🏐 No. 19 Kansas Prepares for Kansas City and Kansas Invitational
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The No. 19 Kansas volleyball team prepares to take on the Kansas City Roos on September 7 and host the Kansas Invitational September 8-9.
KU will match-up against Wichita State on September 8 at 6:30 p.m. CT and then play UNLV on September 9 at 6:30 p.m. CT in the Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena. Both matches are in Lawrence and will be broadcasted on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
All Eyes on Ayah Elnady
In 10 total sets, redshirt freshman Ayah Elnady led Kansas in kills with 33, averaging 4.13 kills per set and hitting .457. The Cairo, Egypt native was named the Black Knights Invitational MVP. To start the weekend between KU and Temple, Elnady tallied seven kills, .333 hitting with only one error. Shortly following the match against Temple, KU faced off against host Army where Elnady recorded 16 kills with zero errors on 34 attempts, .471 hitting. To top off Elnady’s powerful weekend, she hit 10 kills on 18 attempts, .556 hitting, against UConn on September 3, locking in her MVP accolade.
Jayhawks on a Roll
The Jayhawks have their best start to the season since 2017. Kansas is currently 6-0 in the first six matches with only losing one set total. During the 2017 season, KU went 22-8 and won nine straight matches. To open the 2017 season, Kansas only fell in five sets. KU began the 2022 season with a 3-0 sweep against Utah Valley at the Utah Classic on August 26. Then No. 23 Kansas took on then No. 22 Utah to take home the win 3-1, dropping the second set. At the Black Knights Invitational, the Jayhawks went 3-0 against Temple, Army and UConn to rise to a record of 6-0.
Up Next
The Jayhawks will play in one more tournament before heading into Big 12 play. No. 19 Kansas will host the 2022 Jayhawk Classic on September 15-17 at the Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena in Lawrence, Kansas. KU will kick off the tournament against Lipscomb at 6:30 p.m. CT on September 15. The following day, there will be a match up between UCF and Kansas on September 16 at 6:30 p.m. CT and then the Jayhawks will play Omaha on September 17 at 2:30 p.m. CT. Kansas will take on No. 1 Texas on September 21 to begin Big 12 Conference play at home. The match will be Educator Appreciation Night and take place at 8 p.m. CT and be televised on ESPNU.
Jersey Retirement
On September 17, Kansas will be retiring two jerseys at the conclusion of the Omaha vs. Kansas match at the Jayhawk Classic. Ainise Havili (2014-2017) and Kelsie Payne (2014-2017) will be honored with a jersey retirement ceremony where their jersey numbers will be displayed in the rafters of Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena. Both Havili and Payne were members of the 2015 Final Four team and 2016 Big 12 Conference Championship team. Havili was a three-time All-American and back-to-back Big 12 Setter of the Year. Payne was a two-time AVCA First Team All-American and the 2016 Big 12 Player of the Year. Both individuals are in the Kansas volleyball record books.
