OT. KU Women’s VB

While it has not been a good week for area sport, KU football, Chiefs and the Maui Invitational semifinal loss, let’s hope for better results moving forward. Today, at Noon, #15 KU Women’s VB team plays their last regular season road game against Cincinnati. On paper, this is a very winnable game against a lower level team. VB can, however, be quirky. Although they have likely already cinched a spot in the NCAA Championship tournament , a win today and their final game at home against a hot and cold UCF team on Saturday, will determine whether the first two rounds will be played in Lawrence. Perhaps only one win will be enough.

The game today will be televised on ESPN+. The last 30+ minutes will probably overlap with the Maui game.

I think this team is not National champion caliber, oh ye of little faith, it could be a sweet 16 to elite 8 team. Let’s support these great young women.

PS. If the first two rounds are played here, will they use AFH?

Go Hawks! Let’s turn the mojo today with a VB and BB victories.

KU won in three sets.

And the mojo has turned. Nice job
Ladies!!

KU beat UCF 3/1. Tough game. Challenging ending. UCF had apparently won the 4th match and the TV commentators were getting ready for the 5th set. Bechard, challenged the last point and won the challenge with UCF in the net. The commentators came on with KU serving 27/27. We went on the win 29/27. Fun game and a great home crowd. Elnady was amazing. Now we wait for the NCAA tournament pairings. Very good chance the first two games of the round of 64 and 32 will be played here in Lawrence.

OK, playing Omaha at home Th at 7pm. Beat them earlier in the year. If we win, we likely play Pen State. Tough game. Assuming we make it to the round of 16, our likely opponent is Wisconsin. Former KU player and Leavenworth native will be on the other side of the net. Let’s not get too far ahead, just beat Omaha on Th.

Got two tickets to the VB game tonight. Taking a friend visiting from islands (Haida Gwaii) off BC NW coast, Canada, right at the Alaska border. He is here as my guest for the UCONN BB game on Friday but he has been encouraged by this friends to attend the VB game. Lucked out and got two tickets. If you see a 6'3" old white dude next to the 5'6" Haida indigenous dude on the ESPN+ telecast, it will be us.

It was a good match to see. Clean sweep though the 3rd set was hotly contested.

As most of you probably know, after winning the first round of the playoffs, KU women lost to Penn State in 5 sets in the second round. Tough loss in a game that could have gone either way up to the last two points. Very proud of this undersized team with a big heart. We have 6 recruits coming in next Fall with some good height and a very good setter, although our excellent, current setter has another year. Ray Bechard, the current head coach just signed on for another 3 years, although he will be approaching retirement age about then. Thank you for letting me, tolerating me, for posts about VB on this board. Now let's also support the women's BB team, which is off to a bit of a rocky start.