Jayhawks Roll Past Mountaineers, Complete 2–0 Big 12 Road Trip

Saturday, November 1

Morgantown, W. Va.

12 p.m. CT

University of Kansas

17-8,8-3Big 12

West Virginia

14-8,2-8Big 12

Kansas

West Virginia

Jayhawks Roll Past Mountaineers, Complete 2–0 Big 12 Road Trip

11/1/2025 1:39:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Season Stats 11.1 Box Score (PDF) 25

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - The No. 14 Kansas Jayhawks completed a 2-0 weekend with a three-set victory over West Virginia Saturday afternoon at Hope Coliseum.
KU defeated the Mountaineers by scores of 25-16, 25-18, 25-17 to improve to 17-8 (8-3 Big 12) on the year, while WVU fell to 14-8 (2-8 Big 12).

Grace Nelson led the Jayhawks with 13 kills, while hitting .591 with zero attack errors. Rhian Swanson and Jovana Zelenovic added 11 kills apiece, while Reese Ptacek had 10 kills without a hitting error in addition to a team-high six blocks. Katie Dalton led KU with 45 assists and Ryan White paced the Jayhawks with 18 digs.

"That was our most complete offensive match of the year," said head coach Matt Ulmer. "Katie did a great job distributing the ball, and we got a big lift from Aisha. I'm hopeful these are habits the team can continue to build on for the rest of the season."

Kansas opened the first set strong, using early kills from Ptacek and Swanson to grab a 3–2 lead. A quick 4–0 run capped by kills from Dalton and Aisha Aiono extended the advantage to 6–2 as the Jayhawks set the tone early in Morgantown. Another kill by Nelson put KU ahead 12-6 and forced the Mountaineers to take a timeout. West Virginia tried to keep the frame close midway through, but Kansas' offense continued to click behind Nelson and Zelenovic, who each added key kills to push the lead to 17–12. Zelenovic then delivered back-to-back aces to make it 22–14, and the Jayhawks closed out the set 25–16 on a kill from Ptacek.

Kansas carried its momentum into the second set, trading early points before finding its rhythm at the net. Nelson and Zelenovic each tallied another set of kills to keep the score even at 2–2 before the Jayhawks started to separate behind steady execution from setter Dalton. Ptacek and Aiono added back-to-back kills to give Kansas a slight edge at 6–5, and a pair of blocks from Zelenovic and Ptacek extended the lead to 10–7. The Jayhawks were able to extend their lead 15-13 before the media timeout. Kansas continued to stay in control as Aiono and Nelson kept the offense flowing, combining to push the score to 17–13. After a short West Virginia push, the Jayhawks answered with an ace from White and a strong finish from Nelson to make it 20–15. Kansas closed out the set with efficient swings from Ptacek, Zelenovic, and Nelson before Ptacek and the front line sealed it with a block to take the frame, 25–18, and a 2–0 match lead.

The Jayhawks closed out the match in dominant fashion. Kansas opened strong, taking an early 7-3 lead, thanks to a series of attacks from Swanson and a block by Aiono and Ptacek. West Virginia called an early timeout to try and slow the momentum, but Kansas continued to roll. Dalton added an ace and connected with Swanson for multiple points as the Jayhawks pushed ahead 10-3. Kansas continued to control the pace, maintaining a steady rhythm on both sides of the ball. Zelenovic and Nelson contributed on the outside while the Jayhawks' block forced West Virginia into repeated errors. Nelson's ace and back-to-back blocks from Ptacek and Swanson extended the lead to 17–10, and Kansas continued to apply pressure at the net. The Mountaineers briefly cut into the deficit late, but Kansas' offense stayed composed. Zelenovic and Ptacek each tallied kills down the stretch before Nelson sealed the set, 25–17, giving Kansas its second straight Big 12 road sweep.

Up Next
Kansas will return home for another pair of Big 12 matchups, hosting Colorado on Nov. 6 before facing Cincinnati again on Nov. 8. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.