🏐 Jayhawks Down Texas State, Claim Jayhawk Classic Title

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The 20th-ranked Kansas volleyball team (9-1) finished off a perfect weekend on Saturday, sweeping Texas State (25-20, 25-17, 25-12) in the Jayhawk Classic at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

With the victory, the Jayhawks improved to 9-1 heading into Big 12 play, while Texas State fell to 7-4. The Jayhawks went 3-0 in tournament play and didn’t drop a set in three home matches against Texas State, Bellarmine and New Hampshire.

Texas State was held to just .083 hitting in Saturday’s match, compared to Kansas’ .360 on the day. Juniors Ayah Elnady and London Davis tag-teamed the leaderboard in the kills column with 13 apiece, while Caroline Bien led the way with 13 total digs. Junior Camryn Turner led the way in assists with 35. 

The visiting Bobcats put up a solid fight in the first and put some pressure on the Jayhawks at various points during the set. Trailing 14-9, Texas State went on a 5-0 run to tie the score at 14. But KU answered back with a kill by Elnady, followed by a block from Turner and Toyosi Onabanjo, and then another Elnady kill to push ahead 17-14. From there, the momentum remained in Kansas’ favor. The Jayhawks led from there and capped first with a kill from Davis.

The Jayhawks stayed hot in the second set and opened up on a 7-0 run with Bien at the line. The Bobcats won the next two points, but Kansas continued to dominate throughout the duration of the second set. The Jayhawks led by seven at seven different points throughout the set and then stretched it to eight –their largest lead of the set– at 24-16. Reagan Cooper capped the set with a kill. Davis and Cooper both registered above .500 attacking percentages, with Davis hitting .529 and Cooper .545 after two sets of play.

The Jayhawks cruised through the third and final set, once leading 22-9. Sophomore Rhian Swanson was active in the set, with four kills on four attempts, hitting 1.000 in a single rotation during her time on the court. Swanson finished off the match with a kill to clinch the match and the tournament title for the hosts.

Cooper finished with seven kills and surpassed 100 kills as a Jayhawk, ending the day with 103 kills so far in a Kansas uniform. Sophomore Katie Dalton also earned a new season-high five assists in the win. Reagan Burns finished with 10 digs for the Jayhawks. 

UP NEXT

The Jayhawks will begin their Big 12 schedule next weekend in Lubbock Texas, taking on the Texas Tech Red Raiders on both September 22-23.