Kansas Starts Three-Game Road Stint with 3-1 Victory at Colorado

Thursday, October 3

Boulder, Colo.

8 PM

University of Kansas

12-1,3-0Big 12

Colorado

7-8,0-3Big 12

Kansas

Colorado

Photo by: Missy Minear/Kansas Athletics

Kansas Starts Three-Game Road Stint with 3-1 Victory at Colorado

10/3/2024 9:58:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

BOULDER, Colo. - The No. 8 Kansas volleyball team (12-1, 3-0 Big 12) knocked off the Colorado Buffaloes in a 3-1 victory (7-8, 0-3 Big 12) on Thursday night in the CU Event Center.

"Our blocking and our middle offense were highlights tonight," said Kansas Head Coach Ray Bechard. "Rhian and Reese gave us an important lift off the bench. It was a good way to start this three-match road trip."

The Jayhawks got off to a rolling 4-1 start, but a few errors would allow the home team to eventually tie things up at 7-7, 8-8, 9-9 and 10-10. London Davis started heating up early, notching three kills through the first 11 points of the match.

A series of challenges from each side resulted in both a win and a loss from the Buffaloes as well as a lost challenge by KU, making for a muddy middle of the set. Things would eventually tie back up again at 17-17. Various ties occurred from there until KU got up 23-21 and prompted Colorado's first timeout. A Buffalo attack error out of the timeout got Kansas the 24-21 lead, but the home team answered with a kill at match point. Caroline Bien ended things for the Jayhawks, getting the kill for a 25-22 victory.

Colorado started out with a narrow lead in the second, but Kansas was able to come back to tie it up at 4's. 7-7 would stand shortly after, but KU got back up to a 10-8 lead thanks to some Buffalo errors. The script would flip after more ties, this time with a three-point Colorado lead at 15-12. The home team continued to put Kansas in a deficit, and the Jayhawks called a timeout down 18-14. Colorado found their biggest lead of the match, which would be eight points at 23-15. Bien ended Kansas' scoring drought with a kill, and Rhian Swanson would sub in to follow suit. At 23-18, off a London Davis kill, Colorado called a timeout of their own, and they notched back-to-back kills to beat the Jayhawks 25-18.

Set three started with Kansas momentum, highlighted by Onabanjo and Swanson on back-to-back blocks to go up 4-1. Colorado closed it up at 4-3, but Kansas was unfazed, getting more Jayhawks in on the attack including Reese Ptacek, who notched a kill for an 8-5 lead. Bien's kill right after triggered a Buffalo timeout, and the home side got the next point.

Ptacek then added her second kill of the match to put Kansas at double-digits, and she'd get her third immediately after for Kansas' 12-7 lead, and a solo block by the freshman further extended the deficit. With Kansas up 17-10, Colorado exercised their second timeout in hopes of stopping the bleeding. A 3-0 scoring run by CU would follow, but a Camryn Turner dump would snap that run.

Kansas would run up the score as much as 24-18, but Colorado found energy late in the set to hold KU at match point for six-consecutive points, tying things up at 24-24 with a gritty showing on their home court. Davis' kill for point 25 would give Kansas some breathing room, but again Colorado would tie the score. Davis notched another kill in response, but CU did the same. Ayah Elnady got the next kill though, and her service ace right after would relieve the Jayhawks at 28-26.

The fourth set kicked off with some strong Kansas blocking, including a Ptacek solo and a Bien solo to follow to get Colorado to call a timeout with the Jayhawks ahead 11-5. Kansas just continued to roll once they found their momentum, pushing ahead as far as 17-8, the score at which CU would use their second timeout. Still, Kansas continued on a 7-0 scoring run deep in the set, with Colorado still in single digits at 21-8. From there, CU would only squeak out three more points, and Kansas would wrap things up with the 25-11 victory.

Bien would end the night with a double-double, recording a team-leading 12 kills and 13 digs while hitting .333. Onabanjo (11 kills, .556) and Davis (10 kills, .400) also notched double-digit kills, and Turner kept everything moving with 45 total assists. Onabanjo led the Kansas block with seven total, while Ptacek was right there with her at six total blocks.

Up next, Kansas will continue their conference slate with a West Virginia and Cincinnati trip next week, starting with WVU on October 10. The Jayhawks will then take on the Bearcats on October 12. Both matches will be on ESPN+, and fans can follow along via StatBroadcast and Kansas Volleyball social media platforms.