The Kansas volleyball team completed its three-day run at the South Dakota Tournament in Vermillion, South Dakota, without dropping a set by sweeping Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday, Green Bay on Friday and the host Coyotes on Saturday.
The Jayhawks won the nine sets by an average margin of victory of 7.7 points and rarely found themselves in close battles after they escaped FGCU in extra points in the very first set of the event on Thursday. They beat Green Bay 25-21, 25-16, 25-14 and South Dakota 25-16, 25-16, 25-14.
The series of three victories boosted 17th-ranked KU to 6-4 overall on the season and also featured its first true road win after it had lost five-set matches to Wisconsin and Purdue in previous tournaments.
“In our previous two away matches, we struggled to manage our emotions, so it was great to see the growth in that area tonight,” head coach Matt Ulmer said in a press release on Saturday. “Our serving executed the game plan perfectly, which allowed our defense to really dial in.”
The Jayhawks tallied six service aces to just five errors in the finale against the Coyotes after committing 16 such errors a day earlier in the match against Green Bay.
Overall, the weekend featured several notable statistical performances. Sophomore outside hitter Grace Nelson set her career high with 18 kills against FGCU and replicated it immediately versus Green Bay, with an extremely efficient .593 hitting percentage against the Phoenix.
Sophomore middle blocker Reese Ptacek recorded 13 kills on just 18 attacks in the Green Bay match, which equaled the highest three-set total of her career; Ulmer said postgame that he was excited to see her connect with new setter Cristin Cline. Cline averaged a consistent 11.6 assists per set across the three matches.
Senior libero Ryan White recorded 27 digs, her highest total since she had 29 in a five-set match for Oregon State against Washington State on Oct. 29, 2023.
When Nelson was less effective against South Dakota, freshman opposite hitter Jovana Zelenović picked up the slack with 13 kills on .480 hitting. She also posted a pair of aces and six digs.
A couple of lesser-used Jayhawks made brief appearances. Pin hitter Kenzie Dean appeared in one set with two kills against Green Bay, which was her first action since the season opener against Vanderbilt on Aug. 23. Defensive specialist Heidi Devers played in two of the three matches, while pin hitter Selena Leban recorded four kills in the third after sitting out the first two.
KU is drawing closer to its belated home opener on Sept. 26, but first it will make the short drive to Wichita to take on Wichita State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Shockers are 6-2 after sweeping three matches in a tournament at Tennessee Tech.
