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

Kansas pin hitter Logan Bell and the Jayhawks celebrate a point against UCF in Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena on Saturday, November 29, 2025 in Lawrence, Kansas.

After dropping the first set of its senior-day match, Kansas volleyball (22-10, 13-5 Big 12) responded to multiple deficits in the final three sets in order to take down UCF 3-1 (21-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-20) in Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena on Saturday afternoon.

“I think we have enough now, you know, where we can believe in ourselves and know that no matter what’s going on, we’re one good server away,” head coach Matt Ulmer said. “Today was about just stabilizing our offense and once we’re able to do that, then there’s a much better result for us.”

The Jayhawks celebrated the graduation of six players following the match: Katie Dalton, Brynn Kirsch, Molly McCarthy, Ellie Schneider, Rhian Swanson and Ryan White.

“They’re amazing. As a new coach, you have no idea what returning players are going to feel about you coming in,” Ulmer said. “They really have been eager to learn every day and grow, and each and every one of them is playing their best volleyball.”

Pin hitter Jovana Zelenović capped off the regular season with 17 kills on a .303 hitting percentage, adding three aces and three blocks. Selena Leban (14 kills) and Swanson (13 kills) joined Zelenović in double figures, while Dalton completed a double-double with 37 kills and 12 digs, along with three kills.

As a team, KU hit .234, tallying 60 kills, 61 digs, and seven blocks in the match.

The Knights were led by outside hitter Avah Armour, who posted 16 kills and a .204 hitting percentage.

The Jayhawks got off to a hot start following two kills by Zelenović and a kill by Leban, before the Knights took control of the first set, leading 15-11 at the media timeout, and extended the difference to five out of the timeout.

From there, KU won the next two points before four consecutive UCF points forced KU head coach Matt Ulmer to burn both of his first-set timeouts. After trailing by as many as eight points, the Jayhawks rallied back and were down just two at 23-21, but the Knights recorded back-to-back kills to take set one, 25-21.

The Jayhawks slowed down after taking the early lead, and committed 10 total errors in the set while hitting just .122.

After KU trailed 9-5 to open the second set, a kill by Zelenović kick-started a 6-0 run, which featured back-to-back aces by the freshman from Novi Sad, Serbia.

“That was massive,” Ulmer said. “Kudos to their side, because their jump server went back and kind of did the same thing, but we responded. I thought for us, we were unsure, we were a little timid until (Zelenović) went back there and gave us some confidence.”

A 7-3 run gave the Jayhawks an 18-12 advantage before five consecutive points by the Knights made it a one-point set. KU stretched its lead out to 22-17, but five more UCF points tied the set, only for KU to score the final three points, all on kills by Zelenović, to take the set 25-22.

Following the slow offensive start, KU responded with a much more efficient showing in the second set, hitting .324 while notching 16 kills on 34 attacks with just five errors.

The Knights got off to another hot start in the third set, leading 9-4 after the first timeout of the set. KU rattled off the next four points, including two more kills from Zelenović, to pull within one, as Ulmer pumped his arms in celebration after the second of the two kills.

“I’m competing with them, you know, so just cheering them on and guiding them the best I can, but I just really want positive results for them because they deserve it,” Ulmer said.

A 6-2 scoring run gave UCF a 15-10 lead, but much like in the second set, the Jayhawks didn’t go away, taking an 18-17 lead after a kill by Zelenović, and continued to win important points down the stretch. Katie Dalton called her own number on set point with a dump kill, to give the 25-22 win and a 2-1 lead on the match.

Ptacek singlehandedly gave KU a 3-0 lead with three kills to begin the fourth, before a 5-1 run by the Knights surged them ahead.

The two teams were tied at nine, 10, and 11, and then five straight points by the Jayhawks put them ahead for good. UCF closed the advantage down to just one at 19-18, but a 6-2 scoring run capped off by an attacking error gave KU the 25-20 set win, and closed out the match.

The Jayhawks will now await their fate in the NCAA Tournament, with the selection show being held Sunday at 5 p.m. At the conclusion of the match, KU was ranked No. 15 in RPI, which is the most important metric used to determine the 16 host schools.

“I think we put ourselves in a position to host. You never know what the committee is going to decide,” Ulmer said. “But again, really proud of us. We just kept getting better as the year’s gone on, and this time of year, all the excuses are out the window. Whether it’s (at) home or away, you’re going out there to be your absolute best self.”