Wildcats beat KU in 4 sets to claim regular season sweep of Jayhawks

    Just a few hours after the Wildcat football team dropped their third straight meeting against in-state rival Kansas, the K-State volleyball squad gave Manhattan a sense of redemption.
    That redemption came in the form of a 3-1 win over the Jayhawks Saturday night in Ahearn Field House.
    After barely escaping with a win in the first meeting with KU on Oct. 1, the No. 16 Wildcats (20-4, 10-3 Big 12 Conference) used a strong all-around performance to down the Jayhawks (10-12, 4-9 Big 12) by scores of 25-17, 25-17, 23-25 and 25-14.

    After a service error by libero Soriana Pacheco gave KU an early 1-0 lead, the two squads battled back and forth until the Wildcats — clinging to a slim 12-11 lead — used a 5-1 run to put the opening game away for good. The Jayhawks weren't able to get within four for the remainder of the game as K-State coasted to the win and a 1-0 lead on the night. KU was able to even the score five times, but K-State never gave up the lead after claiming it early in the game.

    Fueled by their late charge in the opening game, the Wildcats dominated the second game from the beginning. They jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead and never looked back, as they used a series of short runs to slowly bury the Jayhawks in the 25-17 win. K-State never trailed or allowed the Jayhawks to even the score as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead.

    Although K-State appeared to have all the momentum it needed after dominating the first two games, the third game belonged to the Jayhawks. KU claimed the lead early and led by as many as seven midway through the game, but K-State used a 7-1 run to slim the lead to 16-17. However, KU was able to fend off the late charge and held on for a 25-23 win.

    K-State's momentum from the late run in the third game carried over into the fourth as the Wildcats slammed the door on the Jayhawks in a 25-14 win. After falling behind 0-1, K-State caught fire as they used a 10-2 run to put the match away for good. KU wasn't able to close the gap to less than seven after the opening run by the Wildcats.

    After the match, head coach Suzie Fritz said she was happy with the performance and is starting to feel a sense of unity in her team.

    "I thought we played really well," Fritz said. "I liked our energy. I feel like this team is starting to come together, play together, enjoy playing together, and all of those things are things that we've been coaching. It was a good night for us, for the most part."

    K-State had three scorers tally double digit kills on the night. Senior outside hitters Rita Liliom and Nataly Korobkova were again dominant at the net as they recorded 19 and 13 kills, respectively. Junior middle blocker Kelsey Chipman added 11 kills on the night. The Jayhawks were led by Brittany Williams, who tallied nine kills.
    The Wildcats will wrap up their three-match homestand on Wednesday when they welcome the Oklahoma Sooners to Ahearn Field House. First serve is set for 7 p.m.