No. 13 Jayhawks Keep Momentum with Sweep of Cincinnati

Saturday, November 8

Lawrence, Kan.

1 p.m. CT

University of Kansas

19-8,10-3Big 12

Cincinnati

12-10,4-8Big 12

Cincinnati

Kansas

Photo by: Kansas Athletics

No. 13 Jayhawks Keep Momentum with Sweep of Cincinnati

11/8/2025 3:07:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Behind 12 kills from Rhian Swanson and nine apiece by Grace Nelson and Reese Ptacek, the No. 13 Kansas Jayhawks picked up their ninth win in the past 10 matches with a 3-0 victory over Cincinnati Saturday at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

The win, which came by set scores of 25-15, 25-19, 25-22, improved Kansas to 19-8 on the year and 10-3 in Big 12 play. Cincinnati fell to 12-10 (4-7 Big 12) this season.

Swanson led the Jayhawks with 12 kills and had an efficient match, hitting .393 with just one attack error. Nelson and Ptacek each had nine kills and four attack errors, with Nelson adding seven digs. Jovana Zelenovic had seven kills on 10 swings, hitting .700 for the match while also serving four aces. Katie Dalton engineered the efficient outing of the offense with 36 assists, while Ryan White (15) and Molly McCarthy (10) both reached double figures in digs.

"I'm really proud of how we served and defended. When we stayed aggressive, we knocked their setter off the net and took their rhythm away," said head coach Matt Ulmer. "That first set showed what we're capable of, and our team carried that focus the rest of the way."

The Jayhawks opened the match with the first three points before Cincinnati got on the board after a Kansas service error. KU kept full control, building a 7–2 lead highlighted by a Zelenovic ace, which forced an early Bearcats timeout. Cincinnati scored once out of the break, but Kansas never lost its rhythm, rolling off five more points to stretch the lead to 13–3.

From there, KU continued to hold Cincinnati in single digits as the Jayhawks traded points but kept the margin firmly in their hands. A service error and a brief Bearcat push didn't slow Kansas, with Ptacek, Swanson, and Zelenovic each adding kills to maintain a commanding lead. Zelenovic then delivered back-to-back aces to push the score to 21–9 before another service error finally allowed Cincinnati to reach double digits at 21–10. KU climbed to a match point situation at 24-15 off a Bearcats serving error, and an attack error on the Cincinnati side gave KU the set at 25-15.

The second set opened evenly, with both teams trading the first five points and neither side gaining much separation early. Kansas gained a slight 9-7 edge, but Cincinnati quickly answered with a kill to trim the margin back to 9-8. KU then began to find its rhythm, rolling out a 5-1 run to create some separation and take a 15-10 advantage into the media timeout. Three kills contributed by Aisha Aiono, Swanson, and Zelenovic set up an 18-12 lead and prompted Cincinnati to call a timeout. The Bearcats were able to regroup briefly, going on a 3-0 scoring run to try to trim their 23-19 deficit. However, back-to-back points from Ptacek quickly gave Kansas the set at 25-19, giving them an early 2-0 match lead.

Despite Cincinnati holding an early 2-1 lead, Kansas settled in and quickly went up 5-3 following two kills from Ptacek. The Bearcats responded with a 3-1 run to tie the set at 6-6. Cincinnati maintained a slight 10-8 edge, but Kansas evened it again at 10-10 after an attack error. The set remained a back-and-forth battle, and Swanson turned it on for KU and earned three straight kills to give KU the lead back at 15-14 going into the media timeout. Out of the break, Kansas went on a 4-2 scoring burst, capitalizing on kills from both Nelson and Swanson to bring them ahead 21-17, making the Bearcats call a timeout to try and regroupThe Bearcats managed to inch out of their deficit, but a Swanson kill followed by a Cincinnati attack error sealed the three-set sweep at 25-22.

Up next
The Jayhawks will get a few days off before returning to action next Saturday for a rematch against in-state rival Kansas State. The matchup will take place on the Wildcats' home court on Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. CT.