For the second year in a row, the Kansas volleyball team opened NCAA Tournament play on its home floor by defeating a team it had already beaten earlier in the season.
Behind a clockwork-like performance and some clutch play in key moments, the 3rd-seeded Jayhawks moved to 25-4 overall and into Saturday’s second round with a sweep of Colgate, 25-18, 25-23 and 25-22.
• PHOTO GALLERY FROM KU'S ROUND 1 WIN •
Kansas, which is hosting postseason action for the seventh time in 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, also swept Colgate earlier in the season at the Duke Tournament which opened the season – 25-19, 25-17, 25-15.
On Friday, KU led 21-13 in the final set and appeared to be on its way to cruising to an easy win. But Colgate showed a ton of fight and made it interesting down the stretch, inspiring CU coach Ryan Baker to swell with pride about his team’s effort despit the loss.
“They're such an efficient team,” Baker said. “I think they're one of the best ball-control teams left in the NCAA Tournament. They pass at an elite level and they dig at an elite level, and they frustrate you with that, and they start causing errors. That's been their story. I mean, we knew what we were in for, but you can know all you want about them, and you still have to execute in those moments.”
KU did more of that on Friday night, with Toyosi Onabanjo leading the way with 11 kills and an insane .733 hitting percentage. She also added 5 blocks.
KU (25-4) got 6 kills or more from five different players in this one — Onabanjo’s 11, Ayah Elnady, who won with her mom watching from the stands all the way from Egypt, with a team-high 12, London Davis with 8, Caroline Bien with 7 and freshman Reese Ptacek with 6.
Friday’s win sets up a big time second-round matchup with Florida, which swept NC State earlier in the day at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena, 25-18, 25-21 and 25-13.
The Gators finished third in the SEC this season, with an 11-5 conference record and an overall mark of 22-7.
The showdown will represent a significant challenge for Kansas, but it may not be quite as daunting as facing perennial Final Four contender Penn State in the second round at Horejsi last season.
KU lost that one in five thrilling sets, but if they’re able to get past Florida this year, they’ll be back in the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years. KU also reached the Sweet 16 in 2021, marking the third trip to Round 3 in program history.
There'll be plenty to play for and they're all tough at this time of the year, so KU coach Ray Bechard is expecting Saturday to feature some high-level volleyball with both sides presenting the other one with challenges and problems.
"At this time of year, it's a survive-and-advance mentality," Bechard said. "There's some things we did very well tonight, and there's some things that we'll need to clean up as we advance. ... But the Jayhawks (had) an aggressive mindset. We served well. Our transition offense was very good, and we had good balance offensively. So, we're excited about advancing to tomorrow night against the Florida Gators."
Here's a look back at some of Friday night's action.
• Let there be joy! – On paper, the Jayhawks did exactly what they were supposed to do, knocking off the lower seed on their home court in fairly quick fashion. But even with the program reaching the point recently where these types of experiences and results are expected, both senior setter Camryn Turner and senior middle blocker Toyosi Onabanjo said they still made sure to enjoy and appreciate what happened while in the moment. “We play our best when we’re having fun,” Onabanjo said. “So, before the games, we’re always like, ‘Have fun guys. I know it's a lot of pressure, but just enjoy what we're doing.’ And I think we went out and enjoyed it a lot.” That was before and during the match. There was a mild celebration afterwards, but then it was onto focusing on Florida. “Going to the tournament has kind of been expected these last couple years,” Turner said. “And so I think it is just kind of (important to) take a step back, like, we're in the tournament; e're one of 32 (teams left). So, it's just like, ‘Oh my goodness, this is good. This is fun. Yea, celebrate this. But then on to the next, as well.”
• Raegan Burns goes nuts – She’s done it all season — and really for the past two seasons — but it’s such a luxury and one the Jayhawks do not take for granted. In the first set alone, Burns saved three balls that likely would’ve been points for Colgate against anybody else. Diving stabs, quick hands and absolutely no fear led to the big digs, and Burns finished the night with 9 digs, 5 assists and just 1 error. Here’s the thing. It’s not just Burns who makes these kinds of saves. It’s engrained within the KU culture to make those types of hustle plays and sacrifice your body for the good of the team. Burns just makes them more consistently than anyone else, and most of hers — because of her tiny size — tend to wow you a little more.
• Red-hot starts – There was little doubt that Horejsi would be rocking when the ball went in the air on Friday night, but the Jayhawks gave the home fans even more reason to bring the noise right out of the gate with a 7-0 run to open Set No. 1. Senior Caroline Bien did a lot of the damage in that stretch from behind the service line, keeping the Raiders off balance and allowing her teammates to catch their rhythm on the attack. Colgate responded by scoring 8 of the next 10 points, but Kansas never lost control of the set. The Jayhawks opened the second set in similar fashion, building a smaller, 3-0 cushion before taking the set in dramatic fashion, 25-23, to go up 2-0 in the match. Colgate took the first point in Set 3, but that didn’t stop the Jayhawks from another hot start. KU led that one 9-3 en route to finishing off the sweep. KU middle Toyosi Onabanjo said the early leads gave KU a nice cushion with which to work, and KU coach Ray Bechard said the big key was how KU finished each set as much as how the Jayhawks started them.
• Freshman of the Year is a force – This is not new information. KU freshman Reese Ptacek has been an important part of the KU attack for the better part of two months. So much so, in fact, that earlier this week she was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year for her play in the middle. Her talent was on full display in this one, giving KU a big swing in the middle and keeping Colgate guessing about where senior setter Camryn Turner might go with the ball. When Ptacek got it, she usually buried it, finishing with 6 kills and 5 blocks. Turner called Ptacek “a baller” and said after the match that she’s ready for anything that comes her way. Never was that more clear on Friday night than when KU trailed 23-21 in the second set and went to Ptacek for a monster kill to pull KU back into the set.
• Youth is served... literally – It was the KU veterans who carried the program into Round 2 on Friday night, but it’s worth noting that four KU freshmen played in the match, gaining even the tiniest bit of NCAA Tournament experience that may very well help them in the future. Camryn Turner and Toyosi Onabanjo both said they felt like a “proud mom” watching the younger girls play on Friday night, and Onabanjo said any time that group goes in it feels a bit like passing the torch. Even though the younger group struggled to close out the third set, KU coach Ray Bechard praised them for their competitiveness day in and day out in creating a culture that elevates the play of KU’s first unit on a regular basis.
• Been there, done that – This all looked pretty old hat for the Kansas volleyball team, which hosted a pair of NCAA Tournament matches last season and has played in nearly 10 during the past four seasons. So, it makes some sense that the Jayhawks looked pretty comfortable out there on Friday night, before, during and after the match. Still, this is the NCAA Tournament and an off night will send you home. But even when Kansas trailed 21-17 late in the second set, you sensed no panic from the home team. They truly looked like they were able to treat this just like any other match and a big reason for that is because of the focus that they bring to everything they do and have for the past 4+ years.
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