Kansas University’s volleyball team disposed of Iowa State in four sets on Wednesday in Ames, then picked up some food at famed Hickory Park Restaurant to devour on the four-hour bus ride home.
The Jayhawks (21-1, 9-1)- who that evening moved into a tie for first place in the Big 12 with Texas (19-2, 9-1) thanks in part to TCU’s shocking victory over the Longhorns — pulled into Lawrence in the early-morning hours about to face a busy stretch that culminated with Saturday morning’s 3-0 rout of Baylor.
“The thing I was most proud of … obviously, we got a good result Wednesday at Iowa State. We got back at 1 in the morning, but on Thursday these guys were ready to practice. We got better Thursday and Friday. I thought that showed today, how we responded on a pretty quick turnaround — to show up at 11:30 this morning and really play well,” coach Ray Bechard said after KU’s 25-15, 25-9, 25-16 bruising of the Bears.
The Iowa State match was KU’s first since a 3-0 loss to Texas in Austin.
“I think everybody took care of themselves really well. They got back and went to bed, took care of their bodies, did what they needed to,” said KU senior Anna Church, who had five digs and three assists Saturday before the usual sellout crowd in Horejsi Center.
“Even though we were tired, we did our job in practice and got better,” noted sophomore Madison Ridgon, who had 10 kills and six digs on a day Kelsie Payne, Tiana Dockery, Tayler Soucie, Janae Hall, Ashlyn Driscoll and Ainise Havili had 11, 8, 7, 6, 4 and 3 kills respectively. Havili had 39 assists vs. Baylor (14-9, 2-7).
Sleep deprived or not, the Jayhawks head into the final portion of the Big 12 slate awfully enthused about remaining in the hunt for a Big 12 title.
“Wednesday was a huge night for us,” Bechard said, “from the standpoint we fought hard to beat a good team on the road (3-1 vs. ISU), and obviously if you look at the standings, it was a favorable result for us. I think that kind of re-energized us. They (Jayhawks) weren’t sure anybody else was going to be able to get Texas. TCU played a great match. There’s still a lot of volleyball ahead of us, but we’re kind of back in control of our own destiny to some degree.”
KU travels to Oklahoma on Saturday, then plays host to Texas on Nov. 11 and TCU on Nov. 14.
“We’ve got to take it one step at a time. Oklahoma (8-13, 2-7) comes first,” Church said. “I think we definitely got a break with TCU beating Texas, and it’s giving us a good chance to go out and take the lead. That’s what we’re aiming for.”
“Exciting … it’s interesting,” Rigdon chimed in, when asked about the Big 12 race. “Texas will be incredibly exciting. Oklahoma will, too.”
Church, by the way, is in a unique position this season, having transferred from St. Louis U. to KU for her final season of eligibility.
“I’ve learned a lot about this team,” she said, noting, “I’m very lucky to be here. It’s really about everybody on the team, not just about the individuals. It’s really a team effort, which I saw from Day One when I got here in January. It was amazing to see … the work ethic and effort everybody puts in every day is amazing.”
Even after long bus rides and short nights after road matches like Wednesday.