The History of Kansas University Volleyball: Tradition, Triumph, and Transformation
The University of Kansas (KU) Jayhawks boast a rich athletic history, encompassing a wide array of sports from basketball to football, and even rugby. Among these, the women's volleyball program has carved its own unique legacy, marked by periods of growth, breakthrough moments, and the contributions of talented athletes and dedicated coaches.
Early Years and Program Development
The University of Kansas officially sponsors 16 sports, with women's volleyball gaining prominence alongside other programs. The evolution of the volleyball team mirrors the broader growth of women's athletics at the university. For thirty-one seasons (1973-2004) the women's team was coached by Marian Washington, who led the team to three Big Eight championships, one Big 12 Championship, six conference tournament championships, eleven NCAA Tournament appearances and four AIAW Tournament appearances. The team's best post-season result was a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1998.
The Breakthrough: Sweet Sixteen and Beyond
Former Jayhawks Bri Riley, Erin McNorton, Chelsea Albers and Jaime Mathieu, who not long ago were the toast of the KU volleyball world for becoming the first crew to reach a Sweet 16, watched Saturday’s upset of USC together and celebrated every point as if they were on the court or bench in San Diego.
The 2015 season stands out as a pivotal moment in the program's history. The KU volleyball team went on such a legendary run as to earn a teamwide induction into the Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame. Spearheaded by the exceptional first-team All-American duo of setter Ainise Havili and right-side hitter Kelsie Payne, the Jayhawks achieved unprecedented success. Not many teams managed to knock off KU that year - in fact, the only team to have done so by the time the Jayhawks reached the Final Four was Texas, twice. After taking down Loyola Marymount in the Sweet 16 to reach the program’s first-ever regional final, the No. 9-ranked Jayhawks met No.
Key Players and Coaches
Throughout its history, the Kansas volleyball program has been shaped by the contributions of exceptional players and dedicated coaches. The Jayhawks were led by the formidable first-team All-American duo of setter Ainise Havili and right-side hitter Kelsie Payne, who both play professionally to this day in Major League Volleyball.
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Recent Seasons and Continued Growth
Despite the roster turnover and coaching change in the intervening years, by the way, KU still retains four players from its 2022 roster, including two key players in Swanson and setter Katie Dalton. KU right side hitter sophomore Kelsie Payne (8) looks for a kill against Nebraska on Thursday Dec. Kansas senior Rachel Langs swings at a ball during the Jayhawks’ 4-set loss to Nebraska in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in on Friday, Dec. In what is still the most recent season that Kansas did not host the NCAA Tournament’s first two rounds, the Jayhawks entered the NCAA Tournament with room to spare at 18-10 (8-8 Big 12), but still as an unseeded team set to play No. 7 seed Miami in the first round in Lincoln, Nebraska, with the No. KU moved past the Hurricanes in short order with a sweep, led by eight kills and a whopping 10 blocks from middle blocker Rachel Langs, as well as a dozen kills by Caroline Bien. Then KU won a set, something it did in just seven of its 28 matches against Nebraska during Bechard’s 27-year tenure. KU was then able to successfully to keep the Cornhuskers at arm’s length, aided by some well-timed kills by true freshman Rhian Swanson, who prior to Nebraska had recorded more than four kills in just one career match. The fourth set was a battle. KU trailed by three points on several occasions early but rallied to take a 15-14 lead on a kill by Langs.
Traditions and the Jayhawk Spirit
The University of Kansas has a storied tradition dating back to 1890. The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as simply KU or Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. KU is one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a member of the Big 12 Conference. The name "Jayhawk" comes from the Kansas Jayhawker militias during the Bleeding Kansas era of the American Civil War. Over time, proud of their state's contributions to the end of slavery and the preservation of the Union, Kansans embraced the "Jayhawker" term. The term came to be applied to people or items related to Kansas. Over time, the name was gradually supplanted by its shorter variant, and KU's sports teams are now almost exclusively known as the Jayhawks.
The link between the term "Jayhawkers" and any specific kind of mythical bird, if it ever existed, had been lost or at least obscured by the time KU's bird mascot was invented in 1912. The originator of the first bird mascot, Henry Maloy, struggled for over two years to create a pictorial symbol for the team, until hitting upon the bird idea. As explained by Mr. Maloy, "the term ‘jayhawk’ in the school yell was a verb and the term ‘jayhawkers’ was the noun."[8] KU's current Jayhawk tradition largely springs from Frank W. Blackmar, a KU professor. In his 1926 address on the origin of the Jayhawk, Blackmar specifically referenced the blue jay and sparrow hawk. Another Jayhawk costume mascot was Centennial Jay, or C Jay.[12][13] C Jay was created by student cartoonist Henry Maloy and featured in the University Daily Kansan in 1912.[14] Maloy's depiction of the Jayhawk helped answer the question of what the mythical bird would look like. When asked why he gave the bird shoes Maloy responded, "Why?
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