Kansas Sprints By Baylor in Three Sets
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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Redshirt senior Caroline Jarmoc moved to second all-time on the Big 12 career solo blocks list as the Kansas volleyball team swept Baylor in record time, 25-14, 25-13, 25-13, Wednesday evening inside the Horejsi Family Athletics Center.
Jarmoc filled up the stat sheet with a match-high 14 kills, a season-best .650 attack percentage and added on six of the Jayhawks’ 10 blocks, including the two solos that moved her up the conference chart. It powered the one-hour, 12-minute sweep in which Kansas (17-5, 7-2) posted a .451 attack percentage, while holding Baylor (11-14, 3-6) to a mere .088. An impressive combination as the Jayhawks surpassed the .450 team attack percentage mark for the second time in 2013 and held an opponent under a .100 hitting percentage for the third time this season.
“It’s been a while since we played and we weren’t happy with the last result,” head coach Ray Bechard said. “We wanted to bounce back and play well. I think we made Baylor feel us in all phases. From serving, to blocking, to attacking – that gets to be a little bit overwhelming if (the opponent) can’t find a phase of the game that’s clicking at a high level.”
Freshman middle blocker Tayler Soucie was the only other player in the match to record double digit kills with 10, while hitting .562 overall and coming in second in the match with four blocks. Senior Setter Erin McNorton set up the Jayhawks offensively on the evening with 30 assists, to push her past the 1,000-assist mark for the second-straight season. Meanwhile senior libero Brianne Riley led the floor with 12 digs during the quick evening.
Baylor struggled on both sides of the net as no Bear recorded double-digit kills or more than six digs. The Bears were also out-blocked 10-2 on the night. Senior outside hitter Zoe Adom led the Bears offensively with nine kills, but the Jayhawk defense held her to a .185 hitting percentage in the match.
Kansas opened the night on fire on the defensive side of the net. Consecutive blocks kicked off the match as Soucie and redshirt senior Catherine Carmichael sent back a Baylor attack. On the following point Jarmoc, KU’s all-time career blocks leader posted a solo block to jump the Jayhawks ahead 2-0. It looked like it was going to be a match where the Kansas defense was going to carry the team, as Kansas had only one kill through the first six points, until Baylor used a timeout.
The Bears weren’t able string anything together as the Kansas offense woke up took control of the set with three kills from Jarmoc, two from junior outside hitter Sara McClinton and one apiece from Soucie and junior outside hitter Chelsea Albers. Baylor was forced to use another timeout trailing by 11, 17-6 midway through the set to try to regroup.
When it looked like the Jayhawks were going to run away with the set late, the Bears were able to climb back in with a 3-0 run to cut the KU lead 22-13, but the Kansas offense came back alive on a kill from McClinton, followed by a service ace from senior setter Erin McNorton to get to set point 24-13. After a Baylor point, Soucie put an end to the first set with her second kill as Jarmoc’s seven kills and .600 attack percentage led the team to a .432 hitting percentage on the offensive side, while out-blocking Baylor 4-1.
Baylor found a rhythm offensively in the second set and battled the Jayhawks throughout. With Kansas leading 10-8, a block from Albers and Soucie gave the Jayhawks a three-point advantage. Errors by the Bears on three of the next four points gave KU some breathing room up 14-9 going into a Baylor timeout. Kansas responded out of the pause with a kill from Carmichael followed by a service ace from redshirt freshman setter Maggie Anderson to go ahead 16-9 in the midst of a 4-0 run. Late in the set with Kansas up 20-12, the Jayhawks reeled off another 4-0 run, this time on a kill from Soucie, another Baylor error, an Albers kill and the second service ace of the night for McNorton to give KU a 24-12 lead. McClinton finished off the Bears with her third kill of the set, good enough to give the Jayhawks a 25-13 win in the set and a 2-0 advantage in the match heading into the break.
Not even the 10-minute intermission could slow down Kansas as the team scored five-straight points to open the set on back-to-back kills from Carmichael. Riley served an ace, followed by another block for Jarmoc. Jarmoc scored four of the team’s nine points early with two kills and an ace to go along with her block from earlier in the set.
Although Baylor kept clawing back, cutting KU’s advantage to 13-9, the Bears would get no closer. In a flash Kansas went on a 5-0 run and went ahead 18-13, coming off of a McNorton kill, a pair of blocks and kills from Jarmoc and Carmichael. The 5-0 run was all the Jayhawks needed to finish off Baylor, as they went on to win the set 25-15 and end the night with a 3-0 sweep.
Notes
– Senior libero Brianne Riley‘s 12 digs moved her closer to sixth all-time on the Big 12 Conference’s career digs list (1,884), chasing former Missouri standout Tatum Ailes (1,997; 2004-07).
– Riley now has double-digit digs in 48-consecutive matches.
– Redshirt senior middle blocker Caroline Jarmoc‘s 1,223 kills rank sixth all-time for career kills at Kansas. That number is second-most among current Big 12 players. She trails fellow senior Kaitlynn Pelger from Kansas State (1,422).
– Jarmoc’s two solo blocks tied her with former Texas A&M standout Amber Woosley for second all-time on the Big 12 career list. Former Longhorn and current Team USA player, Destinee Hooker, holds the conference record with 132.
– Jarmoc’s six total blocks increased her status as KU’s all-time blocks leader (522).
UP NEXT
Kansas will head back to Texas for a Saturday matinee at TCU. First serve is set for noon
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