Photo courtesy of Kansas AthleticsThe Kansas volleyball team responded to the disappointment of a five-set loss to No. 1 Texas on Wednesday night by winning a five-set thriller on the road against their in-state rivals a few days later.
In their first Big 12 road match of the season, the Jayhawks knocked off Kansas State 25-19, 25-23, 20-25, 20-25 and 15-7 on Saturday, following a similar script as the one that played out against the Longhorns, but getting it done in the fifth set this time around.
KU also won the first two sets against Texas in Lawrence on Wednesday before falling in the next three sets to lose the match. Sets 3 and 4 were competitive in Manhattan, but K-State found a way to win both to force the decisive fifth set.
The Jayhawks jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the fifth and that paved the way for them to cruise to the stress-free, five-set victory.
“Our blocking was more organized and pretty error-free in that fifth set,” KU coach Ray Bechard said after the win. “We built a little lead in the fifth set and I think that relaxed us and gave us a little more confidence.”
The win improved KU to 11-3 overall and 1-1 in Big 12 play. K-State fell to 9-5 and 0-1.
Sophomore London Davis led the Kansas offense with a career-high 21 kills, hitting .647 for the match. Fellow-sophomore Camryn Turner recorded a double-double with 41 assists and 16 digs. And junior Kennedy Farris also delivered a double-double for the Jayhawks, recording 17 digs and 11 assists.
Next up, Kansas will travel to Norman, Oklahoma, to take on the Sooners at 6 p.m. Wednesday night.
