RCW: Inside Volleyball 3.9

Get a quick look inside your favorite Kansas Jayhawk programs each week with Rock Chalk Weekly’s Inside Sports pages. Notable statistics, quick hits and the top social media posts get every Jayhawk fan up-to-speed and ready for another week of thrilling competition.

Number BY THE NUMBERS
Kansas has won 12-straight home matches inside Horejsi Family Athletics Center.
 

UPCOMING HOME MATCHES
Tickets West Virginia (Oct. 20)
Tickets Texas (Oct. 29)

FOLLOW
Twitter @KUVolleyball
Facebook /KansasVolleyball
Instagram kuvolleyball
 

Notes QUICK HITS

• Sixth-ranked Kansas (17-2, 6-1 Big 12) returns home on Thursday against West Virginia (6:30 p.m., JTV/ESPN3) to complete the first round of the Big 12’s double round-robin schedule.
• BIG 12 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Junior All-American right-side hitter Kelsie Payne and senior libero Cassie Wait collected Big 12 Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors, respectively, on Monday. Payne and Wait helped sixth-ranked Kansas extend its winning streak to five matches with wins over two top-30 RPI opponents last week. Payne ranked second in the league in points per set (5.75), totaling 34.50 points with 27 kills, 11 blocks and two aces during week eight of the season. Wait led the Big 12 in digs per set (6.50) last week and her 25 digs in three sets at TCU on Saturday are the most digs in a three-set match during conference play this season.
• NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Kansas enters Thursday’s home match against West Virginia on a 12-match home winning streak. The Jayhawks are 29-1 in the last 30 matches inside Horejsi Family Athletics Center.
• DEFENSIVE: Kansas leads the Big 12 in four defensive categories – hitting percentage allowed (.136), kills allowed (11.04), assists allowed (10.38) and aces allowed (0.60). KU’s opponents have recorded a hitting percentage below .200 in 17 of 19 matches this season, including three with a negative hitting percentage (under .000).
• WINNING: KU’s 47 wins since the start of the 2015 season ranks tied for third in NCAA Division I volleyball during that period. The Jayhawks have the same number of wins as Washington and trail Nebraska (48) and Western Kentucky (52) in total wins since last season.
• ACES WILD: Kansas leads the Big 12 in aces per set (1.53) and features 10 matches with five or more aces. Individually, junior outside hitter Madison Rigdon leads the Big 12 and ranks sixth nationally with 38 aces. The Jayhawks are 16-0 this season when recording more aces than their opponent.
• TOP-10: Kansas remained at No. 6 in the AVCA Coaches Poll on Monday. This is the third-straight week KU has been ranked sixth. The Jayhawks have been ranked in the top-25 for a program-record 23-consecutive times dating back to last season, including 19-consecutive times in the top-10. Kansas has been consecutively ranked in the top-10 for more than a calendar year (Oct. 5, 2015).
• BIG 12 LEADERS: Senior libero Cassie Wait, a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award, leads the Big 12 in digs per set (5.18) and junior outside hitter Madison Rigdon leads the Big 12 in aces per set (0.57). As a team, Kansas leads in hitting percentage allowed (.136) and aces per set (1.53).
• ALL-AMERICANS: Kansas is the only team in the nation with two returning AVCA First Team All-Americans in junior setter Ainise Havili and junior right-side hitter Kelsie Payne.
• BECHARD RECORDS: Kansas head coach Ray Bechard is 342-231 (.597) in his 19th season at KU. Since 2012, the Jayhawks are 120-29 (.805) under Bechard.