Kelsie Payne
OVERVIEW
One of the top players in the nation entering her senior season … Reigning Big 12 Player of the Year and back-to-back AVCA first-team All-American … Holds KU records for career hitting percentage and single-season kills and is within reach of owning KU’s career kills record.
AWARDS & HONORS
- Big 12 Player of the Year [2016]
- Two-time AVCA All-America First Team [2015, 2016]
- Three-time AVCA All-Midwest Region First Team [2015, 2016, 2017]
- Three-time All-Big 12 First Team [2015, 2016, 2017]
- NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team [2015]
- NCAA Championship San Diego Regional All-Tournament Team [2015]
- Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week [11/1/2016]
- Six-time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week [9/7/2015, 11/2/2015, 11/9/2015, 11/16/2015, 10/17/2016, 9/4/2017]
- Two-time Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year [2016, 2017]
- Two-time Preseason All-Big 12 Team [2015, 2016]
- Kansas Invitational MVP [2016]
- Wolverine Invitational MVP [2017]
- Santa Clara/San José State Invitational All-Tournament Team [2017]
- Wolfpack Invitational All-Tournament Team [2017]
- Bulldog Invitational All-Tournament Team [2016]
- Jayhawk Classic All-Tournament Team [2015]
- Kansas Invitational All-Tournament Team [2015]
- Arkansas Invitational All-Tournament Team [2015]
- PrepVolleyball.com All-America First Team [2015]
2017 (SENIOR)
• Has started in all 13 matches … Features four 20-kill performances and a double-double entering Big 12 play … Leads the Big 12 in kills per set (4.53) and points per set (4.96).
• Ranks top-five in career kills at KU … One of three all-time Jayhawks with at least 1,300 career kills and 300 career blocks — Payne, Josi Lima (1,483/418) and Caroline Jarmoc (1,333/555).
• Began the season with 16 kills and eight digs in four sets at NC State (Aug. 25).
• Posted season highs of 23 digs, 15 digs and five blocks in a four-set victory over Missouri State (Aug. 26).
• Recorded second-straight 20-kill performance with 20 kills, six digs and four blocks in five sets at NC State (Aug. 26).
• Named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and MVP of the Wolverine Invitational and after averaging 4.80 kills per set on a .389 hitting percentage during week two of the season.
• Started the Wolverine Invitational with 18 kills on a .516 hitting percentage in just three sets against Utah Valley (Aug. 31).
• Notched her third 20-kill performance of the season with 20 kills against Long Beach State (Sept. 1), adding eight digs and three blocks.
• Contributed 10 kills, six digs and two blocks in KU’s three-set sweep of Montana (Sept. 2).
• Recorded 14 kills on a .462 hitting percentage to lead Kansas to a three-set victory over No. 13 Kentucky (Sept. 4).
• Posted 15 kills in just three sets against Belmont (Sept. 8).
• Registered 19 kills, eight digs and four blocks as Kansas defeated No. 17 Purdue in four sets (Sept. 8).
• Passed the 300 career blocks threshold with four against San Jose State (Sept. 15) … Added 17 kills and nine digs in four sets against the Spartans … Became the fourth all-time Jayhawk to reach at least 1,200 career kills and 300 career blocks — Payne, Josi Lima (1,483/418), Caroline Jarmoc (1,333/555) and Amanda Reves (1,264/514).
• Notched her fourth 20-kill effort of the season with 22 in five sets at Santa Clara (Sept. 15).
• Concluded nonconference play with 18 kills and three blocks in four sets against Idaho (Sept. 16) … With her 18th and final kill against the Vandals, Payne reached exactly 1,300 career kills.
2016 (JUNIOR)
• Earned AVCA All-America First Team honors for the second-straight season … First Jayhawk to be named Big 12 Player of the Year … Became the 15th Jayhawk to surpass 1,000 career kills.
• Started all 29 matches she played in … Led Kansas and ranked fourth in the Big 12 with 3.98 kills per set … Averaged 1.99 digs per set, 0.98 blocks per set and 4.63 points per set … Finished with a team-best .320 hitting percentage … Reached 100 total blocks for the first time in her career (103).
• Notched eight kill-dig double-doubles … Reached double-figure kills in 22 of 29 matches, including six 20-kill performances … Recorded at least 10 digs in nine matches … Featured five or more blocks in eight matches … Served up an ace multiple times in three matches.
