Kansas volleyball in uncharted territory
From a volleyball perspective, this particular beach on the French Riviera made for a lousy training ground. The beautiful coast line was littered with dark rocks and no sand. The terrain was fine for sunbathing, but not necessarily any digging or spiking.
In the end, the geological deficiencies didn’t matter. That beach near France, says Kansas senior Tiana Dockery, served as a perfect launching point for the KU volleyball program.
“It gave us some time to learn about each other,” Dockery says.
Four months after that summer trip to Europe, the Kansas volleyball program is 12-0 and in the midst of the greatest start in program history. The Jayhawks are ranked No. 15 in the latest national poll and barreling toward a fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance entering their Big 12 opener against K-State on Wednesday night at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center in Lawrence.
Dockery, as it happens, could become the first Jayhawk in program history to play in four NCAA Tournaments. But after a perfect start, both KU’s players and coaches credit the European trip with setting the tone for a team that has been carried by a wealth of underclassmen. In seven matches against international competition, the Jayhawks went 6-1 — their only loss came against the Italian national team — and head coach Ray Bechard got his first look at a roster trying to replace the contributions of seniors Chelsea Albers and Sara McClinton.
It’s been a team effort. Sophomore setter Ainise Havili leads the country in assists per set and is the reigning Big 12 offensive player of the week. Sophomore Kelsie Payne has become a force as an outside hitter. And junior libero/defensive specialist Cassie Wait has grown into a more polished defensive backbone.
“It’s been a blast,” said Wait, a Gardner-Edgerton product. “Mostly just because of the way we’ve fostered our team culture. We each know what the other person is going to do.”
In truth, the early success was not unexpected. The Jayhawks returned a bulk of contributors from a team that cruised to its third straight NCAA Tournament las season. The run ended with a heart-wrenching five-set loss to Arkansas-Little Rock in a first-round match in Topeka. But one year later, Bechard admits his team is a little more advanced than he imagined — at least to this point. One example: On Monday afternoon, he was praising his team’s ability to handle adversity before pausing for a moment.
“We haven’t been through a lot of adversity yet this year,” he said.
Indeed, the Jayhawks have dropped just three sets all season and own victories over Arkansas, Duke, Marquette and Wyoming heading into Wednesday’s Big 12 opener. After three straight postseason runs, the Kansas program is up and rolling once again, with success begetting success. Bechard credits the program’s recent upswing for some recruiting wins in the fertile state of Texas. On the other hand, he notes the Jayhawks are also leaning on two homegrown players in Wait and middle blocker Tayler Soucie of Osawatomie.
“We’re starting to maintain a little something,” Bechard says.
That is the goal, of course. More success. More conference victories. Deeper runs in the NCAA Tournament. But first, the KU volleyball team is ready to wade into the competitive waters of the Big 12.
“We’re a little further ahead of where I thought we might be,” Bechard says. “But obviously, the real fun starts this week.”
This story was originally published September 21, 2015 at 9:57 PM with the headline "Kansas volleyball in uncharted territory."