No. 11 Kansas Tops K-State 3-1 in Sunday Sunflower Showdown

Sunday, November 24

Manhattan, Kan.

2 PM

University of Kansas

23-3,14-2Big 12

Kansas State

10-15,8-8Big 12

Kansas

Kansas St.

No. 11 Kansas Tops K-State 3-1 in Sunday Sunflower Showdown

11/24/2024 3:40:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

MANHATTAN, Kan. - No. 11 Kansas Volleyball used a balanced attack to down the Kansas State Wildcats Sunday afternoon inside Morgan Family Arena. Sunday marks the eighth straight Kansas win over their in-state rivals.

Caroline Bien led the balanced Jayhawk attack with 15 kills, London Davis finished right behind Bien with 14, Reese Ptacek and Ayah Elnady both notched 12, and Toyosi Onabanjo finished with nine. Setter Camryn Turner ended Sunday's contest with 59 assists, which ties her career-high.

"This match is just what you would expect when in-state rivals get together," said Kansas Head Coach Ray Bechard. "I was proud of this group, especially how they competed and executed in the key moments."

Kansas opened the match on the right foot, by taking the first set 25-17. The Jayhawks used a balanced attack to cruise to a first-set victory over the Wildcats. Four Jayhawks recorded multiple kills, as seniors Caroline Bien and London Davis led the way with four kills a piece. Kansas hit .394 in the set, and turned the Wildcats away four times in the opening set, tallying four blocks.

The Jayhawks dropped a back-and-forth second set with the Wildcats, falling by a final score of 25-23. Bien added another four kills, freshman Reese Ptacek also chipped in four kills, in a comeback effort that fell just short in the second set.

Kansas bounced back in the third frame, as the Jayhawks got out to an 11-0 start in the third set, its largest scoring run of the season. Kansas rode that momentum to the finish line in set three, besting the Wildcats 25-18. The Jayhawks used a .441 hitting percentage in the third frame to take a 2-1 advantage over the Wildcats.

The Jayhawks rode the momentum from the third set and continued control of the match into the fourth set. Kansas once again rode a hot start by grabbing the first four points of the set and never looking back. Despite a great comeback effort from the Wildcats, Kansas was able to hold off their in-state rivals and win the thrilling fourth set 28-26 to top Kansas State for the eighth straight time.

Kansas will host BYU on Wednesday night inside Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena for Senior Night. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. and fans can follow along through the Live Stats link, as well as streaming the game on ESPN+.