend time with my teammates, and of course the view was beautiful all the way down.”

Once at the top of the mountain, the fun began, as each player and staff member had two opportunities to ride an Alpine Slide back down to the base of the mountain. The Jayhawks also had lunch on the mountain before returning to the hotel to prepare for the afternoon match against Slovenia U20.


“Our first day in Maribor was amazing, really breath taking with the amazing views as we were going down the alpine slide,” sophomore Katie Dalton said. “Going on walks with our teammates was a great time to bond over the beauty and amazing lunch we had on top of the mountain today!”

When it came time to return to action, Kansas was prepared and ready to face Slovenia in the Dras Center, which is also located at the site of the Jayhawks hotel. KU dominated the match early and maintained that momentum as they won the match 3-0 with set scores of 25-11, 25-15, 25-16.

“It felt great. We were all excited to get back on the court,” sophomore Raegan Burns said. “We came out with a little spark, and we all had fun. It was a great game.”

Everybody got a chance to play in the match, which continued on to five sets as both teams used the extra reps for a chance at improvement. It was also a chance for two new Jayhawks to make their debut in a Kansas uniform. Freshman Grace Nelson and Kenzie Dean joined the team on Tuesday morning after missing the start of the trip to attend their high school graduation.

“I think Kenzie and Grace both did great,” grad senior Ayah Elnady said. “We know they had a long day of traveling on a nine-hour flight, but I thought they both played really good in the match.”

Kansas has another full day in Maribor planned on Wednesday. The Jayhawks will take a team excursion to the center of Maribor before a second afternoon match with a team from Slovenia.

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)
May 31 – vs. B1 Volley Modena (Modena, Italy)
June 2 – vs. Italian Federation Team (Milan, Italy)

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