August 23rd, 2025 / KU Athletics
LINCOLN, Neb. – The Kansas Jayhawks came from behind to defeat Vanderbilt in five sets, claiming the first win of the Matt Ulmer era on Saturday at the AVCA First Serve.
The Jayhawks opened the season 1-0 with a victory by set scores of 19-25, 25-18, 24-26, 25-20, 15-4. The Jayhawks were powered by Reese Ptacek and Grace Nelson, who combined for 28 kills in the match and had several points in a game-changing, nine-point run in the fifth set.
Kansas returns to action on Monday, Aug. 25, against No. 2 Penn State, with first serve set for 5:30 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network. The match will be KU’s second and final matchup of the AVCA First Serve, taking place at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
“I knew it was a matter of them believing in themselves,” Ulmer said following the match. “I hope that’s what they learned, how good they can be. If they play together and trust each other, this can be really fun.”
Kansas opened the 2025 season against Vanderbilt, which made its debut in the program’s inaugural campaign. The Commodores built an early five-point lead, but the Jayhawks quickly settled in. A strong serving run from Raegan Burns sparked a rally that pulled Kansas even at 13-13, and a kill from Cristin Cline off a set from Logan Bell gave KU its first lead at 15-14.
The two teams traded points before Vanderbilt used a short run to regain control at 18-15. Kansas continued to battle, with Cline and Ptacek teaming up for a block and Maddy Bowser adding a kill to keep the Jayhawks within striking distance. Despite the push, Vanderbilt closed the set on a late 6-1 run to take it, 25-19.
Kansas carried its momentum into the second set, racing out to a 6-2 advantage, and quickly extending the margin to 14-5 behind strong serving and steady defensive play. The Jayhawks dominated the middle portion of the frame, with blocks from Cline, Jovana Zelenovic, and Aisha Aiono helping KU stretch the lead to double digits.
Vanderbilt attempted to claw back late, but Kansas never let the Commodores get within range. Ptacek delivered a kill to bring up set point, and a block from Kenzie Dean and Aiono sealed the 25-18 victory, evening the match at one set apiece.
With the match tied, the third set opened with both teams trading points before Kansas gained momentum. A kill from Aiono gave the Jayhawks a 10-7 lead heading into the media timeout. Vanderbilt answered with a push of its own, pulling even at 12-12 behind a service ace. The frame remained tightly contested, with neither side able to create much separation until the Commodores edged ahead 19-17, their largest lead of the set.
Kansas stayed in the fight, as Ptacek delivered a kill to pull the Jayhawks within one and Nelson followed with another to even the score at 22-22. KU reached set point at 24-23, but Vanderbilt closed with three straight points to escape with a 26-24 win and a 2-1 lead in the match.
In the fourth, Vanderbilt jumped out to a 3-0 lead before Kansas answered to even the score at 3-3. The Jayhawks grabbed their first lead at 7-6 on a kill from Ptacek, and the teams continued to trade points. A kill from Nelson gave KU a 10-8 advantage at the media timeout, and Cline later tied the frame at 15-15 with a kill of her own. From there, Kansas began to take control, using blocks from Aiono and Zelenovic to build a 20-18 lead heading into the final stretch.
The Jayhawks pushed the margin to 24-19 on another Ptacek kill to reach set point, and Zelenovic sealed it at 25-20 with the final swing, sending the match to a decisive fifth set.
The Jayhawks entered the fifth with momentum and quickly jumped out to a 5-2 lead. Kansas then took complete control, stringing together a dominant nine-point run behind strong serving from Nelson and a balanced offensive attack. Vanderbilt managed just two more points the rest of the way, as Nelson capped the match with her final kill to secure the 15-4 set victory. The emphatic finish gave Kansas its first win of the season.