photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas pin hitters Jovana Zelenovic and Grace Nelson celebrate with teammates against High Point in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025 in Lawrence.

For Kansas volleyball head coach Matt Ulmer, it was no surprise that his team was nervous to open postseason play.

“It’s the NCAA Tournament, and it’s basically zero-zero for everyone,” setter Katie Dalton said. “So you’re definitely a little nervous at the beginning, and you want to do really well, but I think we stayed super steady, especially after that first set. We got into a rhythm.”

The Jayhawks were able to ease their way through the early jitters, sweeping High Point (25-20, 25-15, 25-18) on Thursday night at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

“I would say that we know that everybody’s going to bring their best shot, so that means that everybody’s going to come in fighting, and we know that we have to bring the fight too, and that’s kind of what brings the nerves,” middle blocker Aisha Aiono said.

The Jayhawks ultimately had three players record at least seven kills, as freshman pin hitter Jovana Zelenović led the pack with eight, while Aiono and fellow middle blocker Reese Ptacek each added seven. Dalton recorded 20 assists.

While the offense was struggling early, the defense was active all evening at the net, especially the tandem of Aiono and Zelenović, as the team recorded nine blocks while setting up the back row for easy passes to start transition offense.

“It’s really fun to play with (Zelenović) because I can trust her a lot,” Aiono said. “I know she’s going to do her job, and she makes my job easier. I think she gives me confidence when I’m playing because I know that she can do her job.”

Despite a slow start offensively that saw the Jayhawks record just two kills before the first timeout, they held a 12-9 lead thanks to three service aces and a pair of blocks.

“I was really impressed with our defense,” Ulmer said. “Something I said to the group is ‘This time of year, it’s not going to be pretty, right?’ You’re not just going to have clean offense all the time… It’s going to be stressful, so how do you deal with that stress?”

The offensive struggles for both teams continued throughout the set, but Kansas pulled away late and claimed the set 25-20 after Zelenović’s third kill of the match.

The Jayhawks recorded nine kills with six attacking errors for just a .103 hitting percentage, while blocking three attacks and recording three service aces in the opening frame.

KU continued its momentum into the second set, building a 10-1 lead thanks to four early kills, two aces and a few High Point attacking errors.

At the center of the early lead was the serving run of Zelenović, who recorded one ace during the run but was able to put stress on the High Point defense, allowing the Jayhawks to take advantage of errant passes and free-ball opportunities.

“I think that she really starts shifting the momentum when she does that,” Aiono said. “Every time she gets an ace, I know that we go crazy on the bench, and the crowd will go crazy for her, and I think that really brings our momentum back up when she can do that.”

From there, the Jayhawks deployed a two-setter offense, allowing for an extra attacker as well, which paid dividends as the team hit .312 in the second set (14 kills on 32 attacks, four errors) and took a 2-0 lead on the match on an ace by Dalton to claim the set 25-15.

“(Cristin Cline) and Ellie (Moore) have been playing great in practice, so I wanted to give them some NCAA experience,” Ulmer said of the rotational change. “If it’s something where we may need to have… maybe just a little bit bigger block, it’s good that they’ve been out there. I love how deep we are and how many people can step in.”

High Point held the upper hand for much of the early portion of the third set, leading by as many as four points on three separate occasions. With the score at 13-9, KU rattled off six consecutive points to push itself back in front.

Leading 18-17, the Jayhawks pulled away for good with a 7-1 run, finishing off the match with a kill in the middle by Aiono.

Now, KU finds itself in familiar territory, as each of the past two seasons have ended in the second round at home. Ulmer said that he watched each of the last two matches while serving as the head coach at Oregon, and added that “something has to give.”

“One of the things (the players) said is they want to get past the second round,” he said. “That was a big thing for them, to get to that third round, so I’m proud of them to be able to fight as hard as we did throughout the season. And you know, we need to continue to be able to put our best foot forward.”

The Jayhawks will take on fifth-seeded Miami Friday night at 6 p.m. in Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena. The Hurricanes defeated Tulsa, 3-1, in Thursday’s opener, paced by AVCA National Player of the Year semifinalist Flormarie Heredia Colon’s 33 kills.

“She’s pretty good,” Ulmer said. “You’re trying to just make it as hard on her as best as possible, right? Like, you’re not going to stop her. She’s going to get her points against the best teams in the country.”