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LAWRENCE, Kan. – The No. 20 Kansas volleyball team will travel to West Point, N.Y. for the Black Knights Invitational hosted by Army.

Black Knights Invitational Overview

The Black Knight Invitational will consist of Temple, Army, UConn and Kansas. KU will play on September 2 at 12:30 p.m. CT against Temple at the Gillis Field House. At 5 p.m. CT, the Jayhawks will play again on September 2 to face off against host Army. Rounding out the Black Knights Invitational will be a match up between Kansas and UConn at 10 a.m. CT on September 3.

Turner is Turning Heads

In 10 sets and three total matches, Turner collected 108 assists and averaged 10.80 assists per set. Turner kicked off the weekend with 28 assists against Utah Valley, .596 assist percentage, and recorded one kill. It wasn’t until the Jayhawks took on No. 22 Utah where Turner really found her rhythm. Turner tallied 40 assists and three kills in KU’s 3-1 victory. She then closed out the Utah Classic against Loyola Marymount with a double-double, 40 assists, 10 digs and two kills. Her performance advanced Kansas to 3-0 on the weekend. At the end of the tournament, Turner averaged 10.80 assists per set and 2.60 digs per set, with a .472 assist percentage. Due to her performance, Turner was named the Utah Classic Most Valuable Player. Turner currently ranks third in the Big 12 in assists with 108 (10.80 per set).

Killing it With Anezka Szabo

Szabo exceled at the Utah Classic as she averaged 3.40 kills in 10 sets, 34 kills total. To start the weekend, Szabo had 11 kills with zero errors, .846 hitting. She collected two block assists and earned 12.0 points. Quickly following Szabo’s performance against Utah Valley, the Jayhawks took on No. 22 Utah where Szabo had 12 kills, .381 hitting, and had seven block assists along with two digs. Against Loyola Marymount, the Sioux Falls, S.D. native had 11 kills, .588 hitting, one block solo and three block assists. Szabo started in all three matches in the Utah Classic. Szabo played in 10 sets and earned 3.40 kills per set, 0.40 digs per set, 1.30 blocks per set and 4.10 points per set. As of August 29, Szabo is second in the conference in hitting percentage (.569), fourth in points per set (4.10), fifth in blocks (13) and eighth in kills (34).

Up Next

The Jayhawks will halt tournament play for a short period of time and head to Kansas City to take on the Kansas City Roos at the Swinney Center on September 7 at 7 p.m. CT. The following day, KU will host the Kansas Invitational and match up against Wichita State on September 8 at 6:30 p.m. CT and then play UNLV on September 9 at 6:30 p.m. CT in the Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena. Both matches in Lawrence, and will be broadcasted on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.

Early Retirement

On September 17, Kansas will be retiring two jersey’s at the conclusion of the Omaha vs. Kansas match at the Jayhawk Classic. Ainise Havili (2014-2017) and Kelsie Payne (2014-2017) will be honored with a jersey retirement ceremony where their jersey numbers will be displayed in the rafters of Horejsi Family Volleyball. Both Havili and Payne were members of the 2015 Final Four team and 2016 Big 12 Conferene Championship team. Havili was a three-time All-American and back-to-back Big 12 Setter of the Year. Payne was a two-time AVCA First Team All-American and the 2016 Big 12 Player of the Year. Both individuals are in the Kansas volleyball record books.