photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas senior Ayah Elnady attacks against the West Virginia block on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

On a day of celebration during which Kansas volleyball retired the jersey of all-time points leader Josi Lima and honored Ayah Elnady and other international student athletes, a sweep over West Virginia (25-18, 25-13, 25-18) for an 11th conference win was just the cherry on top.

“It’s so cool to have all of these guys back. We were trying to find our way our first couple of years here… and those guys kind of jump-started the program many years ago and they still have that lasting impact,” head coach Ray Bechard said “To see them all lined up here with their families… it’s kind of like a proud dad or papa moment.”

Elnady, originally from Cairo, Egypt, and the only international student on the current Jayhawk team, led the way in Kansas’ handy win on Saturday with 14 kills as she elevated her offensive contributions in a quieter year for her up front.

“You always know in warmups when Ayah’s going to have that spark, and it’s like, OK, it’s game time and she is ready,” said setter Camryn Turner. “I just love her because she always brings so much fire and that spark to our team. I love playing with her.”

And on International Students’ Day, it was the perfect time for Elnady to go off as she received a moment of recognition along with other international athletes between the second and third sets.

“She’s so humble and never really takes credit for anything. So I feel like it is just a little time to make her feel special,” Turner said. “And her sister is here today too, so it was just like a really good day for Ayah.”

The Jayhawks and Mountaineers started the first set trading off points until a six-point Kansas run made it 10-4. The offense kept its foot on the gas, hitting .343 with only two hitting errors, but West Virginia found success in tooling Kansas’ relentless block to go on a few multi-point runs to make things closer.

Kansas led 23-13 late before the Mountaineers embarked on a 4-1 run by getting a few deflections off the block to make it a six-point game and delay set point for the Jayhawks. Elnady’s fifth kill of the match gave Kansas set point before her game-leading sixth kill of the set on a tip to the middle of the floor won set one for the Jayhawks, 25-18.

The second set followed a similar pattern, with Kansas coming out to a 5-1 lead before the Mountaineers made it 9-6. The Jayhawks retook control from there, going on a four-point run to take a 14-7 lead and not letting up after that. While the first set saw a few West Virginia scoring streaks that kept things close, Kansas embarked on a 10-3 stretch to finish the set off emphatically with a 25-13 victory.

Toyosi Onabanjo was Kansas’ mainstay at the net as Elnady cooled down a bit but contributed a few powerful kills at pivotal moments. London Davis tweaked her ankle early on in the set and sophomore Ellie Schneider, a middle blocker, replaced her at opposite. Schneider tallied three kills in the set to loud cheers from her teammates as she provided some important assistance up front.

“It’s so fun, just having that support system to know that they’re going to cheer me,” Schneider said. “I definitely had some nerves to shake off, but honestly once I started getting some encouragement from my team, and just knowing that Coach B was going to call me, it was really comforting.”

The Mountaineers stepped up their offensive game in the third, putting up an effective front against Kansas’ block and hitting .250 in the set. This propelled them to an early 12-10 lead before a five-point Jayhawk run woke up the offense and forced a timeout. Schneider and Elnady remained at the forefront of the offense, as they combined for eight kills in the set, including Kansas’ final four points of the match.

“We have such a competitive gym that pretty much anyone could play at any time. So just knowing that other people have had to do it, everyone is always ready,” Schneider said. “And really I think that our side that plays against (the starters) is just always ready, because we play against the No. 8 team in the country every day.”

Elnady’s team-leading 14th kill of the match closed out the match with a 25-18 win for a sweep of the Mountaineers. Elnady also led the way with 13 digs in a quiet day for the Jayhawk defense as Turner dished out 37 assists as her team hit a combined .350.

“Fourteen kills and 13 digs again — led us in digs, I would have never thought I’d be saying that, ‘Ayah Elnady led us in digs,’ and I would tell her that,” Bechard said. “But she’s worked on that part of her game and I just think she wants this last stretch to be special and she’s all-in all the time.”

The Jayhawks once again relied on someone stepping into a role to keep the momentum going and bring them to victory, which has been a trend with Kansas’ younger players this year.

“They’re on call,” Bechard said. “There’s times in practice where if somebody walked in, they couldn’t tell which side would be the A side and which side would be the B side, that’s how competitive it is. And that’s what creates opportunities like today.”

Kansas’ next-player-up mentality has come from the perfect balance of experienced veterans and a six-person freshman class eager for guidance and experience. This combination has worked well in the Jayhawks’ first 21 games, and with a month left in the season they will see their biggest challenge with four of their next six matches coming against ranked conference opponents. This stretch starts on Wednesday as Kansas travels to Tempe, Arizona, to take on No. 13 Arizona State.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas senior Ayah Elnady spikes the ball against West Virginia’s Maddy McGath on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas senior Camryn Turner records an assist against West Virginia on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena. Turner finished the game with 37 assists.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas senior Toyosi Onabanjo spikes the ball over a pair of West Virginia defenders on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

From left, Kansas junior Rhian Swanson, sophomore Raegan Burns, senior Camryn Turner and senior Ayah Elnady celebrate after a point against West Virginia on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas senior Caroline Bien attempts an attack against West Virginia on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas senior Toyosi Onabanjo spikes the ball over a pair of West Virginia defenders on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas senior London Davis attempts an attack against West Virginia on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.