Kansas Jayhawks sweep Miami in first round of NCAA volleyball tournament

The Kansas volleyball team swept Miami 3-0 on Thursday in a first-round NCAA Tournament contest at Devaney Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The Jayhawks (19-10) have advanced into Friday’s second-round match against host Nebraska, who swept Delaware State on Thursday. The match will begin at 7 p.m.

On Thursday, the Jayhawks rolled 25-17, 25-18, 25-20.

Caroline Bien had 12 kills. Ayah Elnady had nine and Rachel Langs added eight.

Bien, a 6-foot-0 sophomore out of Saint Thomas Aquinas, contributed six digs. Elnady, a 5-10 freshman from Cairo, Egypt, had seven digs and three service aces. Langs a 6-3 senior from Fairview, Texas, hit a team-high .438 with 10 blocks, lifting KU to a 13-7 advantage in blocks.

Camryn Turner, a 5-8 sophomore setter from Topeka, had 30 assists and seven digs to go along with four kills.

Kennedy Farris, a 5-7 junior from Lansing, Kansas, led the Jayhawks with 11 digs.

As a team, Kansas hit .278 with 40 kills and committed 10 attack errors. The Jayhawks had the advantage in service aces, 8-3. Miami had 41 digs; KU 39.

KU’s defense held Miami to a .113 attack percentage, which included the Hurricanes hitting under .100 in each of the first two sets.

“We were really good in all phases tonight. I thought we served well and passed well and I’m real happy with the way we played,” said coach Ray Bechard after the Jayhawks improved to 8-3 all-time in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. “We’re excited this time of year to keep playing and see what tomorrow brings.”