No. 17 Kansas Overpowers South Dakota State, 3-0
LAWRENCE, Kan. – No. 17 Kansas Volleyball swept South Dakota State, 3-0 (25-15, 25-9, 25-13), to continue its dominant start to the season in the Jayhawk Classic opener on Friday afternoon at Horejsi Family Athletics Center. The Jayhawks set a program-record .540 attack percentage to improve to 10-0, which ties a program record for the longest winning streak to start a season in program history, originally set in 2001.
“Our .540 hitting efficiency is a very high number,” Head Coach Ray Bechard said. “I thought we played with the type of tempo and level we wanted to play at. It’s a good start but we know the work for the weekend is still ahead of us, including tonight against Gonzaga.”
Sophomore outside hitter Madison Rigdon set the tone early and often, posting a career-high 16 kills on a .560 attack percentage. Sophomore right-side hitter Kelsie Payne amassed 10 kills on a .421 clip with three blocks.
The nation’s leader in assists per set, sophomore setter Ainise Havili, finished with 32 assists and three kills on three swings. Junior Maggie Anderson subbed in as the main setter for the Jayhawks midway through the second and third sets on the way to a career-high 10 assists.
Kansas and South Dakota State played to a 7-7 tie in the first set before the Jayhawks pulled away with a 7-1 run and won the first set, 25-15.
KU’s 25-9 second-set victory was one of the most dominant sets in recent history. The Jayhawks started the set on a 13-2 run and ended up registering 15 kills on 17 swings with no attacking errors, good for an astounding .882 second-set hitting percentage. The KU defense held South Dakota State to just four kills on a -.150 clip, bringing the hitting percentage margin to +1.032 in favor of the Jayhawks.
Kansas picked up where it left off by jumping out to a 16-3 lead in the third set. KU clinched its historic 10th consecutive win with a 25-13 third-set victory.
South Dakota State (1-13) was led by an efficient five kills on a .455 attack percentage from Wagner Larson.
UP NEXT
Kansas plays its second match of the Jayhawk Classic against Gonzaga on Friday night at 6:30 p.m.
NOTES
• KU’s 10-0 record is now tied for the best start to a season in program history with Coach Ray Bechard’s 2001 squad.
• Kansas set a program-record .540 hitting percentage in a match (53k-6e-87a).
• Kansas improves its set record to a Big 12 Conference-best 24-2 (.923).
• Kansas did not record an attacking error in the second set (.882; 15k-0e-17a). It is KU’s first set with no attacking errors since going errorless (.407; 11k-0e-27a) in the fifth set against Oklahoma on Nov. 29, 2014.
• Sophomore outside hitter Madison Rigdon led KU with a season-high 16 kills on a .560 attack percentage.
• Senior outside hitter Tiana Dockery posted a season-high .538 attack percentage (7k-0e-13a).
• Junior middle blocker Tayler Soucie recorded a career-high .710 attack percentage (7k-0e-10a).
• Junior setter Maggie Anderson recorded a career-high 10 assists.
• 13 Jayhawks participated in Friday’s match, tying a season high for the third time.
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