Inside Kansas volleyball’s path to the 2023 NCAA tournament, and what’s coming next
LAWRENCE — The Kansas volleyball team knows the path ahead of it in this year’s NCAA tournament.
The Jayhawks (23-5, 14-4 in Big 12 Conference), the No. 4 seed in its region, open Thursday at home against Omaha (15-13, 12-4 in The Summit League). Should they win, they’ll face either No. 5-seed Penn State or Yale on Friday at home.
And should they continue to advance, the Sweet 16 awaits.
But how did Kansas coach Ray Bechard and his squad reach this point? Why are the Jayhawks capable of making another NCAA tournament run, considering they are set to host the first couple rounds? Here’s a look at what to expect, before the games this week inside Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena:
Omaha is not an unfamiliar opponent
Kansas has played, and beaten, Omaha. The two programs met earlier in the fall, during the Omaha Tournament. The Jayhawks came away with a 25-16, 25-21, 25-13 sweep and win.
Bechard spoke generally to the challenge Omaha could present. He pointed to the fact Omaha challenged itself with a non-conference schedule that included losses against Texas A&M, Nebraska, Kansas State, Creighton and Iowa Sate, which put Omaha at a record that could lead one to overlook Omaha. Also, this will be the first NCAA tournament Omaha has played in.
Kansas is coming in on a lengthy winning streak
Since Kansas lost a pair of matches against Texas in early October, there has been just one match the Jayhawks have lost. In that time, Kansas is 11-1. It’s something that can provide the Jayhawks with a lot of momentum ahead of this NCAA tournament appearance.
Bechard felt like, this past week, his team was playing more to protect its NCAA tournament spot than anything else. There may have been a little anxiety about it all. But now the future is clear, and he hopes they can play with more of a free mind.
Here’s Ray Bechard’s take on Kansas’ tournament draw
Bechard was quick to point out there were people who thought Penn State might be a team that would host the first couple of rounds. Yale, from Bechard’s perspective, has one of its best teams in years. So, it’ll be a challenge for Kansas to advance past the initial weekend.
Kansas is coming in, having navigated a strong Big 12
Of the four new teams that joined the Big 12, two are in the NCAA tournament. BYU is a No. 4 seed in another region, with Houston being a No. 8 seed in that same region. And considering the years UCF and Cincinnati had, Bechard described the quartet as doing nothing but helping the overall strength of the conference.
Bechard, whose team finished second in the Big 12 this season, liked that the Big 12 has seven teams in the NCAA tournament. However, he would have wanted to see Kansas State make the field. The Wildcats, he noted, had the résumé to deserve an invite.
The belief in Kansas reaching this point started months ago
Bechard told his team a story Sunday, about a time in the summer when he had to change the password of one of his accounts. For different reasons, he chose a form of “let’s host.” His team, which has had to face some tough opponents on the road in recent NCAA tournaments, was receptive to that message.
So far, Kansas is 14-1 at home. The only loss came against Purdue, which is a No. 3 seed in the Jayhawks’ region of the NCAA tournament. Kansas has not lost at home since that late August match against Purdue.
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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Inside Kansas volleyball’s path to the 2023 NCAA tournament
