KU volleyball rolls

Jayhawks thump Oklahoma, 3-0

Kansas volleyball coach Ray Bechard can’t stress enough the importance of teamwork.

“This team can trust each other, and they have a lot of faith in each other,” he said. “Today, they showed that.”

Kansas' Ashley Michaels (2) skies for a shot against Oklahoma. The Jayhawks beat the Sooners, 3-0, Saturday at Horejsi Center.

The result was a 3-0 victory against Big 12 Conference foe Oklahoma on Saturday at the Horejsi Center. Kansas (9-1 overall, 1-1 Big 12) won all three games convincingly 30-23, 30-19 and 30-20.

The win gives Bechard’s Jayhawks confidence they can succeed in the Big 12.

“There was a little bit of doubt,” Bechard said. “This wasn’t a Top-10 team we played, but it was a better volleyball team. It’s a good win for us.”

Oklahoma (3-7, 1-1) was held to just a .126 hitting percentage. The Sooners managed just five kills and committed five errors in the second game, for a .000 hitting percentage.

“We wanted to come out in Game Two,” KU outside hitter Abbie Jacobson said. “And kind of get them on their heels.”

Mission accomplished. KU jumped out to a 12-2 lead in the second game, held off a Sooner rally and cruised to a lopsided victory.

Jacobson had five kills in the game and a team-high 14 for the match. She also had 10 digs, giving the junior her first double-double of the year.

Freshman Josiane Lima also had a double-double, registering 12 kills and 10 digs.

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“Abbie Jacobson did really well tonight,” Bechard said. “I thought this was one of her better matches.”

KU’s victory didn’t look so easy at first. The Sooners built a 5-1 lead early in the first game before the Jayhawks tacked on four straight points, eventually running away with a seven-point victory.

“We knew they’d be excited and ready to play,” Bechard said. “But we kept our composure.”

Big 12 win No. 1 was nice, but Bechard knows this is only the beginning. KU has its next conference match Wednesday at Colorado.

“They know they’ve got to win 10 or 11 if they want to get to the NCAA tournament,” he said. “It’s one of many to come, I hope.”