LAWRENCE, Kan. -Â Kansas Volleyball is set to host the Jayhawk Classic, featuring No. 6 Purdue, No. 9 Creighton, Tulsa, and the hosting No. 10 Kansas Jayhawks inside Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena from Thursday, September 19 through Saturday, September 21.Â
"I don't think there will be another tournament in the country that has as many quality teams in one location as the Jayhawk Classic does this weekend," said Kansas Head Coach Ray Bechard. "We're looking forward to the challenges all three of these teams will present."
Kansas will enter the Jayhawk Classic undefeated at 7-0, as well as leading the nation in hitting percentage .346 to start the 2024 season. The Jayhawks have been led by seniors
Ayah Elnady and
Camryn Turner, posting a 3-0 record inside Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena to start the season. Kansas most recently defeated Lipscomb in a 3-0 sweep that took place on Sunday in Lawrence.Â
Kansas will first host the No. 6 Purdue Boilermakers on Thursday night to open the tournament. Purdue comes into the matchup ranked sixth in the country in the latest AVCA poll after starting their season on an 8-0Â streak. So far, the Boilermakers have wins over Big 12 opponents Kansas State, Utah, and Houston. Most recently, Purdue topped No. 11 Kentucky in a 3-1 victory in Dallas.
Friday night, the Jayhawks will then welcome in the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Tulsa returns 13 members from the 2023 roster, and the team has rolled to an 8-2 start in the 2024 campaign. The Golden Hurricane's start has been highlighted by their win over No. 25 Arkansas in a five-set thriller.Â
Saturday, Kansas will take on the ninth-ranked Creighton Bluejays. Creighton has started their season winning seven of their first nine, with their only two losses coming against fifth-ranked Nebraska and fourth-ranked Louisville, both in five sets. The Blue Jays also have a 5-0 record inside D.J. Sokol Arena to start 2024.
JAYHAWK CLASSIC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, September 19
Kansas vs Purdue (6:30 p.m.)
Friday, September 20
Creighton vs Purdue (4:00 p.m.)
Kansas vs Tulsa (6:30 p.m.)
Saturday, September 21
Tulsa vs Purdue (12:30 p.m.)
Kansas vs Creighton (3:30 p.m.)
This weekend's matches will all be streamed on ESPN+ with Leif Lisec and Jill Dorsey-Hall on the call. Fans can also check out Kansas' StatBroadcast page for live stats, and the Kansas Volleyball social media pages for Jayhawk and tournament-related updates throughout the weekend.