No. 15 Kansas Wins Third Straight, Taking Down Iowa State 3-1

Friday, October 10

Lawrence, Kan.

6 p.m. CT

University of Kansas

Iowa State

No. 15 Kansas Wins Third Straight, Taking Down Iowa State 3-1

10/10/2025 8:46:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Season Stats 10.10 Photo Gallery

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The No. 15 Kansas Jayhawks won their third-straight match on Friday evening, defeating Iowa State 3-1 (21-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-19) at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

The win improves Kansas to 13-7 on the year while the Jayhawks also move to 4-2 in Big 12 play. Iowa State falls to 14-3 (4-2 Big 12) this season.

Rhian Swanson led the Jayhawks with 20 kills, and she was one of four KU players to reach double figures in kills. Reese Ptacek matched a season-high with 17 kills and five blocks, while Grace Nelson and Jovana Zelenovic each had 11. Nelson also had 13 digs as she recorded her third double-double of the season. Katie Dalton also had a double-double with a career-high 55 assists and 12 digs, and Ryan White led the Jayhawks with 22 digs.

"I thought this was the most consistent our offense has been," head coach Matt Ulmer said. "Everybody showed up tonight, stayed aggressive, and really executed the game plan. Our players maintained a next-point mentality, attacking with confidence and supporting each other on every play — that's the mindset we need moving forward."

During the first set, Kansas opened the scoring off an attack error and built a 6–3 lead, highlighted by a kill from Ptacek. Iowa State cut into the deficit to 5–8, and Kansas extended their advantage to 13–9 with another Ptacek kill. The Cyclones responded with a 4–0 run, tying the set at 13–13, and the remainder of the set became a back-and-forth battle. Kansas led 15–14 at the first media timeout, but Iowa State quickly tied it at 15–15 and then captured their first lead at 16–15. Kansas briefly tied the score off a service error, but Iowa State maintained control at 21–19. A kill from Swanson brought Kansas within one, yet Iowa State responded with a 3–0 run to claim the set, 25–21.

The Jayhawks opened the second set with a 3–1 lead, but Iowa State responded with three straight points to take a 4–3 advantage. Kansas tied it at 4–4 on a kill by Ptacek, and a Swanson kill put the Jayhawks ahead 5–4. A block by Ptacek sparked Kansas to an 11–9 lead, starting a 4–0 run that prompted Iowa State's first timeout. Kansas extended their lead to 16–12 following a service error and pushed it to 19–14 off an attack error, forcing another Cyclone timeout. Iowa State responded with a 3–0 run to cut the deficit to 19–17, but Kansas reached match point on a kill by Zelenovic at 24–18 and sealed the set with a Nelson kill, winning 25–18 to tie the match 1–1.

Iowa State earned the first two points of the set, but Kansas battled back to tie it at 4–4 off a block by Nelson. Kansas held a narrow 6–4 lead, though Iowa State evened the score again following back-to-back Kansas errors. The Jayhawks responded with a 3–0 run to push the lead to 14–11 and added another kill at 15–12 before a media timeout. After the break, Kansas continued to dominate, with Swanson contributing back-to-back kills to extend the lead to 18–14, prompting an Iowa State timeout. Kansas continued to capitalize on Iowa State attack errors, maintaining a strong 22–17 advantage. The Jayhawks reached set point following a service error at 24–19 and sealed the set with a kill from Ptacek, winning 25–20 and taking a 2–1 lead in the match.

In the fourth set, Iowa State jumped out to a 2–0 lead, but Kansas quickly responded, tying the score at 4–4 on a kill by Ptacek. The Jayhawks began to take control with a combination of aggressive serving and timely kills. Nelson and Zelenovic helped Kansas build momentum, while Ptacek added another kill to push the lead to 7–5. The teams traded points through the middle of the set as the Cyclones tried to keep pace. With Ptacek's dominant presence at the net and Dalton's precise setting, Kansas extended its lead to 16–13. Iowa State fought back to narrow the deficit to 18–14, but the Jayhawks regained control, building a 20–16 advantage behind multiple kills from Ptacek and Swanson. The Cyclones continued to pressure, cutting the lead to 20–17, but Kansas closed out the set 25–23, securing the match.