The Wildcats are in action in Moraga, Calif. for the St. Mary’s Invitational through Saturday. This tournament is the final tune-up until Big 12 play starts next Saturday against Baylor. It is also a huge tournament for the Wildcats as being successful in this tournament could go a long way in helping the Wildcats achieve their goal of getting to the NCAA tournament.
K-State entered their game against Sacramento State with a record of 8-3 on the year, including winning seven of their last eight games. Sacramento State came into the game with a record of 5-5. Sacramento has played a tough schedule that included playing No. 1 California. This was their first game of the tournament and provided a perfect opportunity to get a solid first victory.
The Wildcats and Hornets took the court at 7 p.m on Thursday. The Wildcats lost their first set 17-25. However, they were able to shake off the first set and win a tough, second set 25-22.
The third set was a good matchup, but K-State eventually took the lead and a 25-20 win. Now, the Wildcats were up two sets, but K-State didn’t let their opponents hang around. The Wildcats defeated the Hornets 25-11 in the fourth set to win the match.
After their win on Thursday, K-State will continue in the tournament tonight and on Saturday. Tonight, the Wildcats will take on Utah Valley at 7 p.m. and will face St. Mary’s on Saturday at 9 p.m.
With wins over NCAA tournament teams from last year in Missouri State and Creighton, this would be another resume boosting win. St. Mary’s is only 4-5 on the season, but has played an extremely hard schedule. St. Mary’s has victories over 18th ranked Duke University and Brigham Young University, a team that beat the Wildcats in three sets in the Varney’s Invitational.
K-State is playing a lot better as of late, as proven with their current winning streak. With Big 12 play coming up, the Wildcats will be looking to take advantage of this great opportunity.