Jayhawks put unbeaten conference record to the test against No. 4 Texas

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas volleyball team plays host to No. 4 Texas Wednesday night at 8 p.m., inside Horejsi Family Athletics Center.

The Jayhawks (11-4, 4-0 Big 12) and Longhorns (10-3, 5-0 Big 12) are the only two remaining unbeaten teams in Big 12 play with KU riding a seven-match winning streak.

In addition to the records, Kansas holds the best defense in the league in blocks per set (2.98), total blocks (191.0) and opponent hitting percentage (.163). On the flip side, Texas enters the match as the No. 1 team in the conference in hitting percentage (.292).
 
QUICK HITS

  • Kansas enters the week with a 11-4 record overall and 4-0 record during Big 12 play as winners of seven-straight matches.
  • No. 4 Texas enters with a 10-3 mark and a 5-0 record in league play.
  • The Jayhawks and Longhorns meet for the 48th time on Wednesday. Kansas has only beat Texas a total of five times, with its last victory coming on Oct. 29, 2016 (W, 3-2).
  • KU defeated its first top-25 opponent of the season when it downed then-No. 23 Baylor (Oct. 6) in four sets, 3-1.
  • That win marked the second victory on the week as Kansas battled back from a 2-0 set deficit Wednesday night (Oct. 3) to defeat West Virginia, 3-2. Down 23-22 in the third set, the Jayhawks went on to outscore the Mountaineers 43-16 down the stretch for the win.
  • The five-set victory marks the fifth such win on the season as KU holds a record of 5-2 in seven five-set matches played.
  • Junior middle blocker Zoe Hill turned in a career-high 11-block performance, including 10 in the final three sets of that match against WVU.
  • Hill finished the week with a league-best 17 blocks en route to her second Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honor (Oct. 8) in three weeks – previously won it Sept. 24.
  • KU has held that honor for the last three weeks in a row, as freshman middle blocker Rachel Langs earned it Oct. 1 after finishing one block shy of the Big 12 record of 15 total blocks in a five-set match against Oklahoma (Sept. 26).
  • Langs added 10 kills in that match for the rare kill-block double-double that has only happened 16 times in Kansas history.
  • The last time Kansas won Defensive Player of the Week honors three times in one season came in 2016 when Cassie Wait earned it Sept. 5, Sept. 12 and Oct. 17.
  • The Jayhawks rank fifth nationally in blocks per set (2.98), ninth in total blocks (191.0) and 34th in opponent hitting percentage (.163) – all lead the Big 12 Conference.
  • Kansas is in the midst of an 11-match stretch in its schedule that features 10 home contests. Wednesday’s will be KU’s third of four home matches during the month of October.
  • The Jayhawks posted a 7-2 mark in the first nine matches of that 11-game span with their last home victory coming on Oct. 6 against then-No. 23 Baylor.

PLAYER NOTES

  • Junior middle blocker Zoe Hill ranks first in the BIg 12 Conference and 27th nationally in total blocks, recording 84 stuffs at the net.
  • Hill’s 11-block performance against West Virginia is just the second time in her career she reached double figures with her last coming on Oct. 25, 2017 against Oklahoma (10.0).
  • Freshman middle blocker Rachel Langs holds down the third spot in the league in blocks per set (1.42) that also ranks her 21st in the nation.
  • Hill ranks right behind Langs in blocks per set with a 1.38, mark good enough for fourth in the Big 12 and 24th nationally.
  • Junior outside hitter Jada Burse leads Kansas in total points (220.5), averaging 3.19 kills per set and 0.56 blocks per set this season.
  • Freshman Camryn Ennis has started the last 12 matches as KU’s setter, averaging team bests of 6.47 assists per set and 0.25 aces per set. The San Antonio native has reached eight assist-dig double-doubles in her 13 matches played as a Jayhawk.
  • Junior Allie Nelson and freshman Lacey Angello have split time as KU’s starting libero. Nelson leads KU in digs per set (3.27) with Angello not far behind at 2.84 digs per set.
  • Junior outside hitter Patricia Montero underwent season-ending surgery to mend an injury incurred on Aug. 31 against Dayton. Montero, a six-rotation player, led the Jayhawks in kills per set (3.62) and points per set (4.04) at the time of her injury.

LAST TIME OUT

  • The Jayhawks upset then-No. 23 Baylor (Oct. 6) in four sets, marking their first top-25 win on the season and eighth since 2015.
  • Kansas closed the third set on a 6-0 run to erase a 23-19 deficit that propelled it to take the fourth set 25-21.

UP NEXT
KU hits the road to continue Big 12 play at Texas Tech on Saturday, Oct. 13. First serve is slated for 1 p.m. from inside United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas.
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