Thursday, October 1
Lawrence, KS
5:00 PM
University of Utah
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Kansas
No. 23 Utah Volleyball Heads to the Sunflower State
9/29/2026 4:32 PM | Volleyball
Utes prepare to take on No. 19 Kansas and Kansas State
SALT LAKE CITY– No. 23 Utah Volleyball (10-3) hits the road this week for the Sunflower State to take on No. 19 Kansas (9-3) and Kansas State (9-1) after a huge conference opening weekend against No. 21 Colorado and No. 17 Baylor.
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The Utes roll into Lawrence first to face a ranked Jayhawks team on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 5 p.m. MT, before heading to Manhattan to size up the Wildcats on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 5:30 p.m. MT.
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Both matches will be available to watch on ESPN+.
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QUICK HITS
CONFERENCE STANDINGS AS OF 9/29
SCOUTING Kansas
Utah vs. Kansas: 2-3
H: 1-1 | A: 1-1 | N: 0-1
Kansas has not dropped a set in its past eight matches. The red-hot Jayhawks have dominated as of late, earning them the nineteenth spot in the latest AVCA poll. Kansas had a challenging start to the season, competing in the Opening Spike Classic hosted by No. 4 Pittsburgh. The Panthers, along with No. 5 Stanford, gave the Jayhawks back-to-back 1-3 losses early on. Since then, the Jayhawks are 9-1, starting conference play with two convincing wins over Houston and Texas Tech. The Utes and Jayhawks last faced off in November of last year in Salt Lake City where Utah pulled off the upset, sweeping No. 13 Kansas in a win that played a huge role in propelling Utah into the NCAA Tournament. Utah looks to tie the all-time series and continue its streak of beating ranked conference opponents.
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SCOUTING Kansas State
Utah vs. Kansas State: 2-1
H: 0-1 | A: 1-0 | N: 1-0
The 9-1 Kansas State Wildcats host Utah on Saturday in just the fourth meeting between the two programs. Coming off a 1-3 loss to the Houston Cougars, Kansas State looks to get back on track this weekend as it takes on two ranked conference opponents from Utah. On September 18, K-State earned a signature road win over the No. 20 Creighton Bluejays. That win, along with its 9-1 record, has given the Wildcats some buzz, as they received votes in the latest AVCA rankings. Last season, Kansas State came to Utah and defeated the Utes 3-1, making Utah hungry to avenge last year's loss in Manhattan this weekend.
UP NEXT
Utah comes home to host West Virginia on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. MT.
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2026 UTAH VOLLEYBALL TICKETS
Season and single game tickets for 2026 are on sale now. Be sure to secure yours and catch all the action in the Huntsman Center. Visit utahutes.evenue.net to help make the JMHC one of the best home court advantages in college volleyball.
FOLLOW THE UTES
For an inside look at the Utah Volleyball program, fans can follow the Utes on social media (X: @UtahVolleyball | Instagram: @utahvolleyball).
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH TODAY – UTAH 360
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The Utes roll into Lawrence first to face a ranked Jayhawks team on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 5 p.m. MT, before heading to Manhattan to size up the Wildcats on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 5:30 p.m. MT.
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Both matches will be available to watch on ESPN+.
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QUICK HITS
- The Utes made their first appearance of 2026 in the AVCA Rankings at No. 23 (9/28) after beating No. 21 Colorado and No. 17 Baylor last weekend.
- Utah's 10-3 record under Alyssa D'Errico is the best start under a first-year head coach in program history.
- The Utes currently rank in the top 25 (11th) in blocks/set- 2.84 and are ranked within the top 10 in kills/set- 14.50 (4th) and assists/set- 13.30 (10th).
- MB Princess Atamah and L Sierra Grizzle made the Big 12's Starting Seven (9/29) for their standout performances against No. 21 Colorado and No. 17 Baylor last weekend. Atamah led the Big 12 in total blocks (14) and blocks/set (2.00) while Grizzle was second in the conference in digs/set (4.43).
- Utah is currently undefeated (9-0) in three-set matches on the year including a sweep over No. 21 Colorado on the road. The program record for the most 3-0 wins in a year is 20 set back in 2006.
- D'Errico and the Utes started 2026 with four straight sweeps of their opponents (Utah Valley, Utah Tech, Oregon State, and Wyoming) setting a new program record for number of sweeps to start a season.
- Alyssa D'Errico makes her debut (10-3) in 2026 as Utah Volleyball's sixth head coach in program history starting after legendary head coach Beth Launiere retired at the conclusion of the 2025 season after 36 years at the helm.
- Utah returns 13 players from last season's team that stamped the program's ticket to its 20th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Outside hitter Kamryn Gibadlo is the most decorated of the group, earning First Team All-Big 12, First Team AVCA All-Region, and AVCA All-America Honorable Mention honors.
- •The Utes welcome five newcomers to their 2026 squad that include two freshmen, and three transfers.
CONFERENCE STANDINGS AS OF 9/29
- Utah ranks first in the Big 12 in kills (638 total, 14.50/set).
- The Utes are second in the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.163), assists (585 total, 13.30/set), and blocks (125 total, 2.84/set).
- Utah is fourth in aces (74 total, 1.68/set) and fifth in hitting percentage (.274).
- Through all matches played, Grizzle is third in the conference in digs (177 total, 4.02/set), Atamah is fourth in blocks (52 total, 1.33/set) and Katelynn Field is seventh in blocks (46 total, 1.33/set).
SCOUTING Kansas
Utah vs. Kansas: 2-3
H: 1-1 | A: 1-1 | N: 0-1
Kansas has not dropped a set in its past eight matches. The red-hot Jayhawks have dominated as of late, earning them the nineteenth spot in the latest AVCA poll. Kansas had a challenging start to the season, competing in the Opening Spike Classic hosted by No. 4 Pittsburgh. The Panthers, along with No. 5 Stanford, gave the Jayhawks back-to-back 1-3 losses early on. Since then, the Jayhawks are 9-1, starting conference play with two convincing wins over Houston and Texas Tech. The Utes and Jayhawks last faced off in November of last year in Salt Lake City where Utah pulled off the upset, sweeping No. 13 Kansas in a win that played a huge role in propelling Utah into the NCAA Tournament. Utah looks to tie the all-time series and continue its streak of beating ranked conference opponents.
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SCOUTING Kansas State
Utah vs. Kansas State: 2-1
H: 0-1 | A: 1-0 | N: 1-0
The 9-1 Kansas State Wildcats host Utah on Saturday in just the fourth meeting between the two programs. Coming off a 1-3 loss to the Houston Cougars, Kansas State looks to get back on track this weekend as it takes on two ranked conference opponents from Utah. On September 18, K-State earned a signature road win over the No. 20 Creighton Bluejays. That win, along with its 9-1 record, has given the Wildcats some buzz, as they received votes in the latest AVCA rankings. Last season, Kansas State came to Utah and defeated the Utes 3-1, making Utah hungry to avenge last year's loss in Manhattan this weekend.
UP NEXT
Utah comes home to host West Virginia on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. MT.
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2026 UTAH VOLLEYBALL TICKETS
Season and single game tickets for 2026 are on sale now. Be sure to secure yours and catch all the action in the Huntsman Center. Visit utahutes.evenue.net to help make the JMHC one of the best home court advantages in college volleyball.
FOLLOW THE UTES
For an inside look at the Utah Volleyball program, fans can follow the Utes on social media (X: @UtahVolleyball | Instagram: @utahvolleyball).
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH TODAY – UTAH 360
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