With three top-25 teams on the horizon, the Kansas volleyball team may face a bumpy road in the next couple weeks.
The Jayhawks start the stretch at 7 p.m. tonight against the No. 5 Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln, Neb. Kansas enters the game off a 3-0 victory Saturday against Baylor. The game ended a two-match losing streak.
Kansas will continue its tough schedule against Missouri on Saturday and then against K-state a week from today.
“We knew the Baylor match would be a last chance for a deep breath for the last four matches that includes the top three teams in the conference,” coach Ray Bechard said. “The win was critical not only in the standings, but with a little bit of momentum, now we dig in and compete as hard as we can for the last couple of weeks.”
Kansas (18-7 overall, 9-7 Big 12 Conference) has not beaten Nebraska (24-1, 16-0) in the past 67 straight matches, and the Jayhawks have not taken a game from the Cornhuskers since 1998.
Nebraska also has a 66-match winning streak in the Big 12. The Cornhuskers have not lost at home since Sept. 22, 1999 when Kansas State won 3-2.
Kansas senior middle blocker Kylie Thomas of Sutherland, Neb., said she was excited to play at Nebraska because she would back to her home state and because fans created a dynamic atmosphere in the NU Coliseum.
“We can’t go in doubting ourselves. That only holds us back,” Thomas said. “So we just go in against a team like Nebraska, have as much fun and work as hard as we can.”
Nebraska leads the conference in hitting efficiency, opponent hitting percentage and blocks per game. Senior middle blocker Amber Holmquist and freshman middle blocker Melissa Elmer are first and second in the Big 12 in hitting efficiency. Holmquist, senior setter Greichaly Cepero and Elmer are the top three in the conference in blocks per game.
Bechard said the last two weeks of the season can build competitive muscle.
“As an underdog, it relieves pressure right there as we’re not expected to do much there,” Bechard said. “So any positives we can take out of it will be good.”
