photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas freshman Taylor Stanley attacks during the match against Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, in Lawrence.

Behind yet another steady offensive performance, the No. 15 Kansas volleyball team extended its winning streak to six matches on Sunday at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena, sweeping Cincinnati (25-23, 25-18, 28-26)

After hitting at a .379 clip in Thursday’s sweep of Baylor, the Jayhawks continued with a .331 hitting percentage against the Bearcats as four players recorded eight or more kills.

“I think we’re really starting to trust each other,” junior pin hitter Grace Nelson said. “We’ve been working really hard in practice, getting extra reps, just trying to build those connections. And as the season goes on, I think we’re really starting to have really strong connections.”

Building those connections could have been a difficult task for the Jayhawks with two setters on the roster in Cristin Cline and Reese Messer, who both earned All-Big Ten honors in their first stops.

However, Nelson said having two high-level setters has made things easier on the Jayhawk offense, which knows how both setters play, and allows for competitive practices.

“They’re both so great every day at practice,” Nelson said. “It’s a battle… Every day we’re going after each other, and I think that just makes it easier in games because our other side is pushing us really hard every day.”

Messer dished out 43 assists on Sunday as freshman Taylor Stanley led the attack with 19 kills. Nelson added 12 of her own, while middle blockers Aisha Aiono and Reese Ptacek accounted for nine and eight kills, respectively.

The Jayhawk offense got off to a fast start as the first five attacking opportunities all led to kills, resulting in an early 6-2 lead. Messer continued to find balance and set multiple attackers as KU’s advantage grew to 15-10 at the technical timeout.

The lead grew to as many as six after kills by Stanley and Aiono, but KU’s serve receive began to struggle, giving Cincinnati multiple opportunities to score in transition, and ultimately cutting the differential to just two at 22-20.

KU coach Matt Ulmer then called a timeout, allowing his team to get back on track as Stanley put down two successful attacks before a service error provided the decisive point for the Jayhawks.

“I want them to enjoy the competition,” Ulmer said. “(I’m) just trying to get the team to understand that it’s good when teams play well, and it’s OK that we have to go compete hard and make plays under stress.”

After KU recorded just two blocks in the opening game, Dean’s presence at the net helped the Jayhawks to quickly double that total and go up 8-6.

“Kenzie’s a stud,” Nelson said. “I wouldn’t want to be swinging against Kenzie… It’s been really helpful having her back, and we really have to have her.”

Consecutive kills by Stanley sparked a 7-1 scoring run for the Jayhawks, creating a 19-12 cushion. KU extended its lead to as many as nine, but the Bearcats cut that differential to six before the Jayhawks took the second set with a kill by Nelson.

The Big 12’s No. 2 attacker, Sydney Nolan (4.43 kills per set), continued her impressive afternoon with three kills to start the third set as Cincinnati forced an early KU timeout, leading 4-0.

“They have a good offense,” Ulmer said of the Bearcats. “(Nolan) is obviously just a load, you know, she just does such a good job. It’s hard to make her uncomfortable because they set her a high ball. So they don’t need a great pass or tempo to do it.”

The timeout proved valuable as the Jayhawks responded with four straight points and leaned on a few kills from Stanley to create an 11-7 margin. With a 14-11 advantage, KU allowed a 3-0 run before a timely kill by Aiono quickly put the home team back in front.

Three of the next four points went to KU, which forced a Cincinnati timeout. The Bearcats continued to scratch and claw their way back in the set, cutting the deficit to one at 18-17 before tying the score at 21 and 24, but the Jayhawks erased two set-point chances for Cincinnati and scored three straight to claim the sweep.

“We want to have that challenge,” Nelson said. “We want to battle every night, and we didn’t want to have an easy game today.”

KU is now 18-5 overall with an 11-2 record in Big 12 play, and will travel to Boulder, Colorado, on Thursday to face No. 25 Colorado.