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

Kansas head coach Matt Ulmer celebrates with the team after defeating Miami in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025 in Lawrence.

For the first time since 2021, Kansas volleyball is on its way to the Sweet 16.

“I just am so excited,” senior outside hitter Rhian Swanson said. “Being able to do it with the best group of girls is amazing.”

The fourth-seeded Jayhawks defeated fifth-seeded Miami 3-1 (25-17, 25-22, 22-25, 27-25) on Friday night in Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

“I am just really proud of our group — we’ve come such a long way,” head coach Matt Ulmer said. “I thought we were so tough in big moments, it was great to see, and the crowd was fantastic, it was a great home-court advantage.”

After having the last two seasons end in the second round on its home floor, KU finally broke through, a goal the team has talked about all season long.

“I think I teared up a little bit out there, which I haven’t done before with any of the teams,” Ulmer said. “They’ve given their best effort every day, and they just keep grinding. They never stopped believing in what we’re talking about.”

NCAA kills leader Flormarie Heredia Colon (6.33 per set) paced the Hurricanes’ offense with 27 kills, but also committed 16 errors for a .138 hitting percentage.

“She’s a great player,” KU libero Ryan White said. “But to combo the block touches, the blocks, the digging, like all aspects of it, I think we handled it very well.”

Added outside hitter Selena Leban: “We were very disciplined on her because we knew that she was going to bring it today.”

Swanson paced the Jayhawk attack with 15 kills on a .263 hitting efficiency, while Leban and middle blocker Reese Ptacek added 10 kills each. Leban also had 11 digs for a double-double.

Setter Katie Dalton dished out 39 assists across the four sets, but more impressively, recorded seven blocks at the net to lead the team, which recorded 11 blocks as a whole.

“I thought she made some great block moves,” Ulmer said. “In the second set, she got matched up on (Heredia Colon)… and Katie did an excellent job on her.”

The Jayhawk defense allowed the offense to get going in the early part of the first set, forcing the Hurricanes out of system often, resulting in a 10-5 Jayhawk lead at the first timeout.

Miami (27-6) cut the deficit to as close as three, with KU (24-10) leading 16-13, but a service error by Miami led to a 3-0 scoring run by KU, forcing another timeout. The Jayhawks put the rest of the game on cruise control, taking the 1-0 match lead on a kill by Leban that capped off a 25-17 set win.

After hitting .103 in the first set against High Point on Thursday, KU responded on Friday by hitting .345 with 13 kills and just three errors. Miami committed five attack errors in the opening game with 10 kills for a .182 hitting percentage.

“We were super disciplined to start the match, which, again, we haven’t done that a bunch this year,” Ulmer said. “That got us an advantage early, got us feeling good about ourselves, and we really locked into the game plan right away.”

Neither team could create much separation early in the second set, but the Jayhawks began to surge forward after a marathon rally that resulted in Dalton’s fifth block of the match, as she teamed up with Aisha Aiono to make the score 11-9. Swanson’s seventh kill of the match and a service ace by Ptacek extended the lead to 13-9 before the Hurricanes won the next four points, tying the game at 13.

Behind the service of Jovana Zelenović, KU won four consecutive points to push ahead, 21-17, before Miami responded with four points of its own to even the game at 21. An attack error gave KU all the momentum it needed, as an awkward kill by Dalton on a roll shot made the score 23-21. The Jayhawks earned the second-set win via a 25-22 score as Miami’s Heredia Colon sailed an attack wide on game point.

With their season on the line, the Hurricanes, with the help of multiple unforced attacking errors by the Jayhawks, were in control for much of the third set, leading by as many as five points after two straight errors made the score 13-8.

KU was able to close the deficit to one on multiple occasions, but a late surge by Miami allowed it to keep its season alive by a 25-22 decision.

An even start to the fourth set saw both teams deadlocked at eight before a 6-1 scoring outburst by the Jayhawks forced a timeout. Ptacek was at the core of the run, recording two blocks (including one solo), a kill, and an ace.

“She brings a much-needed spark for us,” White said of Ptacek’s play. “When she turns it on, she can turn on like that and really help change the game for us.”

Miami battled its way back into the set and had multiple set-point chances after KU led 23-21, but KU was able to avoid a fifth set and ended the match with a kill by Leban to claim the 27-25 set win.

The team has focused a lot on its competitive toughness throughout the season, which certainly showed itself in the biggest stage of the match.

“I think we’re leaning a lot on the competition aspect of, like, our mindset,” White said. “We knew they were going to be a really competitive team, and they were. It was a really huge fight, but never stop believing, have hope in it, and then just keep plugging away at the next point.”

The Jayhawks will find out their Sweet 16 opponent Saturday evening, awaiting the winner of No. 1 overall seed Nebraska and in-state rival Kansas State. If the Cornhuskers (31-0) are to win, the match will take place either Dec. 11 or 12 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.