Kansas Falls to Florida State

Friday, September 4

Nashville, Tenn.

3 p.m. CT

University of Kansas

1-3,0-0Big 12

Florida State

3-1,0-0ACC

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Florida St.	26	21	19	28	15	3
Kansas	24	25	25	26	13	2

9/4/2026 6:03:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Kansas fought through a five-set battle on Friday but couldn't finish it off, falling to Florida State in five sets.

Taylor Stanley led the Jayhawks with 15 kills, and Kenzie Dean turned in a career night of her own with 14 kills. Grace Nelson added 10 kills and a match-high two aces, while setter Reese Messer directed the Kansas offense with 34 assists. Reese Ptacek anchored the Jayhawk defense with a team-high eight blocks, and Olivia Hasbrook paced Kansas with 13 digs.

Kansas trailed early in the first set after Florida State scored the match's first point, but the Jayhawks answered to grab a 4-2 lead. A kill from Stanley made it 6-4, and Nelson served a 3-0 run to push the Kansas advantage to 11-7. Aisha Aiono swung one off the Florida State block to make it 13-9 before the Seminoles rallied to tie it at 14-14 and later moved in front. Kansas battled back to even the set at 16-16 on a block from Stanley and Aiono, and freshman Tessa Dodd tied it again at 20-20 with her first career kill. Back-to-back kills from Dodd put the Jayhawks up 21-20, but Florida State closed out the set, 26-24.

Kansas came out sharp in the second set, building a 5-3 cushion before a Ptacek kill made it 7-4. Florida State tied it at 9-9, and the set stayed tight from there, with Kansas ahead 15-14 at the media timeout. Back-to-back points off a Dean and Ptacek block, plus a Florida State error, pushed the Jayhawk lead to 17-14. Florida State pulled back within one, but Kansas answered with a 3-0 run behind Hasbrook's serve to reach set point at 24-20. Ptacek closed it out with a kill to give Kansas the 25-21 set two win.

Kansas built an early lead in the third set on a Messer setter dump that made it 2-0, and after the set was tied at 4-4, a kill from Aiono put the Jayhawks back in front. A 3-0 run stretched the Kansas lead to 7-5 before Florida State answered with a four-point run to move ahead 10-9. Dean's sixth kill of the match tied it back up at 12-12, and Kansas carried a 15-14 lead into the media timeout. A Nelson kill followed by a block from Nelson and Ptacek extended the Kansas advantage to 17-14, and Dean added another kill to push the lead to 21-16 before closing out the set herself, 25-19.

Kansas and Florida State battled through an early 2-2 tie in the fourth set before back-to-back Florida State errors gave the Jayhawks a 5-3 lead. A Nelson ace made it 8-5 and forced a Florida State timeout, and Dean's ninth kill of the match extended the Kansas lead to 10-8. Florida State answered with a 4-0 run to tie the set at 14-14, then took a late 19-17 lead. Kansas didn't back down, Ptacek tied it back up at 22-22, and a kill from Logan Bell knotted the set again at 24-24 but Florida State closed it out on a 3-0 run to escape with a 28-26 win.

With the match tied at two sets apiece, Kansas battled Florida State back-and-forth to open the decisive fifth set, with the two teams tied at 6-6 before a Ptacek kill put the Jayhawks ahead 7-6. Florida State answered with a 3-0 run to take a 9-7 lead, and Kansas fought to within one at 11-12 to force a Florida State timeout. The Jayhawks couldn't complete the comeback, dropping the final set 15-13 and the match.

Kansas returns home on Tuesday night to host Wichita State in Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena at 6 p.m.