K-State (8-11, 2-7 Big 12 Conference) clinched their second conference victory against the University of Colorado (6-13, 1-9) in Boulder, Colo., Wednesday night.
The Wildcats started the heated match with a 25-19 win in the first set, but fell to Colorado by the same score in the second set. They claimed the third 25-21 and the fourth 25-16.
The teams started the match in unison, trading points with the first rotation ending 8-7 in favor of K-State. Six kills by junior outside hitter JuliAnne Chisholm, including three of the first four points, set up a six-point run by redshirt freshman outside hitter Kathleen Ludwig to bring the Wildcats up to 17-12, a fire they would not lose to claim the set 25-19.
The Buffaloes found favor in the opening of the second set with a sprinkling of small runs and an ace to put them in the lead 8-7. Back-to-back service errors by both teams slowed the game to a crawl until Colorado came back with a three-point run. K-State was unable to string success, putting the set at 20-15. Three straight points brought the Buffaloes within two of a win, but they were held for four by K-State. It did not prove to be enough; Colorado regained the serve and took their first set 25-19, echoing K-State’s previous score.
The intermission rejuvenated Colorado as evidenced by their six-point run at the start of set three. An ace from libero Lauren Mathewson quieted the Buffaloes, leading to an even trade of rally points. Freshman middle blocker Alex Muff eclipsed her previous record of two kills with her 10th for the match to bring K-State up to 16. An ace from Mathewson kicked off a four-point run to take the lead to 22-19. Colorado looked to close the gap, but senior middle blocker Kelsey Chipman recorded her 10th kill to start a drive to claim the set at 25-21.
Chipman set the tempo for the final match with two kills to start K-State at 4-2. The 10th service error of K-State gave possession to Colorado, who tied the game at 7-all. The tight competition continued with a hit from Colorado sophomore outside hitter Becah Fogle at 11-all to keep the tie. Junior outside hitter Vanessa Murray scored at 19-14, making her the fourth Wildcat with 10-plus kills in the match. A timeout from Colorado brought the serve back to the Buffaloes with two straight points, slightly narrowing the gap to 16-19 Colorado. Solo and assisted blocks from redshirt freshman Izabela Grot and another ace from Mathewson highlighted the drive to secure K-State’s third set and the match.
The Buffaloes were led by redshirt sophomore outside hitter Rosie Steinhaus with 15 kills for an attack percentage of .244 and a total of five blocks. Fogle was not far behind with 14 kills for .132. Defensively, junior Katie Evanyo, normally an outside hitter, had 18 digs and a lone ace. Freshman outside hitter Kerra Schroeder helped her team with 11 kills and three aces.
Eight Wildcats highlighted the match with solid performances. In the front row, four players recorded double digit kills, including Chipman with 16 for .696, echoing her first big performance freshman year in Boulder, Chisholm with 16 for .200, Murray with 11 for .222 and Muff with a personal record-shattering 11 for .435. The back row furthered the success with two strong performances from leading defensive players Mathewson and freshman defensive specialist Caitlyn Donahue, totaling 25 and 14 digs, respectively. Another surprise showing came from Grot, who summed four blocks — including one solo — for a personal best. There were 48 assists from the hands of senior setter Soriana Pacheco and six team aces capped the ground-shaking night for the Wildcats.
K-State will look to continue their success against No. 23 Baylor in Manhattan Saturday evening.
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