With one season of college volleyball now under her belt, Kansas sophomore Logan Bell — the lone freshman on KU's 2025 team — has her sights set on an even bigger second year with the program, both for herself individually and for the team.
In Year 1 with the Jayhawks, Bell made an instant impact in multiple areas — as a hitter, with her defense and behind the service line.
She said recently that nearly every step of that first year brought with it lessons to learn and she's excited to move into her second season of college volleyball with a greater understanding of what it takes to play the game at this elite level.
She also has bigger goals than before. And they're written down as a reminder in a team-issued binder, which has the Jayhawks' scouting notes for the season and a pretty important first page.
That's where the team goals are listed. Last year, Bell said the same page had a trip to the Sweet 16 as its biggest achievement. And the Jayhawks got there during what could only be viewed as a successful first season under new KU coach Matt Ulmer.
This year? They added to the list and the 2026 first page now includes reaching the Elite Eight, Final Four and winning a national championship as this team's goals, along with their quest to win a Big 12 title and host NCAA Tournament matches, as well.
"They’re on there now. All of them," Bell said before the season began. "Baby steps. But you’ve gotta keep fighting until you get all the way there."
As Bell and the Jayhawks chase those goals — and the championship rings that come with some of them — we’ll follow her every step of the way in the latest edition of our weekly diary series that will chronicle Bell's 2026 season.
Some of what you’ll read here, in Bell's own words, will focus on the stuff happening on the court — big wins, memorable moments and the grind of the season.
But a lot of it will focus on Bell the person, whose passion for volleyball is almost unmatched and ready to be further unleashed.
The Logan Bell File
Age: 19 | Number: 25 | Height: 5-11 | Position: Outside Hitter
Hometown: Beech Grove, Ind. (Indianapolis) | High School: Roncalli High
Notable: Logan Bell came to KU after initially committing to Oregon, where current Kansas coach Matt Ulmer recruited her before he left to take the job in Lawrence... During her standout high school career, which featured a 35-o run to the Class 3A Indiana state title during her senior season in 2024, Bell was named the Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year in 2024 and also was one of five finalists for the MaxPreps National Player of the Year award that same season... She was a two-time, first team all-state selection and also played libero during her prep career... As a freshman at KU last season, Bell appeared in all 35 of KU's matches, aiding her team's run to the Sweet 16 by making an impact all over the floor... She has younger twin siblings, one brother and one sister, and is the daughter of lefty parents... Her mom, Jessica, was a setter at Miami (Ohio) and is in the school's athletics Hall of Fame, and her father, Kory, played minor league baseball. Bell is majoring in sport management and also has interest in journalism.
KU record to date: 7-3, winners of six straight matches
Next up: Big 12 opener vs. Houston at 6 p.m. Friday night at Horejsi
During the Jayhawks' most recent match, a 3-set sweep of Grand Canyon at home last weekend, Bell recorded one of the more rare stats for an undersized outside hitter — a solo block.
It was her sixth total block of the season and it's worth noting that she didn't record a single block of any kind during her freshman season.
So, was the solo stuff worth celebrating?
“I would say it’s a big deal, but I’m just doing my job. Just doing my job. If I didn’t get the block, I think that would be trouble.”
Unlike teammates Aisha Aiono, Reese Ptacek and Taylor Stanley, Bell's job when she's at the net on defense isn't exactly to send the ball back to the side it came from. If she can do it, sure. They'll take it. But that's not her plan or approach when she elevates for a block.
“When it comes to blocking, I’m just trying to take away a certain area of the court and make it easier for the defense to play behind me. But when I do get a solo block, the team is so pumped up and everybody’s like, ‘Heck yeah!’”
“As a hitter, if you have one blocker and you get stuff blocked, mentally, that’s terrible. When you’re the one doing the blocking, though, it just pumps you up.”
Logan Bell swinging and celebrating during a recent KU home victory at Horejsi. [Kansas Athletics photos]
The proper positioning and tips where she can get them falls into the category of something the Jayhawks call "positive touches," and Bell enjoys doing her part in that department, nearly as much as she enjoys scoring a point with a vicious kill.
The reason? Positive touches and proper blocking position can help the Jayhawks' transition game and because of how fast they play on offense, she thinks that's a big advantage for KU.
“I’m just blocking their mistakes. That’s our job and that’s what we talk a lot about.”
Bell, who was a star in high school, doesn't remember if she recorded very many blocks in those days. But the first solo stuff of her KU career is something she'll probably remember for a while.
It came on the outside against Grand Canyon's right-side hitter and it had all of the elements of a block that she absolutely loves, whether she's the one with her hands high above the net or covering the action nearby.
“A block because of the sound. It’s like, ‘duh-doom’ really fast. That sound is awesome and then everybody follows it with like a big ‘Oooh.’”
Given that Bell's solo block logged KU a point, we got to thinking about the different ways points are scored in volleyball and then asked her to break down her favorites.
“That’s tough. I like them all for different reasons.”
“An ace is awesome because it’s your point; it was just you and the ball and you got it by all six players or they shanked it. There’s a lot of strategy that goes into serving.”
“There’s nothing like an overpass kill. Oh, those are fun. Those are fuuuunn. It’s like a little Happy Birthday present and you just rip it and take it away.”
“I do love back row swings, too, because you kind of just launch yourself into the ball.”
“But I think my favorite one is not a singular play. It’s more of a sequence. If I swing deep on a ball and then the defense adjusts and stays deep and then you drop it right in front of them and then they’re stuck and they don’t know where to go. They’re like, ‘Well, she just hit a deep shot on me but I have to go and get that short tip but I don’t want to get blown up in the face. That’s my favorite. Playing with them.”
There's also a setter dump shot, or a one-handed tip, both of which she said she has utilized while playing libero. There are nearly a dozen variations of this type of point.
And then there's everyone's favorite, the point that comes out of desperation and goes off of a head or body part or even gets kicked to the other side of the net.
Unlike in tennis, when the player who hit the ball into the net for a free trickle-over point typically apologizes for the good luck that benefited them, Bell said there's no such gesture in volleyball for those types of wacky points.
“I love them, but they are rare.”
And Bell said where her team is at in any given match — up, down, rallying, etc. — also plays a big role in how much and which points she loves to score.
“It really just depends on where the momentum is and, situationally, like where you are as a team. But if it's match point, set point, if it's 23-23, like that's a big shift changer, and the other team's like, 'Well, crap! They just celebrated so hard and their crowd went crazy, and we're down a point. What are the chances that we're going to get two more?'”
All of that, of course, speaks to the energy and intensity in the building and of any given moment or point. And Bell said the Jayhawks talk a lot about not getting too high or too low no matter what's happening, especially during actual play.
“Of course, we want to have passion, but that's how we celebrate, not when we play. It's in between the points, not during the points.”
“No matter how it happens, though, I just love scoring. And I think everybody does. But I don’t think there’s a favorite way. A point’s a point, you know.”
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