LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas Volleyball will enter the upcoming season as the conference favorite, having secured the top spot in the 2024 Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the league announced Wednesday.

Along with the team’s top rank, Kansas led the way in individual awards, with three players on the coaches’ Preseason All-Big 12 Team: Ayah Elnady, Camryn Turner, and London Davis. KU freshman Zoey Burgess was named the Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year.

“This reflects what this group has done over the past couple seasons and we have a lot of veteran players returning,” said Kansas head coach Ray Bechard who is entering his 27th season at KU and has guided the Jayhawks to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, including each of the past three seasons. “Like all preseason polls, we can value this a lot more when the season is over.”

It marks the first time the Jayhawks have been designated in the top spot in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Kansas earned six of a possible 15 first-place votes by the league coaches and edged BYU, 173-168, in total points awarded. BYU received four first-place votes, while Arizona State garnered three first-place votes and is third in the poll with 158 points followed by TCU (146) and Baylor (144) rounding out the top five. TCU garnered one first-place vote as did Kansas State, which finished sixth in the preseason poll with 141 points. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams in the poll and Oklahoma State does not sponsor volleyball, hence 15.

Burgess is the third KU player in the last five seasons to be named Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year, including current senior Caroline Bien in 2021. Burgess hails from Alpine, Utah where the middle blocker was a four-time state champion and the 6A MVP in 2023.

Preseason all-conference selections Elnady, Turner and Davis each earned postseason All-Big 12 accolades last season, with Elnady and Turner being named to the first team and Davis earning second-team honors.

Turner, who was the 2023 Big 12 Setter of the Year, AVCA First Team All-Region and AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, is looking to build off her decorated season in 2024. The Topeka, Kansas native led the conference in assists per set for the majority of the 2023 season, ending at the top with a 10.67 average. Turner also posted the second most digs per set on the team with 2.95 and recorded 84 kills and 58 total blocks for a well-rounded season stat line.

Elnady was also a 2023 AVCA First Team All-Region selection. She finished second on the team in both kills (3.44) and points (4.17) per set and recorded double-digit kills on 20 different occasions, including two 20-plus kill performances versus Big 12 foes Iowa State and UCF. The Cairo, Egypt native also led the Jayhawks in service aces with 26 total on the year, averaging a solid 2.26 digs per set.

Davis was a force for the Jayhawks in 2023, averaging 2.74 kills and 3.10 points per set. The junior opposite from Galena, Ohio, reached a new career high when she knocked down 28 kills against Kansas State, the most kills by a player from Kansas since 2009. Davis ended the year with 304 kills, 76 total blocks, and 344.5 points. She also earned her first-career AVCA All-Region accolade.

The Jayhawks concluded the 2023 season with a 24-6, 14-4 conference record, finishing second in the Big 12 and making it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they fell in a tight five-set match to Penn State.

Kansas will open the 2024 season on Saturday, August 24, at 1 p.m. (Central) when it plays host to Drake in an exhibition match at the Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena. Kansas’ 2024 regular season will begin on the road at the Duke Tournament from August 30-Sept. 1.

Rank, Team (first-place votes), points; coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team

2024 Big 12 Volleyball Preseason Player of the Year – Melanie Parra, TCU, OH, Sr.
2024 Big 12 Volleyball Preseason Freshman of the Year – ZOEY BURGESS, KANSAS, MB

Jaelyn Hodge, Arizona, OH, Fifth Year

Claire Jeter, Arizona State, MB, Gr.

Argentina Ung, Arizona State, S, Gr.

Lauren Briseño, Baylor, L/DS, Sr. ^

Elise McGhee, Baylor, OH, Sr. #

Mia Lee, BYU, MB/OPP, So. !

Kate Prior, BYU, OPP/MB, Jr.

Taylor Simpson, Colorado, S, Sr.

Kate Georgiades, Houston, L, Gr.* #

Nayeli Gonzalez, Iowa State, OH, So.* # !

Aliyah Carter, Kansas State, OH, Gr. #

Izzi Szulczewski, Kansas State, S, Sr.

Jalyn Gibson, TCU, OH, Jr. ^

Melanie Parra, TCU, OH, Sr.* #

Lauren Jardine, Utah, OH, Sr.