Jayhawks Report to Campus, Open Camp Aug. 10
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Families and staff joined the Kansas volleyball team at the annual Welcome Back Banquet to wrap up the Jayhawks’ reporting day Friday evening.
The Jayhawks, who kick off two weeks of two-a-day preseason camp on Saturday morning, spent their day checking out gear, meeting with the compliance office, taking team photos and hearing from each member of the support staff as they prepare to start the 2013 season.
Eleven returning letterwinners – including four starters and the libero – and five newcomers headed back to Lawrence to take care of business on Friday. Veteran head coach Ray Bechard, who enters his 16th season in 2013, led the meetings, while Kansas Athletics Director Dr. Sheahon Zenger also stopped in to address the team.
After the Jayhawks gathered to enjoy their first team dinner of 2013, Bechard spoke to the group, taking the opportunity to recognize his support and coaching staff. Bechard then turned his attention to the parents, thanking them in advance for supporting their daughters through the journey of Division I volleyball.
Voted to finish third in the 2013 Big 12 Conference Preseason Poll, Kansas returns more than 80 percent of its offense from a record-setting 2012 team. Last fall’s squad saw the Jayhawks finish the season ranked No. 25 on the final AVCA poll and post the highest winning percentage for a season in program history. The Jayhawks went 26-7 overall and 12-4 in the league standings for a third-place finish, their highest in the Big 12 era. Earning the first national seed in the NCAA Tournament at No. 11, Kansas hosted the first and second rounds inside Allen Fieldhouse and was supported by the highest attendance of any NCAA regional host site.
KU volleyball’s first All-American, redshirt senior middle blocker Caroline Jarmoc, will lead the eight-member senior class. The veteran class also includes the 2012 Big 12’s assists leader in setter Erin McNorton and KU’s all-time digs leader in libero Brianne Riley. All-Big 12 First Team honoree, junior outside hitter Sara McClinton, and sophomore outside hitter Tiana Dockery, an All-Big 12 Freshman Team member in 2012, also return as the Jayhawks look to raise expectations again in 2013.
UP NEXT
Fans can get their first look at the 2013 edition of the Jayhawks at the Crimson and Blue Match, Saturday, Aug. 24 at 1 p.m. Fans are invited to attend free of charge. Kansas officially opens the season on Friday, Aug. 30 against Central Arkansas at 1 p.m. in the first match of the Arizona Invitational in Tucson, Ariz.
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