The Kansas volleyball team, led by new head coach Matt Ulmer, was back on the floor at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena over the weekend, for an exhibition match against Washburn University that marked Ulmer's unofficial KU debut.
The stats and scores hardly mattered in this one, which featured a new-look roster and the first time competing in front of the home crowd for Ulmer's first Kansas team.
The exhibition clash at home was at the heart of a busy few days for news for Ulmer's club, with the release of the 2025 schedule, a few key dates and the announcement of KU's participation in a second early-season headliner of an event to kick things off.
Here's a look at some of the notable news to come from the program during the past week, along with some photos from the exhibition match against WU.
• As if opening the season at the AVCA First Serve event in Lincoln, Nebraska, against Vanderbilt (Aug. 23) and following that up with a match against perennial powerhouse Penn State in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Aug. 25), wasn't big enough, the Jayhawks announced that they'll be headed to Madison, Wisconsin, the following week to take on Wisconsin and Creighton at the Opening Spike Classic. Ulmer's first Kansas team will be tested right away in a couple of hostile environments.
• Speaking of hostile environments, the Jayhawks will be on the road for the entirety of their non-conference slate, playing at the Purdue Tournament, the South Dakota Tournament, the Omaha Tournament and a single match at Wichita State throughout September. KU's first home match arrives on Sept. 26, when the Jayhawks open Big 12 Conference play against Arizona State at Horejsi.
• As usual, KU's Big 12 slate will feature 18 tough matches against high-level competition, but there's one match that jumps out off of the schedule set for Oct. 24 in Lawrence. That's the day they'll play host to Kansas State and, in addition to it being big for the Sunflower Showdown element, this particular KU-K-State clash is big because it will be played in Allen Fieldhouse instead of the Jayhawks' home volleyball gym. "The fan support for Kansas volleyball continues to grow," Ulmer said in a release announcing the Allen Fieldhouse matchup with the Wildcats. "We are thankful that Kansas State has agreed to compete with us in Allen Fieldhouse to showcase just how large that support is. There's no doubt in my mind that we can let the country know that Kansas volleyball is looking to compete at an elite level in every way."
Scenes from KU's recent spring showdown vs. Washburn
- Photos by Chance Parker •
— For tickets to all KU athletic events, visit kuathletics.com
