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Dominating.
That's the best way to describe the way the KU women's volleyball team has played so far this season. They're unbeaten at 12-0. They have only lost three sets to this point. (That means they've won 36 of 39 possible sets.) They have yet to play in a five-set match. After receiving votes in the preseason, KU is now ranked #15 in the AVCA coaches poll. They've swept the only two teams they've faced that are ranked in the top-40 (by means of counting the receiving vote getters in the poll). KU is also 6-0 against teams in the top-100 of the RPI.
But now, the real test begins. The Jayhawks didn't face the murderer's row in non-conference this year the way they did last year. But it was still a respectable slate, and KU cruised through it.
The Jayhawks are talented, they are deep, but they are also still young. Texas still rules the roost in the Big 12, but if they underestimate KU this year, the Jayhawks have the ability to spring the upset.
However, the Jayhawks are still prone to mental errors and lack of focus, as evidenced by dropping sets to the likes of Northern Colorado and Gonzaga. (While Gonzaga is decent and a likely tournament team, KU still has no excuse for dropping a set to them.) This could rear its head again in conference play, as Big 12 competition will be good enough to take advantage if Kansas isn't focused. While I still fully expect Kansas to finish solidly in second place (behind #2-ranked Texas), Kansas State, Iowa State, and Oklahoma are all capable of surprising KU with an upset.
I'll stick with my preseason prediction of a second-place Big 12 finish and a national seed in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament and officially predict a 13-3 conference record.
Conference play opens up Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM in the Horesji Athletic Center on the beautiful campus of the University of Kansas as the Jayhawks welcome in Kansas State. Remember, you can catch all home games on ESPN3, and you can listen in online to every game for free at KUAthletics.com/radio.