KU’s volleyball arena is sold out for upcoming NCAA matches; Jayhawks open vs. Omaha
It took all of one minute — 60 short seconds — for Kansas’ athletic department to sell out Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena for upcoming first- and second-round NCAA Tournament matches to be contested Thursday and Friday in the building adjacent to Allen Fieldhouse.
“Can’t say I’m surprised by this,” KU coach Ray Bechard wrote Monday on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.
KU’s fans have embraced the opportunity to see one of the best teams in school history one or two more times at home. The building capacity is listed at 2,265 according to the KU Athletics website.
The Jayhawks (23-5 overall, 14-4 Big 12) will take on Omaha (15-13) in a first-round NCAA match at 7 p.m. Thursday at Horejsi Center, where the No. 4 seed Jayhawks boast a 14-match winning streak.
The winner of that match will face the winner of No. 5 seed Penn State (21-8) and Yale (21-3) 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 at Horejsi.
Wisconsin, ranked No. 5 in the country in the most recent AVCA Top 25, 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 defeated Omaha in straight sets in August in Omaha.
“It’s been a good year. We won 14 conference matches. We’ve only done that one other time,” Bechard said. In fact the 2015-16 Jayhawks, who reached the NCAA Final Four, went 14-2 in the league and 30-3 overall.
“We look back on teams (at) the totality of their season. The NCAA Tournament is a big piece of that,” Bechard, now in his 26th year at KU, added.
The 2023-24 Jayhawks possess the third best winning percentage (.821) in school history. The 2015-16 team had a .909 mark. The 2016-17 squad, which had a .900 mark, placed first in the conference, then fell in the second round of the postseason tourney.
KU’s 23 wins tie for sixth all-time since 1983.
“Let’s get some work done in the NCAA Tournament and we can have some conversations about this group,” Bechard said, when asked by a media member Monday if this team could be considered one of the best in school history.
“(Going) 23-5 in a really good league and really good nonconference schedule speaks to where we are at. We want to add some value and some energy to this season by the way we finish,” Bechard added.
Last season, the Jayhawks defeated Miami (Florida) then lost to Nebraska in NCAA Tournament matches in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 2021-22, KU beat Oregon and Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska, then lost to Pitt in the Sweet 16 in Pennsylvania.
In 2017-18, KU lost to Missouri in a first-round match in Wichita. The Jayhawks last hosted postseason matches in 2016-17. KU beat Samford and lost to Creighton that year.
“I told the team an interesting story last night. I had to change my password on one of my accounts this summer. I used up all the vernacular within volleyball and all this. I said, ‘Let’s make it (password): ‘Let’s host.’ That was my login,” Bechard added.
“We talked last spring to our team. I said, ‘Are you guys tired of going on the road the first round of the of NCAA Tournament and playing Nebraska at Nebraska or Creighton at Creighton or Pitt at Pitt?’ I said, ‘Let’s commit to some little things this spring and summer to where maybe we don’t have to go play a really good team on the road. We’ll play some good teams at Horejsi.’”
Bechard said he’s reminded of that goal every day he logs in to his computer.
“That isn’t my checking account (password) or anything,” Bechard joked, “but that kind of drove me and our staff about: What are the small margins we need to take care of to make that happen? It doesn’t guarantee anything, but it’s certainly nice to sleep in your own bed and play on your home court. We’re excited about that.”
The Jayhawks are led in kills by junior Ayah Elnady (353), followed by Texas Tech transfer Reagan Cooper (323), junior London Davis (285) and junior Toyosi Onabanjo (196). Freshman Raegan Burns has a team-leading 352 digs.
Junior Camryn Turner (311 digs, 1,103 assists, 78 kills), is one of the top setters in the country. Junior Caroline Bien has 260 digs and 82 kills. Senior Mykayla Myers has 78 kills and sophomore Katie Dalton 201 digs.
Needless to say the players would love to reward their fans with two more home victories to close the home portion of the schedule with 16 straight match victories.
“We’ve still got to execute,” Bechard said. “Something in Horejsi creates a wave of momentum sometimes. Our team has adapted to that, and the crowd has really adopted this team in many ways. The way they play, how hard they play — they play with energy and enthusiasm. They play with competitive humility. That’s a huge piece of what this group does. There is a bonus playing in that facility, especially with this team and the way they drive on that.”
