LAWRENCE, Kan. (KUAthletics.com) – Kansas Volleyball is set to host the Colgate Raiders in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday evening at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.
Kansas received the three seed in the Louisville Quarter and will play host to Colgate, NC State, and Florida. Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena will host the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year on Friday, as NC State will take on Florida at 4 p.m. CT, and Kansas and Colgate will follow, with first serve set for 6:30 p.m. CT
“It’s a great honor and privilege to host,” said Kansas Head Coach Ray Bechard. “It speaks to the type of year that this team has had, and the amount of work that the staff has put in. We really look forward to having three really quality teams coming to Lawrence.”
Kansas has made the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year, and this year the Jayhawks come into the tournament with a 24-4 record, with a 15-3 mark in conference play. The Jayhawks have five ranked wins this season, and eight wins over teams that made the 2024 bracket.
The Jayhawks feature a high-powered offense, anchored by seniors Camryn Turner, Caroline Bien, London Davis, Ayah Elnady, and Toyosi Onabanjo. On defense, Kansas is led by the tandem of senior Bryn McGehe and sophomore Reagan Burns who have the Jayhawks second in the Big 12 in digs per set with 16.44.
Colgate comes into their fourth straight NCAA Tournament after winning their fourth consecutive Patriot League title. The Raiders ended their 2024 campaign winners of seven in a row, and 12 of their last 13 matches. Colgate also features a high-powered offense behind Milan Bayless and Abby Shadwick, as the tandem both found themselves in the top five in hitting percentage in the Patriot League.
Kansas and Colgate have already met once this season at Cameron Indoor Arena as a part of the Duke Tournament on September 1st. The Jayhawks used 12 kills from Elnady, and nine kills from Davis to cruise past the Raiders in a 3-0 sweep. The early season matchup in 2024 is the only time the two teams have met in volleyball.
HOW TO FOLLOW:
Friday’s matches will be streamed on ESPN+ with Leif Lisec (play-by-play) and Jill Dorsey-Hall (color analyst) on the call. Fans can also follow along through the Live Stats link, as well as the Kansas Volleyball X Account for live updates through the match.
