By james art 
photo by: Landon Corey/Special to the Journal-World
Kansas senior Ayah Elnady attacks against West Virginia’s block on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.
On a day of celebration, during which Kansas volleyball retired the jersey of all-time scoring leader Josey Lima and honored Ayah Elnady and other international student-athletes, a blowout over West Virginia (25-18, 25-13, 25-18) for the 11th conference win was just the cherry on top.
“It’s pretty cool to have all those guys back. We were trying to find our way the first few years here … and these guys got the program off to a good start many years ago and still have that lasting impact,” head coach Ray Bechard said, “To see them all lined up here with their families … it’s something like a proud father or dad moment.”
Elnady, a native of Cairo, Egypt, and the only international student on the current Jayhawk squad, led Kansas in Saturday’s comfortable win with 14 kills as she stepped up her offensive contributions in a quieter year for her up front.
“You always know during warmups when Ayah is going to have that spark and it’s like, OK, it’s game time and she’s ready,” setter Camryn Turner said. “I just love her because she always brings so much fire and that spark to our team. I love playing with her.”
And on International Student Day, it was the perfect time for Elnady to leave as she got a moment of recognition alongside other international athletes between the second and third sets.
“She is so humble and never takes credit for anything. So I feel like it’s just a little bit of time to make her feel special,” Turner said. “And her sister is here today too, so it was a really good day for Aya.”
The Jayhawks and Mountaineers began the first set trading points until a six-point Kansas run made it 10-4. The offense kept its foot on the gas, hitting .343 with just two hitting errors, but West Virginia found success in the tools of Kansas’ relentless block to put up a couple of multi-point runs to close things.
Kansas led 23-13 late in the game before the Mountaineers went on a 4-1 run, getting a couple of layups off the block to make it a six-point game and delay the set point for the Jayhawks. Elnady’s fifth kill of the match gave Kansas set point before her game-leading sixth kill of the set at the top of midcourt won the first set for the Jayhawks, 25-18.
The second set followed a similar pattern, with Kansas taking a 5-1 lead before the Mountaineers made it 9-6. The Jayhawks regained control from there, going on a four-point run to take a 14-7 lead and didn’t let up after that. While the first set saw several West Virginia scoring runs keep things close, Kansas went on a 10-3 stretch to close out the set in emphatic fashion with a 25-13 victory.
Toyosi Onabanjo was Kansas’ mainstay at the net while Elnady cooled off a bit but contributed some powerful kills at key moments. London Davis sprained her ankle early in the set and sophomore Ellie Schneider, a middle blocker, replaced her on the opposite side. Schneider tallied three kills in the set to thunderous cheers from her teammates as she provided crucial help up front.
“It’s so much fun, just having that support system to know that they’re going to cheer me on,” Schneider said. “I definitely had some nerves to shake off, but honestly, once I started getting some encouragement from my team and just knowing Coach B was going to call me up, it was really comforting.”
The Mountaineers stepped up their offensive game in the third, putting up an effective front against the Kansas block and hitting .250 in the set. That pushed them out to an early 12-10 lead before five Jayhawk points sparked the offense and forced a timeout. Schneider and Elnady remained at the forefront of the attack, combining for eight kills in the set, including Kansas’ final four points of the match.
“We have such a competitive room that almost anyone can play at any time. So just knowing that other people have to do it, everybody is always ready,” Schneider said. “And I really think our side playing against (the home team) is always ready because we play against the No. 8 team in the country every day.”
Elnady’s team-leading 14th kill of the match closed out the match with a 25-18 win over the Mountaineers. Elnady also led the way with 13 digs on a quiet day for the Jayhawk defense, while Turner had 37 assists as her team hit a combined .350.
“Fourteen kills and 13 digs again — they were leading us in digs, I never thought I’d say, ‘Ayah Elnadi led us in digs,’ and I would tell her that,” Bechard said. “But she’s working on that part of her game and I just think she wants that last part to be special and she’s all in all the time.”
The Jayhawks again relied on someone stepping into a role to keep the momentum going and lead them to victory, which has been a trend with Kansas’ younger players this year.
“They’re on call,” Bechard said. “There are times in practice where if someone comes in they can’t tell which side is going to be A side and which side is going to be B side, that’s how competitive it is. And that creates opportunities like today.”
Kansas’ next-man-up mentality comes from the perfect balance of seasoned veterans and six freshmen hungry for guidance and experience. That combination has worked well in the Jayhawks’ first 21 games, and with a month left in the season, they’ll see their biggest challenge yet, with four of their next six games coming against ranked conference opponents. That stretch begins on Wednesday when Kansas travels to Tempe, Arizona to face No. 13 Arizona State.
photo by: Landon Corey/Special to the Journal-World
Kansas senior Ayah Elnady throws the ball against West Virginia’s Maddy McGath on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.
photo by: Landon Corey/Special to the Journal-World
Kansas senior Camryn Turner records an assist against West Virginia on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena. Turner finished the game with 37 assists.
photo by: Landon Corey/Special to the Journal-World
Kansas senior Toyosi Onabanjo throws the ball over two West Virginia defenders Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.
photo by: Landon Corey/Special to the Journal-World
From left, Kansas junior Rian Swanson, sophomore Reagan Burns, senior Camryn Turner and senior Ayah Elnady celebrate after a point against West Virginia on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.
photo by: Landon Corey/Special to the Journal-World
Kansas senior Caroline Bien goes for a layup against West Virginia on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.
photo by: Landon Corey/Special to the Journal-World
Kansas senior Toyosi Onabanjo throws the ball over two West Virginia defenders Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.
photo by: Landon Corey/Special to the Journal-World
Kansas senior London Davis goes for a layup against West Virginia on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.