James Madden | jamesmadden168@ku.edu
No. 9 Kansas Volleyball defeated Houston in four sets on Friday evening, to improve their Big 12 record to 2-0.
Kansas senior setter Camryn Turner continued her prolonged success with another phenomenal performance, tallying a match-high 43 assists for the Jayhawks. Senior middle blocker Toyosi Onabanjo recorded a match-high 13 kills, with senior opposite hitter London Davis following her lead, finishing with 11 kills.
Kansas was off to a rocky start during Friday’s match, losing the first set 25-22, allowing a 6-1 Houston scoring run to finish the set, which was finished by a kill from senior outside hitter Angela Grieve.
The Jayhawks dominated the second set, defeating Houston 25-14. Kansas opened the set on a 4-1 scoring run, courtesy of a kill from senior outside hitter Ayah Elnady and multiple attack errors from the Cougars. Later in the second set, continuing the momentum she created, Elnady recorded consecutive aces, improving the Jayhawks’ lead to 22-13. Kansas closed the second set with freshman middle blocker Zoey Burgess blocking an attempt from Houston redshirt- freshman outside hitter Ashlyn Bellamy.
Kansas enjoyed similar fortunes in the third set, dominating Houston once again, winning 25-17. Zoey Burgess opened the attack of the Jayhawks, recording consecutive kills to even the score at 2-2. Kansas broke free midway through the set, thanks to multiple kills from Toyosi Onabanjo. The Jayhawks clinched the victory in the third set following a service error by Houston.
The fourth set was Kansas’ toughest test of the evening. The Jayhawks defeated Houston, 26-24, clinching the victory over the Cougars. Houston led 22-20, before a 3-0 Kansas scoring run, led by kills from junior outside hitter Rhian Swanson and senior outside hitter Caroline Bien. In a set where both teams traded runs, Caroline Bien polished off her impressive outing with consecutive kills, to secure a Kansas victory.
As a team, Kansas recorded a .281 hitting percentage, with Toyosi Onabanjo recording a team-high .545 hitting percentage, adding to her formidable performance.
The Jayhawks improved to an overall record of 11-1 while opening Big 12 play 2-0.
Kansas will return to the court on Oct. 3, when they travel to Boulder, Colo., and face Colorado at 8 p.m. CDT. This match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Photo: Lily Webb, KJHK Sports Photography