No. 13 Kansas Defeats League-Leading Buffaloes in Four Sets

Thursday, November 6

Lawrence, Kan.

6 p.m. CT

University of Kansas

18-8,9-3Big 12

Colorado

20-4,10-2Big 12

Colorado

Kansas

No. 13 Kansas Defeats League-Leading Buffaloes in Four Sets

11/6/2025 9:05:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Season Stats 11.6 Box Score (PDF)Photo Gallery

LAWRENCE, Kan. – No. 13 Kansas picked up its fourth ranked victory of the season on Thursday evening, defeating No. 20 Colorado 3-1 at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

KU, which won by set scores of 25-20, 25-15, 26-28, 25-19, improved to 18-8 (9-3 Big 12) on the year. Colorado, who entered the match tied for first place in the Big 12 standings, fell to 20-4 (10-2) this season.

Grace Nelson led the Jayhawks with a double-double of 16 kills and 12 digs, while Reese Ptacek added 13 kills and four blocks. Jovana Zelenovic finished with 11 kills, surpassing 300 for her freshman season, in addition to seven digs, six service aces and five blocks. Katie Dalton also had a double-double with 42 assists and 12 digs, while Ryan White had 11 digs and four assists from the libero position.

"Early on, we were struggling with our serve receive, but we got back to what we do best," said head coach Matt Ulmer. "We increased our service pressure and got the matchups we wanted. That made it harder for them to score and helped us set up our block," he said. "There were a lot of good moments from a lot of different people, and the crowd was amazing."

Kansas and Colorado traded points early in the opening set before the Jayhawks grabbed momentum behind back-to-back aces from Zelenovic to take a 5–3 lead. Colorado responded with a 3–0 run to even the score at 7–7, but a Buffaloes service error returned the serve to Kansas, allowing the Jayhawks to edge back in front 9–7. Kansas continued to widen its lead as Nelson and Zelenovic delivered back-to-back kills to make it 11–8, followed by a Dalton service ace for 12–8. Colorado momentarily slowed the run with a block, but a CU attack error and an Aisha Aiono kill pushed the Jayhawks ahead 14–10. Another Colorado service error sent Kansas into the media timeout, leading 15–11.

The Buffs trimmed the margin to 17–16 out of the break, but Kansas responded again, dropping in a service ace to restore a 19–16 advantage, forcing a Colorado timeout. Kansas continued to control the set, capitalizing on a kill and an attack error to extend the lead to 23–17 and force another Colorado timeout. The Buffaloes responded with a brief 3–0 surge, but the Jayhawks closed the door as Aiono delivered back-to-back kills to secure the set, 25–20.

The Jayhawks opened the second set on a 4-0 run, highlighted by a service ace from Ryan White, before Colorado picked up its first point. Kansas kept rolling with another 3-0 burst to build a 9-2 lead and force a CU timeout. Out of the break, KU earned the first point on a Nelson ace, but Colorado responded with a 4-0 run. A Buffaloes service error stopped the push, and KU answered with another 3-0 burst to make it 15-7, leading to a second timeout. Colorado added a kill, but Kansas quickly countered and stretched the lead to 18-8. Colorado chipped away with a four-point run to cut the deficit to 20–13, but Kansas responded immediately with a 3–0 surge to push the set out of reach at 23–13. Back-to-back kills from Nelson and Rhian Swanson secured the frame, 25–15, giving the Jayhawks a 2–0 lead in the match.

Colorado opened the third set with a 5–1 run, but Kansas quickly settled in, capitalizing on a series of Colorado attack errors to score five straight points and even the set at 5–5. The teams traded points from there, with KU taking an 8–6 lead behind a Ptacek kill and a Zelenovic ace. Colorado briefly closed the gap on a Kansas service error, but the Jayhawks answered again as Ptacek and Swanson delivered back-to-back kills to extend the lead to 10–7. After a CU ace cut the margin to two at 10–8, Kansas regained control with steady side-out play and another Nelson and Aiona kill to stay in front 15–11, going into the media timeout. CU trimmed the deficit to 15-13 after a kill and a service ace, but Kansas responded as Ptacek and Nelson helped push the lead back to 18–14, highlighted by another Zelenovic ace. The Buffaloes stayed within reach at 19–16, yet the Jayhawks maintained control to stay in front 20–17.

The Buffaloes pulled within 20-19, prompting a Kansas timeout. KU answered with a Swanson kill for 21-19, but Colorado kept pressing, narrowing it to 22-21. Kansas regained slight momentum to go up 23-20, though CU rallied to make it 24-23. The teams continued to trade critical points, with Nelson tying it at 25-25. Zelenovic added an ace to give Kansas a match point, but Colorado earned back-to-back points to earn the victory at 28-26 and pushed the match to a fourth set.

Kansas gained early control in the fourth set, turning a 1-1 start into a 9-3 lead behind kills from Nelson, Ptacek and Swanson, forcing a CU timeout. The Jayhawks kept the pressure out of the break, adding a block from Zelenovic and Aiona continuing to score efficiently to earn a 15-11 lead midway through the set. Kansas continued to dominate, as Ptacek served an ace to push the margin to 18-12. From there, Kansas controlled the game to the finish, and despite a late Colorado push with a 4-0 run, the Jayhawks sealed the set with a Zelenovic kill to claim it 25-19 and earn the match in four sets.

Up Next
Kansas remains home on Saturday, Nov. 8, for its next Big 12 matchup, taking on a familiar opponent in Cincinnati, a team the Jayhawks defeated 3–1 on the road last weekend. Saturday's match will begin at 1 p.m. CT and stream live on ESPN+.