OMAHA, Neb. – Ayah Elnady’s 18 kills propelled the Kansas Jayhawks to a 3-0 (27-25, 25-15, 25-23) sweep over Pepperdine in the season opener for both teams Friday afternoon at Baxter Arena.
"We had great offensive balance, our defense behind the block was exceptional, and we closed out close games. We had a close game in both the first set and the third set, and we showed a lot of competitive confidence against a good team."
Head Coach Ray Bechard
Kansas hit .282 for the match, tallying 53 kills on 131 total attempts. The defense was solid as well, posting 58 total receptions and a mere two errors (.967).
The opening set was close between the two squads, but the Jayhawks stayed strong in their attack, taking the 27-25 victory. The newcomer trio of Reagan Cooper, Toyosi Onabanjo and Mykayla Myers paced the offense with a combined 10 kills and five total blocks, while veterans Elnady (six kills, .267, one ace) and Camryn Turner (eight assists, nine digs, two block assists) also had strong sets.
Pepperdine didn’t have much of an answer for the strong Kansas offense, which became even more fluid in the second set. The Jayhawks had a balanced approach in the second set and closed out the Waves by a final score of 25-15.
Elnady found her footing even more in the third set, easily surpassing double digits in kills and hitting .467 in the process. The junior standout ended the match with 18 total kills, hitting .405 and also adding 15 digs to her stat line.
Turner was a key cog in both the offense and defense for the Jayhawks in the win, posting a team-leading 17 digs and 40 assists. The Preseason All-Big 12 selection also added one ace and two block assists to her impressive stat line.
Caroline Bien was a force for Kansas as well, tallying 16 digs, three assists and one kill.
Up next, the Jayhawks will take on the tournament hosts, the Omaha Mavericks, Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. CT.
