The Kansas University volleyball team is headed to the program’s first ever Final Four, next week in Omaha, thanks to a thrilling five-set victory over top seed USC on Saturday night in San Diego.
After winning the first two sets with some elite volleyball, the Jayhawks fell flat in sets 3 and 4 and needed a wild comeback to pull out set 5. Trailing 13-9 in the fifth and decisive set, KU ripped off six straight points to stun USC and take the match.
The Jayhawks now will play fourth-seeded Nebraska in Omaha on Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. central time. The winner advances to the national title match to face the winner of the Texas-Minnesota showdown.
Be sure to check out KUsports.com throughout the upcoming week for all kinds of KU volleyball coverage.
For now, here’s a quick look at some highlights and interviews from San Diego.
A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.