🏐 Volleyball Hosts Lipscomb, UCF and Omaha for Jayhawk Classic
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The No. 23 Kansas volleyball team will play in one more tournament before heading into Big 12 play. The Jayhawks will host Lipscomb, UCF and Omaha on September 15-17 in Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena for the Jayhawk Classic.
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.
Quick Hits
- On September 12, the AVCA Coaches Poll was announced and the Jayhawks were ranked No. 23.
- Kansas is one of three Big 12 schools ranked in the AVCA Coaches Poll. No. 1 Texas and No. 14 Baylor also find themselves in the rankings.
- In the Big 12 standings, KU finds themselves second overall.
- Out of the first nine matches in the 2022 season, the Jayhawks have only dropped one match, falling 3-1 against UNLV on September 9 at the Kansas Invitational.
- The Jayhawks recently competed in the Kansas Invitational on September 8-9 after playing at Kansas City on September 7.
- At the conclusion of the match between Kansas and Omaha on September 17, alumni Ainise Havili and Kelsie Payne will be recognized with a jersey retirement ceremony. The recognition is the first jersey retirement in Kansas volleyball program history.
- All three matches of the Jayhawk Classic will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
- Super-senior Rachel Langs finds herself third in the conference in blocks with 36 total blocks.
- Sophomore Camryn Turner was a member of the all-tournament team for both the Utah Classic and Black Knights Invitational.
Killin’ it with Caroline Bien
In nine matches thus far in the 2022 campaign, sophomore Caroline Bien leads the Jayhawks in kills with 97, 3.23 per set and hitting .221. Bien recorded her first double-double of the season against Wichita State, as the Overland Park, Kansas native collected 11 kills and 10 digs in three sets. Bien has recorded 16 kills in two different matches, Utah and UNLV for a season high. Six out of nine matches, Bien had five or less errors, twice only having two attack errors. As of September 13, Bien is ranked ninth in the Big 12 with 97 kills, the only Kansas representative on the top 10 list.
Dueling Dooley
Graduate transfer Lauren Dooley has made a splash in her first season as a Kansas Jayhawk. Dooley finds herself third in the conference in hitting percentage at .434. The Plano, Texas native has 54 kills on 108 attempts with only nine errors. Dooley is also ranked seventh in blocks for the Big 12 with 35 total blocks, three solos, 32 assists and averaging 1.17 blocks per set. Currently having 54 kills, Dooley is also averaging 2.43 kills per set.
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.
Up Next
The Jayhawks will kick off Big 12 Conference play on September 21 against No. 1 Texas in Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena at 8 p.m. CT. The match will also be televised on ESPNU. Following the match up between No. 23 Kansas and No. 1 Texas, KU will travel down the road to Manhattan, Kansas and take on in-state rival Kansas State in Bramlage Coliseum at 4 p.m. CT.
