No. 14 Kansas Sweeps No. 10 TCU for Fifth Straight Win

Wednesday, October 22

Lawrence, Kan.

6 p.m. CT

University of Kansas

15-7,6-2Big 12

TCU

16-4,6-2Big 12

TCU

Kansas

No. 14 Kansas Sweeps No. 10 TCU for Fifth Straight Win

10/22/2025 8:32:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Season Stats 10.22 Box Score (PDF) 22

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The No. 14 Kansas Jayhawks avenged a previous conference loss Wednesday night with a 3-0 sweep of No. 10 TCU at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

The win is KU's fifth straight since falling in four sets at TCU on October 1. The Jayhawks improved to 15-7 on the year, while moving to 6-2 in Big 12 Conference play. TCU falls to 16-4 (6-2 Big 12) for the season.

Jovana Zelenovic led the Jayhawks with 14 kills, while hitting .500 for the match with three blocks and two service aces to her credit. Rhian Swanson added 11 kills and Grace Nelson finished one shy of a double-double with nine kills and 10 digs. Reece Ptacek also chipped in nine kills and Aurora Papac had a team-high five blocks. Katie Dalton led the Jayhawks with 35 assists and Ryan White led the team with 13 digs.

Kansas will take this top-25 win and the momentum into Friday's matchup on Oct. 24, as the Jayhawks host Kansas State in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown inside Allen Fieldhouse for the first time since 2013. First serve is set for 8 p.m. CT, with the match airing nationally on ESPNU.

"I told them we don't have to be perfect, we just have to play our game," said head coach Matt Ulmer. "Once we stopped trying to place every ball perfectly and started attacking with confidence, you could feel the pressure shift. Our block really came alive, and that allowed us to control the tempo and take their middle offense out of play."

The Jayhawks claimed the first point of the match, but TCU answered with a 3-0 run before a Kansas kill made it 4-2. The Horned Frogs stretched their lead to 13-8 after a Kansas attack error, but the Jayhawks began to rally behind a Zelenovic kill and a TCU service error to pull within four. A Swanson kill and a block from Papac and Swanson kept the momentum going before a Kansas error gave TCU a 21-15 edge.

Out of a timeout, Logan Bell sparked a late surge with a kill and an ace to make it 21-17, and back-to-back kills from Zelenovic brought the Jayhawks within two, forcing a TCU timeout at 22-20. Kansas kept its foot on the gas, closing the gap to one with a block from Nelson, then tying it at 23-all on a Nelson kill. The Jayhawks forced extra points after a TCU service error and took their first lead of the set at 26-25 following another Horned Frog miscue. With the set on the line, a block by Papac and Zelenovic sealed the comeback as Kansas captured the first set, 28-26.

Kansas carried its momentum into the second set, striking first to take an early lead. Two service aces by Zelenovic pushed the Jayhawks ahead 5-2, forcing TCU to call an early timeout. A solo block from Ptacek extended the advantage to 9-4, and Ptacek continued her dominant stretch with her fifth kill of the match to make it 11-5. Despite a small push from TCU, Kansas maintained control as Papac and Nelson each added kills to widen the gap to 15-8. The Horned Frogs trimmed the deficit to four at 16-12, but Ptacek responded once again with a kill to restore a five-point cushion at 17-12. Dalton then caught the defense off guard with a dump kill to make it 19-14, and a TCU attack error gave Kansas a comfortable 20-14 lead as the Jayhawks continued to dominate the set.

In the third set, both teams traded points early before Kansas pulled ahead 5-3. TCU closed within one after a successful challenge, but a Swanson kill, her sixth of the night, helped the Jayhawks build an 8-5 lead. The Horned Frogs rallied to tie it at 11-all with a block at the net, but Swanson responded with three straight kills to push Kansas back in front, 15-13, heading into he media timeout. Kansas and TCU continued to trade points in a back-and-forth battle, with several ties down the stretch. A kill by Ptacek gave Kansas the momentum to pull ahead 21-19, and after TCU tied it once again, Swanson's 10th kill of the night and another kill from Ptacek put the Jayhawks on top 23-21. Swanson earned another kill and gave Kansas a match point situation at 24-21. A Zelenovic kill sealed the set and rightfully gave Kansas the 3-0 match sweep.