For the third straight match, Emily Brown and the Kansas University volleyball team had something to smile about.

“We’re all about breaking streaks,” Brown said.

After Saturday night’s dominating performance against Texas Tech, consider another one broken.

The Jayhawks ended a five-match home losing skid, sweeping the Red Raiders, 30-26, 30-25, 30-22, to improve to 15-11 and take over sole possession of sixth place in the Big 12 Conference.

On Nov. 5, Kansas broke a string of 21 straight losses to Kansas State and an eight-match losing streak by defeating the 24th-ranked Wildcats, 3-1.

“I know that helped my confidence,” Brown said, “and you can tell as a team we’re playing a little bit different.”

The Jayhawks also are playing with a greater sense of purpose knowing they currently are on the dreaded NCAA Tournament bubble.

Kansas University senior Paula Caten celebrates a point against Texas Tech. The Jayhawks swept the Red Raiders in three games Saturday at Horejsi Center. At right is KU senior Andi Rozum.

“There’s urgency – you can tell,” Kansas coach Ray Bechard said. “There’s urgency within our team knowing we need to keep winning if we want to keep playing.”

With five league teams near-certain invitees to the Big Dance, Kansas finds itself on the outside looking in with seven conference victories and three matches to play.

“As good as our conference is, we think they’ll go deeper than that,” Bechard said, “if somebody steps up there and gives them a reason to do that.”

The Jayhawks staked their claim Saturday night, taking the match, 3-0, without the Red Raiders posing a threat.

Kansas trailed only once in the three games, and that was after a Tech spike made it 1-0 on the first point of Game One.

Brown again led the Jayhawks, finding extra power in her spikes to finish with 14 kills. The sophomore also contributed five of Kansas’ nine service aces.

“We’re all very hopeful,” Brown said. “It’s not just like a prayer to get in. If we keep this up, we’re going to be fine.”

The Jayhawks also performed well at the end of games, improving in an area that haunted them during their eight-match losing streak in October.

“There were games that were semi-close that maybe a couple of weeks ago we might have wondered if we could finish those games,” Bechard said. “Now, we’re staying composed.”

Josi Lima notched 11 kills, and Paula Caten added nine.

Dani Wittman contributed three service aces.

Kansas will finish its schedule with matches at Texas A&M, at home against No. 12 Missouri and on the road against Iowa State.

And even though the Jayhawks see themselves as “streak busters,” Brown knows the best way to make the postseason would be for the squad not to break its current three-match winning string.

“We know we kind of dug ourselves a big hole in the middle of the season,” Brown said. “Everybody’s just doing whatever they can to make sure we win.”