K-State vs. No. 11 Bluejays: 0-3 (25-17, 25-13, 25-19)
Kansas State had a difficult time competing against the Bluejays on Saturday. Creighton, with home-court advantage, made strong offensive and defensive plays that kept the Wildcats from getting a good rhythm.
“Today was a tough match, we played a really good, experienced team at home,” head coach Jason Mansfield said in a statement from K-State Athletics. “I thought we prepared well, and we were ready to battle after the short turnaround from last night [against USC] but they were just a little too good both offensively and defensively for us to get any momentum. Creighton is going to be really good this year and very tough to beat, especially at home. They definitely played today like they’re a top 10 team.”
Even though as a team K-State was ineffective against the Bluejays, several Wildcat players performed well during the match. Outside hitter Aliyah Carter obtained 11 kills, which is the ninth time she has scored double-digit kills against a nationally-ranked opponent.
Senior libero Ella Larkin recorded 26 digs, three service aces, and nine assists while in Omaha, earning an All-Tournament team honor.
“I’m really proud of how much Ella is improving, how she’s stepped into a new team and a new role, and really embraced both situations well,” Mansfield said. “Her instincts on defense are special and her passing and serving are both getting a lot better. She helps us be a better team in so many ways and I’m looking forward to continuing to coach her and watch her grow throughout the season.”
K-State vs. No. 20 USC: 1-3 (25-21, 16-25, 27-25, 25-22)
The Wildcats played a solid game of volleyball against the Trojans. Carter had a major contribution to the team offensively, racking up 17 kills and 13 digs.
A promising turning point for the Wildcats was in Set 2, putting together a 8-1 scoring rampage and winning the set 25-16.
K-State’s shot at winning continued until an attack error in Set 3 allowed the Trojans to feed off of K-State’s mistake and produce a 6-1 run. The Wildcats were able to come back and tie the score several times but weren’t able to produce a lead to win the set.
The Trojans started the fourth set with a lot of fire, leading by eight points early on. K-State quickly responded by reducing the gap to five, but was not able to gain enough momentum to surpass the Trojans.
“Hard-fought match today versus a talented USC team,” Mansfield said. “We are playing better in lots of areas, but we have to find a way to make a couple more plays, especially in sets one and three where we had leads. Our defense behind the block continues to be a strength of ours, we just need to keep fighting and finding ways to keep improving.”
