A year ago, then-first-year Kansas volleyball coach Matt Ulmer scheduled a match with Kansas State at Allen Fieldhouse because he wanted to see what the appetite was for putting more fans in the stands to watch the Jayhawks play.
Evidently, he liked what he saw.
An announced crowd of 7,550 fans filled the Fieldhouse last October to watch the Jayhawks and Wildcats play a five-set match that went to the visitors and started with Ulmer singing the National Anthem.
"Being able to play two great opponents in Allen is something we’re extremely excited and thankful for. This is a great opportunity for more Jayhawk fans to watch their team play live at home."
— Kansas volleyball coach Matt Ulmer
No word yet on whether Ulmer will grab the mic and share his singing voice again in 2026. But he will get two opportunities to do so.
KU announced on Thursday that the Jayhawks will return to Allen Fieldhouse for two regular season matches during the upcoming season — Oct. 18 against defending Big 12 champ Arizona State and Oct. 30 for a rematch with the Wildcats.
The Jayhawks went on to win the rematch with K-State later in the season and fell to ASU at home, inside Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena, in a thrilling five-set match to open conference play in 2025.
Both opponents figure to draw big crowds, with the ASU match coming on a Sunday after Kansas football’s road game at K-State and Round 2 of the volleyball version of the Sunflower Showdown taking place on a Friday before a KU football road game at TCU.
“Being able to play two great opponents in Allen is something we’re extremely excited and thankful for,” Ulmer said in a news release announcing the matches.
Prior to the KU-KSU matchup in 2025, KU volleyball last played at Allen Fieldhouse in 2013, when the Jayhawks hosted one regular season match and a pair of NCAA Tournament matches. The program also played three matches at Allen Fieldhouse in 2012, going 2-1, with a regular season win over St. Louis and a 1-1 mark in NCAA Tournament play.
The Jayhawks played their home matches entirely at Allen Fieldhouse from 1975-98 and moved to Horejsi in 1999.
“This is a great opportunity for more Jayhawk fans to watch their team play live at home,” Ulmer added in the release. “We are hopeful that the students and community will make these two matches two of the best volleyball experiences in the country.”
Speaking of those types of matches, the Jayhawks once again will open the season in elite-level fashion, facing perennial powerhouse programs Pitt and Stanford at the Opening Spike Classic, Aug. 28 and 30 in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Unlike last year, when the Jayhawks had to wait a month — until late September — to play at home, this year’s home opener is set for Sept. 8 against Wichita State at Horejsi.
In fact, the Jayhawks will play six home matches at Horejsi before Sept. 26, the date of last season’s home opener.
— For tickets to all KU athletic events, visit kuathletics.com
