KU volleyball team to serve as host for NCAAs; Jayhawks meet Omaha on Thursday night
The University of Kansas volleyball team will play host to first- and second-round NCAA Tournament matches on Thursday and Friday at the Jayhawks’ Horejsi Center.
The Jayhawks (23-5) finished in sole possession of second place in the Big 12 Conference with a 14-4 record. As the No. 4 seed in the Wisconsin quarter, KU will meet Omaha (15-13) at 7 p.m. Thursday in a first-round match at Horejsi Center, where the Jayhawks boast a 14-match winning streak.
The KU-Omaha winner will face the winner of No. 5 seed Penn State and Yale at 5:30 p.m. Friday for a spot in the Sweet 16. Penn State and Yale will meet at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the first round at Horejsi.
KU’s men’s basketball team has a home game vs. UConn at 8 p.m. Friday in Lawrence.
Wisconsin, ranked No. 5 in the country in the most recent AVCA Top 25 poll, is the No. 1 seed in the Wisconsin Quarter. Oregon is the No. 2 seed, followed by No. 3 seed Purdue and No. 4 seed Kansas. KU is the country’s No. 15-ranked team in the AVCA poll.
KU defeated Omaha in straight sets in August in Omaha. KU went on to win 14 matches in Big 12 play, the most league victories for the program since the Jayhawks won 15 and their first-ever Big 12 title in 2016.
KU went 14-1 at home during the 2023 regular season, including a 9-0 mark against Big 12 competition. Kansas went 3-0 ten times during home matches this season.
KU’s 14-match winning streak at Horejsi is the sixth-longest active home winning streak in NCAA Division 1. The team’s 14 home victories in a season are the most by the Jayhawks since they won 15 in 2015. And KU’s 14-match winning streak is the longest since the Jayhawks won 17 straight from Nov. 14, 2015 to Dec. 1, 2016.
This marks KU’s third straight appearance in the NCAAs. The tournament selection marks the 12th in program history. All 12 tournament appearances have been under coach Ray Bechard, the first in 2003.
Sunday’s selection marks the sixth time the Jayhawks have received a national seed. This is the first time Kansas has hosted at Horejsi since it was renovated before the 2019 season.
Kansas has hosted five previous times: twice at Allen Fieldhouse (2012, 2013); twice at Horejsi, prior to the renovation (2015, 2016); and once at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka (2014).
The NCAA Regionals will take place Dec. 7 and Dec. 9, with sites yet to be announced. The national semifinals will be Dec. 14 and the finals Dec. 17 in Tampa, Florida.
The Jayhawks have made 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, including each of the last two seasons. KU advanced to the 2021 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 and to the round of 32 last year. In 2015, the Jayhawks reached the Final Four.
Ticketing information for the first- and second-round matches in Lawrence will be released Monday. Here is a copy of the full NCAA Tournament bracket.
