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It was a much-hyped Top 15 matchup, as #9 Kansas was scheduled to face off against #13 Kentucky in the first home match for the Jayhawks. Right after the first set, the new poll was released, and Kansas moved up.
Mid-match @AVCAVolleyball Coaches Poll update:#KUvball moves up to #7
— Kansas Volleyball (@KUVolleyball) September 4, 2017
Kentucky remains at #13
This match ended with a Kansas sweep, but it never felt like that was a forgone conclusion, with Kentucky playing well and keeping it close in each set until the end.
Once again, a big thanks to our friends over at the Kansas Volleyball Twitter account (@KUVolleyball) for the highlights.
#KUvball starters vs. #13 UK:
— Kansas Volleyball (@KUVolleyball) September 4, 2017
S Ainise
RS Kelsie
OH Madison
OH Jada
MB Kayla
MB Zoe
L Allie
First Set:
Madison Rigdon appeared to be the only who came to play early, as she was the only one avoiding making errors early in the first set.
Madison Rigdon has all of KU's four kills in the first set #KUvball
— Kansas Volleyball (@KUVolleyball) September 4, 2017
S1 | 4-7
Kansas got down as much by 8-4 before the rest of the team woke up and started to contribute to a comeback. The teams traded points, with Kansas getting the occasional extra point to get closer to even.
Kansas takes its first lead of the set after back-to-back UK attacking errors #KUvball
— Kansas Volleyball (@KUVolleyball) September 4, 2017
S1 | 16-15
Kansas finally put together a mini-run, getting 3 straight points from a 17-all tie.
#KUvball on a 7-2 run late in the first
— Kansas Volleyball (@KUVolleyball) September 4, 2017
S1 | 20-17
They eventually pushed the lead to 24-20, and Kansas needed all 4 of those set points to finish out the set.
Kansas wins the first set over Kentucky, 25-23 #KUvball pic.twitter.com/uJcvDm1w5d
— Kansas Volleyball (@KUVolleyball) September 4, 2017
Ultimately, the attacking from Madison Rigdon, Kelsie Payne and Kayla Cheadle is what pushed the set in the Jayhawk’s favor.
First set attacking stats (kills-errors-att.) ...
— Kansas Volleyball (@KUVolleyball) September 4, 2017
Rigdon: 6-0-10
Payne: 5-0-10
Cheadle: 2-0-3#KUvball
Second Set:
Once again Kansas started out slow, with Kentucky jumping out to a 7-3 lead. This time, the Jayhawks didn’t waste any time coming back.
With the help of 3 kills from Taylor Alexander and an ACE from Rigdon, Kansas is on a 6-0 run #KUvball
— Kansas Volleyball (@KUVolleyball) September 4, 2017
S2 | 9-7
The Jayhawk offense came alive, keeping the Wildcats at arms length.
Kansas hitting .440 in the second set and .390 for the match #KUvball
— Kansas Volleyball (@KUVolleyball) September 4, 2017
S2 | 20-17
With a lead that large, Kansas was able to trade points with Kentucky to them in position to take the second set.
HUGE block by Alexander and Payne give KU set point! #KUvball
— Kansas Volleyball (@KUVolleyball) September 4, 2017
S2 | 24-20
Kansas once again had 4 set points, but this time they only needed the first to close out the set.
Kansas wins the second set, 25-20! Jayhawks up two sets over #13 Kentucky. #KUvball pic.twitter.com/GuPOd1FgVO
— Kansas Volleyball (@KUVolleyball) September 4, 2017
Third Set:
The third set started pretty evenly, with Ainise Havili continuing her stellar play.
HAVILI!!! What an amazing dig
— Kansas Volleyball (@KUVolleyball) September 4, 2017
S3 | 4-4
Kansas finally started to put some space between them and the Wildcats, as Payne and Rigdon continued to assert their will on the match.
Payne and Rigdon each have 12 kills and are hitting over .500 #KUvball
— Kansas Volleyball (@KUVolleyball) September 4, 2017
S3 | 14-11
A big run by the Jayhawks pushed the lead out to 6 and forced Kentucky to call a timeout.
Kansas hitting .419 as a team... looking to finish with a hitting percentage over .400 for first time since 2015 #KUvball
— Kansas Volleyball (@KUVolleyball) September 4, 2017
S3 | 20-14
Down 22-15, Kentucky tried to make a final push, but they were only able to get back within 3, at 23-20, before Kansas finished it out with straight kills by Kelsie Payne and Madison Rigdon.
KANSAS WINS!!! It’s a home-opening sweep over #13 Kentucky!
— Kansas Volleyball (@KUVolleyball) September 4, 2017
7-0 #KUvball #RockChalk pic.twitter.com/olVG73a4sF
Getting a sweep in this matchup is pretty impressive, regardless of the fact that the match was at home and how close each set was. But since I didn’t actually get to watch the match, I’ll let our very own Mike Plank describe what he saw in today’s action.
Rigdon had a great game. Havili played at an All-American level. She had a joust to win set 1. She is so good at those, she wins almost every one. Payne seemed to be quiet all night, but if you look at the box score you see how productive she was. Nelson (sophomore Libero) was impressive, having maybe her best game of 2017.
Once KU figured out Kentucky’s attack and began to get blocks late in the first set then the Jayhawks just rolled. The best part is KU can still play better. They had their fair share of mental mistakes - missed serves, bad passes, miscommunication - and they still rolled a Top 15 squad.
Oh, and David Beaty was in attendance.
That really only leaves one thing to say: #VolleyballSchool