No. 8 Kansas Knocks Off UCF for Second Time This Season

Saturday, October 19

Orlando, Fla.

12 PM

University of Kansas

16-1,7-0Big 12

UCF

8-8,1-6Big 12

Kansas

UCF

No. 8 Kansas Knocks Off UCF for Second Time This Season

10/19/2024 1:49:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Highlights

ORLANDO, Fla. - The No. 8 Kansas volleyball team recorded their second victory over UCF this season, sweeping the Golden Knights 3-0 on Saturday afternoon in The Venue.

"Our serving set the tone for us today," said Kansas Head Coach Ray Bechard. "We executed well offensively and defensively, considering it was such a quick turnaround time after an emotional match on Thursday."

The Jayhawks had no problems getting the momentum rolling in the first set, holding a substantial lead for the majority of the set. Five kills from Zoey Burgess, as well as two a piece from Caroline Bien, Reese Ptacek and Rhian Swanson made for a well-rounded Jayhawk attack. Ptacek led the block with three total, while Ayah Elnady held down the defense with four early digs.

The second set took a different tone with various ties up through 10-10. The Jayhawks were finally able to pull away on a 5-0 Raegan Burns serving run that featured an ace to make it 13-10. From there, Kansas kept their foot on the gas, pushing UCF to take a timeout at 19-14. Grace Nelson checked in for her first minutes of the match, knocking down an ace on her first touch, adding to the rolling Jayhawk offense. At 23-16, UCF used their second timeout, hoping to hold Kansas off a bit longer.

Set three was closer from the beginning as well, but four kills in a row from Bien kept the Jayhawks afloat, pushing the visiting squad into a narrow 9-7 lead. Bien was vital in the set, surpassing double-digit kills in the process. Things began to close back up again when UCF was able to snap the 15-12 Kansas lead, and at 16-16, a KU timeout was called. The home team finally seemed to find their momentum, able to pull away late in the set up 21-19, which resulted in another Kansas timeout.

A London Davis kill followed by a Bien kill would tie things up once again at 21-21, and UCF decided to take a timeout of their own. Things continued in a back and forth nature, with Jayhawks firing on all fronts looking to close out the match. Aisha Aiono checked in and recorded a huge solo block to tie things up at 22, but still, the match would head into extra points. A won challenge by Kansas would reverse the score to 26-25, and a hard-fought rally on match point ended with a kill by Elnady to secure the 27-25 victory.

Bien ended the match with a team-leading 12 kills, hitting .385 on the day. The senior standout also racked up four aces. Davis was next in line with nine kills, while Swanson and Ptacek each posted eight total kills. Elnady was the digs leader with 11, while Burns also surpassed double-digits with 10.

Up next, the Jayhawks will return to Lawrence for a Wednesday, October 23 matchup against Iowa State. First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on FS1, with live, in-match coverage on Kansas' StatBroadcast and social media platforms.