• Transitioned into a six-rotation player for the Jayhawks, totaling 209 digs and 15 service aces on the season … Her 2016 season output for digs and aces more than doubled her sum of 84 digs and six aces from her freshman and sophomore campaigns combined.
• Recorded her first career double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs in a season-opening sweep over Mississippi State (Aug. 26) … Added 10 kills on a .400 hitting percentage against Lamar (Aug. 27) to earn Bulldog Classic All-Tournament honors.
• Recorded 14 digs in a three-set sweep of Maryland (Sept. 2) … Added nine kills against the Terps.
• Poured in 25 kills on a .353 hitting clip with 13 digs for her second career double-double against Arkansas (Sept. 3).
• Came close to a triple-double with 11 kills, six digs and co-season-high eight blocks during a five-set win at Creighton (Sept. 8).
• Recorded an astounding 25 kills on a .487 hitting percentage in a three-set victory over Northern Iowa (Sept. 10)
• Posted 18 kills on a .444 hitting percentage at No. 5 Texas (Sept. 24).
• In perhaps her most well-rounded match of the season, Payne recorded 18 kills on a .318 hitting percentage, with a season-high 16 digs and a co-season-high eight blocks in a four-set win at Iowa State (Oct. 5).
• Was nearly unstoppable at TCU (Oct. 15), recording 16 kills, 10 digs and seven blocks in a three-set victory for the Jayhawks.
• Recorded a double-double of 16 kills and 10 digs at Texas Tech (Oct. 26) … Her 16 kills came on 28 attacking attempts with no attacking errors for a season-best .571 hitting percentage.
• Posted 21 kills with eight digs and six blocks to help Kansas defeat No. 2 Texas (Oct. 29) for the first time since 2003.
• Named the AVCA/Sport Imports National Player of the Week on Nov. 1 for her efforts at Texas Tech and against Texas.
• Contributed 23 kills, 11 digs and five blocks in five sets at K-State (Nov. 2), giving the Jayhawks their fifth-straight Sunflower Showdown victory.
• Recorded 21 kills in four sets, adding seven digs and six blocks, at Oklahoma (Nov. 5).
• Suffered a minor injury in the second set at West Virginia (Nov. 16).
• Lone match she missed due to injury was against Iowa State (Nov. 19), when Kansas clinched at least a share of the Big 12 Conference title with a five-set victory.
• Returned to the lineup to record a double-double of 19 kills and 10 digs with five blocks at Baylor (Nov. 26) … The win gave Kansas sole possession of the Big 12 title.
• Recorded a season-high 26 kills with seven digs and four blocks in five sets against Creighton (Dec. 2) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
2015 (SOPHOMORE)
• One of the keystones to an unprecedented season, helping guide Kansas to a 30-3 record, No. 4 ranking and first-ever appearance in the NCAA Championship semifinals.
• Member of the AVCA All-American First Team, All-Big 12 First Team, AVCA All-Midwest Region First Team, NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team, and named a four-time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week.
• Led the Big 12 in kills per set (4.4) and total kills (496).
• Set a KU record with 496 total kills.
• Only player in the nation to rank top-35 in hitting percentage (34th; .386) and kills per set (19th; 4.4).
• Featured eight 20-kill performances … Four of her 20-kill performances were accompanied by a hitting percentage of .400 or better … Recorded at least nine kills in 31 of 33 matches.
• Switched positions from middle blocker as a freshman to right-side hitter as a sophomore.
• Named to the All-Tournament teams in 3-of-4 of KU’s nonconference tournaments (Arkansas Invitational, Jayhawk Classic, Kansas Invitational).
• Season-opener against Army (Aug. 28) proved to be her season high in digs (eight), adding 11 kills and three blocks.
• Poured in 19 kills on a .471 (19-3-34) hitting percentage in a four-set victory at Arkansas (Aug. 29) to help clinch the Arkansas Invitational title.
• Recorded one of her most accurate attacking performances of the season with 14 kills on a .632 (14-2-19) hitting percentage in KU’s home opener against Western Illinois (Sept. 4).
