photo by: Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas senior Toyosi Onabanjo celebrates after winning a point against Kansas State on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Lawrence.

The ninth-ranked Kansas volleyball team continued its unbeaten start to Big 12 play on Saturday afternoon, sweeping Utah 25-16, 25-21, 25-22 to improve to 18-1 (9-0 in league matches) on the season.

Opposite hitter London Davis led the way for the Jayhawks with 11 kills on .429 hitting and setter Camryn Turner tallied 32 assists as KU recorded its 11th victory in straight sets this year.

Senior middle blocker Toyosi Onabanjo, a recent addition to the watchlist for national player of the year honors, returned after missing two matches due to injury — she left the Sunflower Showdown thriller hurt on Oct. 17 — and posted seven kills and six digs.

The Utes entered as a bit of a surprise midway through the volleyball season, ranked No. 21 in the country after getting picked to finish just ninth in the Big 12 in the preseason, but despite a late 11-4 run in the third game were unable to force a fourth set at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

A 7-0 run in the first game set the tone for the Jayhawks to win handily.

“You’ve got a ranked team like that that’s coming in focused and ready to go, and we certainly responded well in the first set,” KU head coach Ray Bechard said in a press release. “I think we were on point offensively to start the match, and that’s what really got us off to a good start.”

Utah responded a bit more effectively to each of KU’s runs in the second set, drawing within one point at 14-13 thanks to a string of five kills by Kamryn Gibadlo (who finished tied for the team lead with nine), but the Jayhawks kept the Utes at bay largely due to blocks and service errors.

KU has not lost since a Sept. 21 sweep at the hands of now-No. 6 Creighton and will travel to face Texas Tech for its next match at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.