picture by: Kate Benninghoff/Kansas Athletics
Kansas setter Cristin Cline is launched on the alumni match at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Lawrence.
Cristin Cline describes her switch course of — following head coach Matt Ulmer from Oregon to Kansas — as “a whirlwind of emotions.”
But the choice to make the transfer actually wasn’t all that tough.
“I was sold immediately, honestly,” Cline recalled. “I loved my coaches there, and he was like, ‘I’m so sorry we’re leaving, but what does that look like for you?’ And I’m like, ‘Um, where are we going?’”
As the 5-foot-11 setter put it in a preseason media availability on Monday, shifting itself is arduous, however there wasn’t a lot tying her to Oregon apart from volleyball. Her household is in North Carolina, for instance; she’s truly considerably nearer to them now.
And in addition to being nicely located when it comes to geographic proximity, she’s positioned to have a giant season in her first yr with the Jayhawks, as considered one of KU’s three preseason all-conference picks. As Ulmer says, referring to Cline, “I generally like for our best athlete to be our setter.”
“Cris is tough,” Ulmer added. “She puts up a nice block. She has good size for a setter. But she’s a gamer, she competes really hard, and she’s not afraid of the moments.”
Added pin hitter Grace Nelson, a real sophomore: “I think Cris has a really good drive and she’ll look you in the eyes every ball. You know what you’re going to get from her, and she pushes us every day to be better, be more aggressive with each other.”
Cline began for Ulmer’s Ducks final yr as a redshirt freshman and was statistically one of many high first-year setters within the nation, as she posted 10.26 assists per set. Her resume included 4 consecutive double-doubles to conclude the season, a interval that additionally encompassed Oregon’s run to the Sweet 16. She was named to the all-freshman workforce within the well-regarded Big Ten Conference.
When she arrived to Lawrence as one of many first gamers introduced in by Ulmer and his new workers (together with Oregon State switch libero Ryan White, who was beforehand going to be part of them at Oregon), she performed a key position in serving to her new teammates perceive the coaches’ expectations.
“Cristin’s been awesome,” Nelson stated. “I think it was a pretty smooth transition. It was really hard for us, obviously, having this brand-new coaching staff, so having her here with us made it a lot easier for us. Like we’d look over to her at practice and be like, ‘What’s going on?’ And she’s always been there to calm us down, but also what they did at Oregon, it’s what we’re doing here, so she knows what it’s like and it’s been super easy to lean on her.”
Months later, with the workforce much more unified — even after the additions of a number of new worldwide freshmen over the summer time — Cline stated, “I don’t have to help them as much anymore.” In reality, gamers like Nelson might help talk the expectations themselves.
Cline made an impression on her teammates early, however she additionally discovered a little bit of a nationwide viewers in April when KU performed a spring exhibition on the highway at powerhouse Nebraska. (In the primary three units, all received by the Cornhuskers, she tallied 27 assists, 10 digs and 4 kills.)
“I think she played really well against Nebraska in the spring match, and it sure feels like everybody in the volleyball world watched that match,” Ulmer stated. “That was probably because it was the only game on in town at the time, in April. But I think she was impressive.”
Nebraska’s just lately retired four-time nationwide champion coach was on shade commentary for the match: “John Cook liked her, so then everybody else likes her too,” Ulmer added. “John thinks she’s good — must be good.”
Of word, KU does have loads of competitors inside its setter group because it seems to change longtime fixture Camryn Turner. Senior Katie Dalton and sophomore Ellie Moore are holdovers from the earlier period whom Ulmer referred to as “right there.” Ulmer stated Dalton’s harm historical past has prevented the general public from seeing how good she will be. He described Moore as a “vet” with good decision-making and really feel for the sport.
“I think they bring a lot of good things from Coach (Ray Bechard) and the past,” Cline stated, “and I think I bring (familiarity with) the new coaches and everything, so I’ve just been helping them with practices and what he looks like, what he wants, what he likes in all these situations, out of system, in system, stuff like that. And I think they’ve kind of brought what the girls and the hitters want because these aren’t my hitters — I didn’t play with them before.”
Of course, there are a number of new hitters that each one three have to get used to — though it doesn’t sound prefer it’ll take a lot for Cline to get accustomed to setting for 6-foot-7 pin hitter Jovana Zelenovic, the one freshman picked to the preseason all-league workforce. The window is big, as Cline places it.
“So let’s just say that’s an easy set,” Cline stated. “That’s one I literally don’t have to work on. I can literally close my eyes, and I’m like, ‘Here you go.’ She’s like, ‘Boom!’”
Cline and Zelenovic are two of the three Jayhawks to obtain preseason honors, together with center blocker Reese Ptacek; all are underclassmen, and Ptacek was the Big 12 freshman of the yr final season, making her considered one of KU’s most outstanding returning gamers.
All will determine prominently into the Jayhawks’ upcoming season, which begins on Aug. 23 towards Vanderbilt in Lincoln, Neb.
picture by: Kate Benninghoff/Kansas Athletics
Kansas setter Cristin Cline serves throughout the alumni match at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Lawrence.
picture by: Kate Benninghoff/Kansas Athletics
Kansas setter Cristin Cline prepares to serve throughout the alumni match at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Lawrence.