No. 15 Kansas Storms Past No. 23 Georgia Tech for First Top-25 Win

Thursday, September 4

West Lafayette, Ind.

2 p.m. CT

University of Kansas

3-3,0-0Big 12

Georgia Tech

4-1,0-0ACC

Kansas

Georgia Tech

No. 15 Kansas Storms Past No. 23 Georgia Tech for First Top-25 Win

9/4/2025 4:28:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Season Stats Box Score (PDF)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – No. 15 Kansas powered past No. 23 Georgia Tech, 3-1, on Thursday behind double-digit kills from Rhian Swanson and Jovana Zelenovic and four service aces from sophomore Reese Ptacek. The Jayhawks controlled the match's momentum to secure their first top-25 victory of the season.

This was our most complete team effort, said head coach Matt Ulmer. A lot of our offensive connections are looking more confident, and we played disciplined team defense for most of the match.

In the first set, No. 15 Kansas took control early and never let up against No. 23 Georgia Tech. Behind steady setting from Cristin Cline, the Jayhawks rattled off a 9-1 run highlighted by kills from Swanson, Zelenovic, and Aurora Papac, forcing the Yellow Jackets into two early timeouts. Swanson was unstoppable at the net, notching four kills in the stretch, while Cline added a service ace to extend KU's advantage to 15-5 in set one.

Georgia Tech strung together a small rally late, trimming the deficit to 22-17, but Kansas responded with back-to-back points from Reese Ptacek and a Yellow Jacket error to close out the opening set, 25-17.

The second set was a back-and-forth affair early, with both teams going on small three-point runs to keep the score tied at 7-all. Zelenovic provided a key kill for Kansas to maintain the pace, while Georgia Tech responded with a service ace to keep the momentum even.

Kansas began to pull away in the second set with a 5-2 scoring run that gave the Jayhawks a 16-13 lead, as Swanson notched her 10th kill of the game. The Yellow Jackets recorded a kill of their own, but a service ace by Ryan White extended Kansas's lead to 18-14. From there, the Jayhawks continued to widen the gap. Swanson continued to deliver consecutive kills to push the lead to 20-15.

The Jayhawks maintained momentum through a combination of kills from Zelenovic to force multiple errors from Georgia Tech. The Jayhawks closed out the set on a 6-3 run, capped by a match-ending ace from Cline, taking the second set 25-18.

In the third set, Kansas and the Yellow Jackets continued to battle back-and-forth. Georgia Tech held a narrow 6-5 lead early, but a four-point scoring run by Kansas pushed the Jayhawks ahead 10-5, forcing a Georgia Tech timeout.

Out of the timeout, Kansas earned a kill and went on a brief scoring run. After a service ace from Grace Nelson, the Jayhawks cut Georgia Tech's lead to 14-12. The teams continued trading points, with both sides exchanging kills and errors through the middle of the set. Another service ace brought Kansas within three at 20-17, prompting a Georgia Tech timeout.

Following the timeout, Kansas kept chipping away with consecutive kills from Nelson, trimming the deficit to 21-19. Georgia Tech was able to reach set point at 24-22 and ultimately, a service error by Cline sealed the set for Georgia Tech, 25-22.

Kansas came out strong in the fourth set, jumping to an early 3-0 lead over Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets kept it close in the first few points, trading points with the Jayhawks. At 11-10, Kansas went on a decisive 5-0 run, taking control of the set at 15-10 and forcing a Georgia Tech timeout.

The Jayhawks didn't let up. Later in the set, Kansas unleashed a dominant 7-0 scoring streak from 11-12 to 18-12, with Ptacek capped the surge with her fourth service ace of the match, putting the score at 20-12. From there, the Jayhawks never looked back and closed out the match 25-14 to seal the victory.

Up Next
The Jayhawks look to continue momentum in West Lafayette on Friday when the Jayhawks take on No. 17 Purdue at 6 p.m. in Holloway Gymnasium. The match will air on Big Ten+.