No. 11 Longhorns bump K-State in three Saturday games

Try as it might, the K-State volleyball team could not knock off one of the top teams in the nation.

Last Saturday, No. 11 University of Texas (10-5, 5-2 Big 12 Conference) came to Ahearn Field House and swept K-State (9-9, 3-4 Big 12) for the home team's second conference loss that week. The Wildcats held Texas in the first game up to the final serving run, but the Longhorns hit a stride to take it 25-21.

With increasing vigor as the match went on, Texas took games two and three 25-16 and 25-12, respectively.

K-State head coach Suzie Fritz said her team was disappointed in its unusual play.

"I think we're frustrated a little bit," Fritz said. "We've lost our resilience. We've lost that character trait, that we were fighting, we were battling. I think we've got to get that back if we want to be in it."

K-State picked up favor halfway through the first game after pulling ahead 9-6. The momentum was building for the Wildcats, and the crowd showed it with its fervor. K-State maintained its lead until the near end of the game, but Texas came back with a seven-point run for a late turnaround, winning 25-21. Sophomore setter Caitlyn Donahue said her team brought the fight, but Texas picked up the pace late.

"Through the first game, all the pressure was on them; they were the ones making mistakes, we were the ones pressing and pressing and scoring points and sliding out quickly," Donahue said.

"When we hit 21, they put up a fight, and they started making us uncomfortable. They started doing things a little different, making us play more, and I think we weren't expecting that, because, earlier in the game, we were the ones doing that to them."

The Longhorns did not spread out the offensive front too much over the first game, but their combined hitting percentage was just shy of .400, showing a persistent and competitive team effort. For K-State, the individual accomplishments were greater than the collective, with three hitters over percentages of .500 and four or five kills each.

With one win already under its belt, Texas picked up number two in the next game, 25-16. Taking five points to kick off the second game, the Longhorns kept pushing and went to the locker room after merely two rotations of intense action.

The numbers for K-State were down all across the board. In the second game, the home team — finally back in its regular uniforms — recorded only five digs and two blocks, and all primary hitters decreased in hitting percentage, adding only nine kills to the stats, compared to 15 from Texas.

After burning through both timeouts early in game three, K-State had nothing to break up the long runs coming from the other side of the net. Claiming eight points almost immediately, the Longhorns put up another unbeatable drive to the end, getting two points for every one from K-State and winning the match 25-12.

The Wildcats experienced considerable trouble at the net; some hits did not make it over or landed out of bounds, and many were pushed right back by Texas' blockers.

Fritz said her team has some areas that it needs to work on, including not progressively slipping throughout a match.

"We have a lot of things we have to do better, but ultimately I think we've got to be able to be more resilient," Fritz said. "We can't just check out. We've got to stay in it and understand that volleyball is a game of momentum."

The player of the match goes to sophomore opposite hitter Kathleen Ludwig. With her six kills and .353 hitting percentage, Ludwig made every shot count and recorded half of K-State's blocks. For the back row, Fritz said there needs to be some improvements.

"Our passing has to get better," Fritz said. "I think that's clearly a weakness for us right now."

K-State returns to action next Wednesday with an away match at Iowa.