photo by: Photo courtesy of Kansas Athletics

The fourth-ranked KU volleyball team celebrates a point Sept. 9, 2016, in Omaha, Nebraska, during its four-set victory over Chattanooga in the Bluejay Invitational.

After a thrilling, five-set victory over host Creighton on Thursday night, the fourth-ranked Kansas volleyball team returned to the gym in Omaha, Nebraska, early Friday afternoon, and kept its undefeated season alive with a 3-1 victory over Chattanooga in the Bluejay Invitational.

Kansas (8-0), dispatched Chattanooga (5-3), 25-12, 24-26, 25-17, 25-13, to finish 2-0 at the event.

The Jayhawks will return home for a match-up with Northern Iowa at 6 tonight at Horejsi Family Athletics Center and head coach Ray Bechard said he was happy his team took care of Chattanooga the way a top-ranked team was supposed to.

“I was pleased with how we pretty much controlled sets three and four after the break,” Bechard said. “We don’t want to get in a habit of staying out there longer than we need to.”

Junior All-American setter Ainise Havili and junior outside hitter Madison Rigdon recorded double-doubles for the third consecutive matches, with Havili contributing 47 assists and 16 digs and Rigdon adding 15 kills and 12 digs.

Junior All-American right-side hitter Kelsie Payne led Kansas with 19 kills and recorded 12 of her kills in the third and fourth sets to help close out the match.

After opening the season with five consecutive sweeps, KU has lost just five sets all season.

Friday’s victory made the Jayhawks just the seventh team in school history to start 8-0, which is tied for the program’s fourth best start of all-time.