🏐 MATCH PREVIEW: at Texas

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas volleyball (1-1) is slated to make its first road trip of the season, traveling to Austin, Texas to face the Texas Longhorns (2-0) at the Frank C. Erwin Jr., Special Events Center Oct. 1-2. KU will play its first match against the preseason Big 12 favorites Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. on the Longhorn Network, and conclude the two-match series Oct. 2 at 7 p.m., which is also available on LHN.

The Jayhawks are fresh off their season-opening weekend against Baylor, were KU claimed a victory in five sets over the Lady Bears in the season opener. Kansas was led by Ayah Elnady, who finished with a team-high 16 kills in the victory, while fellow newcomer Jenny Mosser rattled off 14 kills. Sara Nielsen logged her ninth match at KU with 40-or-more assists in the win, finishing with 44.

KU was not able to duplicate the success in its second match, falling to Baylor in three sets. Mosser again finished with double-digit kills (11), and led the KU offense for the first time in her career as a Jayhawk.

In the last meeting between Texas and Kansas, the Jayhawks earned the first set victory over the Longhorns in Austin, Texas. UT responded, winning the final three sets.

OPPONENT PREVIEW: TEXAS
• Texas opened the season with back-to-back victories over Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. The Longhorn attack was led by Logan Eggleston, who registered 35 kills, averaging five kills per set. Eggleston was joined by Skylar Fields (29) and Molly Phillips (21) as the only three to amass more than 20 kills. Jhenna Gabriel aided the UT attack, finishing with 95 assists through the two matches, including 58 assists in the second match of the season.
• Brionne Butler led Texas in total blocks (11.0), averaging 1.57 blocks per set, while Phillips was second (8.0 | 1.14). Morgan O’Brien is the team leader with 33 digs.
• Jerritt Elliott is in his 20th season with the Longhorns and holds a 481-105 record at Texas. Elliot led UT to a 23-4 record last season and appearance in a NCAA Regional.

NEWCOMER IMPACT
• The Jayhawk newcomers made their presence felt in the first two matches of the season, with Ayah Elnady leading the way with 16 kills against Baylor, Sept. 25. Jenny Mosser, a transfer from UCLA, finished the weekend with a team-high 25 kills and five aces, including 14 kills against BU in the season opener.
• Caroline Crawford and Elnady each earned their first-career starts in the opener and added another in the second match of the season. Molly Schultz recorded two appearances as KU’s libero, while Kim Whetstone, Elise McGhie and Karli Schmidt all appeared in at least one contest.
• Anezka Szabo, a transfer from Nebraska, was yet another newcomer who made an impact in the season opener. Szabo recorded 10 kills against BU and led Kansas with thee solo blocks.

2019 VS. TEXAS
• Kansas dropped both 2019 matches to Texas with then senior Ashley Smith finishing with a team-high 10 kills in the first meeting Oct. 26. KU fell to the Longhorns in three sets in Lawrence, Kansas. In the second meeting between the two Big 12 schools, Kansas earned a first-set victory but fell in four sets to the Longhorns. Smith again led KU in kills (16).

UP NEXT
KU returns to Lawrence, Kansas to host West Virginia, Oct. 9-10 in the Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena. Both matches are available on the Big 12 Now on ESPN+.