No. 14 Jayhawks Fall Short in the Fifth at No. 8 Wisconsin

Friday, August 29

Madison, Wis.

6 p.m. CT

University of Kansas

1-2,0-0Big 12

Wisconsin

1-0,0-0Big Ten

Kansas

Wisconsin

Photo by: Missy Minear/Kansas Athletics

No. 14 Jayhawks Fall Short in the Fifth at No. 8 Wisconsin

8/29/2025 9:10:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

Madison, Wis. – Jovana Zelenovic and Selena Leban combined for 29 kills, with Ryan White chipping in 20 digs, as No. 14 Kansas came up just short in a five-set defeat at No. 8 Wisconsin Friday night in the Opening Spike Classic.

The setback is the Jayhawks second straight in five sets against a top 10 opponent as KU now falls to 1-2 on the year. Kansas is back in action Sunday, taking on No. 12 Creighton at 3:30 p.m. CT from the Kohl Center.

Zelenovic led the Jayhawks with 15 kills and hit .250 for the match, while Leban had 14 kills, 10 digs and five blocks. Rhian Swanson also reached double figures with 10 kills. Katie Dalton had 38 assists to lead KU's offensive attack, while White (20) and Logan Bell (13) led the team in digs.

Wisconsin jumped out to an early lead in the opening set, answering Kansas' first point with a 4-0 run to go up 5-1. The Jayhawks quickly settled in, responding with a run of their own capped by a White service ace to pull within 3-5. Kansas added another point on a Wisconsin service error to keep the set within reach before the Badgers strung together another run, leading KU to call its first timeout of the match.

Out of the timeout, Kansas trimmed the gap to 12-10 and continued to trade points with Wisconsin. Kills from Bell, Reese Ptacek and Leban kept the Jayhawks within reach, but a late Badger surge increased the deficit to 19-14, prompting another Kansas timeout. The Jayhawks kept fighting late in the set, but Wisconsin's block and steady attack gave the Badgers a 25-16 win in the opening set.

Kansas flipped the script to start the second set, jumping out to a 4-0 lead and forcing Wisconsin to use an early timeout. Kansas kept the momentum, going on another 4-point run with Bell recording an ace, pushing the Jayhawks further ahead at 14–6. Kansas stayed in control, with Leban's second ace and key points from Zelenovic and Ptacek pushing the lead to 16–7 and forcing Wisconsin to use a timeout. The Jayhawks faced a match point opportunity after a Wisconsin service error and closed the set 25-18 when the Badgers sent the final ball out.

In the third set, Wisconsin jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, but Kansas got on the board with a kill from Leban. The Jayhawks narrowed the gap to 4-5 after a Badger Attack error and continued to trade points back and forth. Aisha Aiona tied the set at 10 with her first kill of the night, and Kansas took its first lead at 15-14 on another Wisconsin error, heading into the media timeout. The Badgers got the lead back at 18-16 after another 4-0 run, which forced a Kansas timeout. Wisconsin went on an 11-2 run to earn a 25-18 third-set victory.

In the fourth, Kansas and Wisconsin battled point-for-point in a tense, back-and-forth set. The Jayhawks held early leads, including an 8-7 advantage off a powerful kill from Selena Leban, who totaled 12 kills on the night. Wisconsin went on a brief scoring run to take 13-11, but Kansas responded with a clutch service ace from Dalton to tie it at 15-15. Late in the set, KU fought back from a 22-20 deficit with a three-point run to take a 23-22 lead. The teams then traded match points through 26-26, with Swanson and Zelenovic delivering key kills under pressure. After a pair of errors from both sides, Kansas finally clinched the set 28-26, completing a dramatic comeback and setting the stage for a decisive fifth.

In the final set, Zelenovic gave Kansas an early lead with a kill, but Wisconsin quickly responded. Both teams battled point-for-point in another tense set, with the Badgers eventually pulling ahead on a 4-1 run. Kansas fell 10-15, giving Wisconsin the 3-2 match victory.