Kansas State volleyball took on Houston in its first conference game, falling by way of a sweep for the third straight contest on Wednesday.
Despite owning home-court advantage at Morgan Family Arena, the Cougars made quick work of the Wildcats, winning 27-25, 25-20, 25-23.
“The narrative is the same,” head coach Jason Mansfield said. “We’re close and we have to find a way to finish sets and win when we’re up.”
K-State, which dropped to 2-8, has not won a set in three straight contests. Houston owns a 6-5 record and a perfect start in its second year in the Big 12.
Although K-State took the loss, its hitting percentage improved compared to the last four games at home. The Wildcats hit .216 against Houston, whereas in their last four home games, they averaged a .143 hit percentage.
“Moving Meg [Brown] back to the right certainly helps out the offense,” Mansfield said on the improvement. “For her to have 16 kills at .433 is what she’s capable of doing, but we’ve got to get two more attackers to be able to score for us.”
Brown, a middle blocker, turned in 16 kills with a .433 hit percentage. Following her were outside hitters Aliyah Carter with 12 kills and Liz Gregorski with 10.
The Cougars jumped out to a 4-0 lead, with four different players contributing points before K-State rallied behind middle blocker Brenna Schmidt, tying the game at 11.
The Wildcats went on a 5-1 run and took the lead, 21-17, but a 5-1 run from Houston tied it and led to it pulling out the long set, winning 27-25.
Carter and Brown had two kills each to begin the second set. Because of this, the Wildcats built a solid 6-3 lead early. Houston responded and eventually took the lead after a 7-0 run. The Cougars ended the set, winning 25-20.
Set 3 was a competitive affair between the Cougars and Wildcats as neither team gave the other an inch. A big service ace from setter Izzi Szulczewski gave K-State a 10-8 lead and the Wildcats eventually forced a Cougar timeout.
Houston had more success closing out sets, charging back to a lead at 22-19. Back-to-back kills from Brown brought the score closer but it did not suffice. Houston won 25-23, completing the sweep.