Vanderbilt (0-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. #14 Kansas (0-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Saturday, Aug. 23 • 2 p.m.
Pinnacle Bank Arena • Lincoln, Neb. • FS1
Live Stats • Match Notes
WEEKEND PREVIEW
Vanderbilt volleyball returns to competition for the first time in 45 years when the Commodores play No. 14 Kansas at the AVCA First Serve Showcase at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday at 2 p.m. on FS1.
SERIES NOTES
• This is the first-ever meeting between the Dores and Jayhawks
• Kansas was ranked 14th in the AVCA preseason poll and was picked second in the Big 12 preseason poll
• Jayhawks Cristin Cline, Reese Ptacek and Jovanna Zelenovic were named preseason All-Big 12
• Kansas hired Matt Ulmer as its head coach prior to the 2025 season
• Before Kansas, Ulmer was the head coach at Oregon from 2017-24 where he led to the Ducks to seven NCAA Tournament berths including three Elite Eights
• The Jayhawks compiled a 25-5 overall record in 2024 and went 15-3 in Big 12 matches
• Kansas finished the 2024 season ranked 12th in the AVCA poll after falling to Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament
• For the second consecutive year, the Jayhawks were ranked in the Top 25 for the entirety of the 2024 season
DARE TO BE FIRST
• Former Kentucky associate head coach Anders Nelson was hired as the reintroduced volleyball program’s first head coach
• Libero Hailee Mack was the reintroduced program’s first-ever commit in 2023
• Ten student-athletes arrived on Vanderbilt’s campus in fall 2024 to redshirt and train during the 2024-25 academic year
• Four early enrollees and one midyear transfer joined the Commodores in Nashville in January 2025
VETERAN EXPERIENCE
• Vanderbilt’s Team 1 consists of 11 freshmen and redshirt freshmen, but six transfer student-athletes bring veteran experience to the Dores’ young roster
• Senior middle Jackie Moore transferred from Loyola Marymount to Vanderbilt for her final year of eligibility after leading the NCAA in hitting percentage in 2023
• Sydney Conley and Isabella Bareford enter their sixth seasons of collegiate volleyball, both bringing NCAA tournament experience from their previous stops
• Conley was a member of the 2023 ACC championship team at Florida State
• Bareford was a four-year starter and All-West Coast Conference honoree at LMU
FROM THE IVY LEAGUE TO THE SEC
• Junior Kamryn Chaney transferred from Princeton to Vanderbilt midway through the 2024-25 academic year
• In 2024, she was named the Ivy League Player of the Year and garnered first-team AVCA all-region and All-Ivy League recognition
• She led the conference in points (5.20) and kills (4.43) per set, was top 25 nationally in both categories and was ranked No. 1 in the Ivy League in points (494) and kills (421) during the 2024 season