• Named Big 12 Player of the Week (Sept. 7) after recording 37 kills in three three-set wins during the Kansas Invitational … In KU’s three victories, she posted a combined .464 attack percentage, including a match with 13 kills and no attacking errors against UMKC (Sept. 5).
• Reached 20 kills with five blocks in a four-set victory over Kansas State (Sept. 23) to open Big 12 play.
• Did not commit an attacking error while registering nine kills against West Virginia (Oct. 3).
• Posted 17 kills on a .483 hitting percentage in just three sets at Texas Tech (Oct. 7).
• Season high of 26 kills came on national television (ESPNU), a four-set victory at Iowa State (Oct. 28) which gave KU its 20th win of the season after only 21 matches … The performance led to her second Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week nod on Nov. 2.
• Reached 20 kills in three-straight matches in early November with 22 kills at Oklahoma (Nov. 7), 23 kills against Texas (Nov. 11), and 21 kills in three sets against TCU (Nov. 14).
• Produced 23 kills and six blocks on the road at Kansas State (Nov. 25).
• Registered 15 kills with no attacking errors in the regular-season finale against Texas Tech (Nov. 28).
• Averaged 4.74 kills per set on a .362 hitting percentage during five NCAA Championship matches.
• Paced Kansas with 18 kills to upset No. 1 overall seed USC (Dec. 12) in the NCAA Championship San Diego regional final.
• Poured in 22 kills on a .576 attack efficiency in the NCAA Championship semifinals against Nebraska (Dec. 17) … Became the lone player listed on the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team who did not play in the title match.
2014 (FRESHMAN)
• Appeared in 27 matches and started in 15 … Sidelined with a foot injury for four matches during conference play.
• Swung for an efficient .341 average, which ranked second in the Big 12 … Match leader in blocks a total of seven matches … Rejected 85 shots on the season, for a 1.06 blocking average, good enough for ninth in the Big 12.
• Had eight kills on 14 swings to go with six blocks during her first collegiate start against Cleveland State (Sept. 19) … Followed that performance with 12 kills and a season-best seven blocks during the Jayhawks’ four-set win over Arkansas (Sept. 20)
• Opened conference play with a solid .647 hitting percentage and scored her first ace despite falling to Oklahoma (Sept. 27) in five sets.
• Registered 13 kills in a five-set road loss to Iowa State (Oct. 22).
• Connected for 10 kills on 13 swings while posting a season-best .692 attack percentage in a sweep of West Virginia (Nov. 26).
• Generated season highs in kills (15) and blocks (8) in a five-set defeat to Little Rock (Dec. 5) in the first round of the NCAA Championship.
USA VOLLEYBALL
2016 Pan American Cup
• One of 12 athletes selected among 19 invited by the U.S. Women’s National Team to train and compete for a Pan American Cup roster spot in Anaheim, California (June 2016).
• Competed with the team at the 2016 Pan American Cup, July 2-10, 2016 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
• Advanced out of Pool B with a 5-0 record … Lost to Puerto Rico in four sets in the semifinals on July 9 … Won the bronze medal match over Cuba on July 10.
2017 European Global Challenge
• Member of the U.S. Collegiate National Team-Europe that captured the gold medal at the 13th European Global Challenge by sweeping an all-star team from the Mountain West Conference. CNT-Europe ended the tournament with a 6-0 record. The European Global Challenge featured a 12-team bracket – six teams from Europe and six teams from the United States.
HIGH SCHOOL
• Four-year letterwinner at John B. Connally High School under head coach Megan Nichols.
• Earned the University Interscholastic League (UIL) All-District 17-4A MVP for the 2013-14 season.
• Named to the Austin Junior Volleyball National High Performance Team in 2013.
• Holds several of her school’s volleyball records, including most blocks in a match (10), most blocks in a season (136), most career blocks (277) and best single-season hitting percentage (.361)… Racked up 481 kills (3.90 per set), 136 total blocks (1.10 per set) and 195 digs (1.60 per set) as a senior… Cranked out more than 20 kills four different times and five or more blocks 13 times.
• Named the District MVP as a junior and has twice been named to the All-District and Academic All-District Teams.
CLUB
• Played for the Austin Junior Volleyball Club.
ACADEMICS
• Majoring in communication studies in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at The University of Kansas.
PERSONAL
• Daughter of David and Kandi Payne.
