There’s a rebellious spirit in Kansas University’s volleyball team.
Told too many times in past years they were not good enough to win in the Big 12, much less contend for an NCAA berth, the Jayhawks took a major stab at the conference hierarchy Wednesday.
KU outlasted Colorado 6-15, 15-6, 15-12, 4-15, 16-14 Wednesday night at Horejsi Center in the conference opener for both teams.
In the process, KU ran its record to 9-0, its best start ever.
“We’re taking the attitude that people don’t expect us to win,” senior Nancy Bell said after recording 18 kills and 15 digs. “Let’s prove people wrong.”
After the match ended on a Colorado net violation, Kansas players celebrated their first victory over the Buffaloes since 1987.
“This is very special,” Bell said. “We hadn’t beaten Colorado since I’ve been here, and it’s something we always wanted to do.”
When it was all over, the injuries began to set in. Senior Amy Myatt, who was all over the court in amassing a game-high 22 kills, was given an ice bag for her right shoulder.
“I’ll be fine,” Myatt said.
So will Bell, who is suffering from sore legs from jumping … and a sore mouth.
“I can’t stop smiling,” Bell said.
KU played inconsistent at times but was never dull. After a flat start in the first game, including a final attack percentage of -.016, Kansas jumped to quick leads in the next two games before Kansas finally realized that it could win.
That did not help.
“I think we kind of realized we could win this match, and we started to feel some pressure,” Bell said.
And what pressure it was.
Kansas all but conceded the fourth game after falling behind, 8-0. Instead of trying to recover to win, Kansas tried to gather itself for the inevitable final game.
“That’s very tough when you give up a game like that when you know you can play better,” Bell said. “But we had to get something going before the final game.”
Kansas never trailed in the rubber match, but withstood four ties. A Colorado ace tied the game at 10, and Kansas gained leads of 13-11 and 14-13 before clinching the win with a Myatt kill and the net violation.
Sure, those first eight wins were nice. But if Kansas is to make a serious run at the postseason, coach Ray Bechard knows how the Jayhawks’ bread is buttered.
“We don’t want to discredit the preseason,” Bechard said. “But we earn our living based on what we do in the conference.”
