LINCOLN, Neb. — While many doubted Kansas State volleyball, the Wildcats and head coach Jason Mansfield insisted they belonged in the NCAA Tournament.
K-State faced No. 8 seed San Diego in the first round at the Bob Devaney Center, marking the Wildcats’ first postseason appearance since 2021.
K-State found its way to a five-set victory, 21-25, 25-17, 26-28, 25-22, 15-12.
In the opening set, San Diego started strong with an early scoring run. Brenna Schmidt gave the ‘Cats momentum, having back-to-back plays—first getting a kill off a majestic slide, along with a solo block in the middle. K-State held off the Toreros from getting match point right away, but couldn’t stop San Diego’s swinging Isabel Clark to close out the set.
“We knew they [San Diego] were going to be a really difficult team to slow down offensively, and they were,” Mansfield said. “I’m really proud of our team and how we battled, especially after that first set.”
K-State regrouped in the second set and responded with a swift 25-17 win. A 4-0 run and a service ace from LeGrand sealed the frame.
“I think there were nerves, and we weren’t quite ourselves,” Mansfield said. “I’m really proud of how we bounced back in the second set, and we played like we want to play, and we’re flying around, and we’re playing with passion and I think that says a lot about the resilience.”
The third set stayed tight, with ties at 17-17, 24-24 and 25-25. After Shaylee Myers delivered a back-row kill to give K-State a 25-24 lead, San Diego answered and closed 28-26.
K-State responded again in the fourth, overcoming a 6-0 San Diego run and finishing 25-22 to force a decisive set. Many things throughout the set were executed correctly, including a pair of kills from LeGrand early in the set, along with a block by Myers and Jordyn Williams to tie the game at 12-12.
With a potent swing, Merys added a kill to her stats along with put the ‘Cats up by one, 19-18. K-State continued the battle, allowing for a fifth set.
“It was really fun,” Myers said. “At the end, we had to come together. We knew it was do or die, so just trusting everybody on the team, trusting the coaching staff and just relying on what to do and point through with it.”
To start the fifth set, the Wildcats exploded to a 5-0 surge, fueled by Caleigh Ponn’s back-to-back aces. Though San Diego tied it at 10, LeGrand delivered a perfectly placed ace in the back right corner to regain control and lift K-State to a late 12-10 advantage. The battle would continue for the last remaining points before the Wildcats would secure their victory.
Myers led the Wildcats with 26 kills, becoming the 20th player in program history to reach 1,000 career kills. She hit the milestone on her third kill of the match.
“She’s the best outside hitter in the Big 12,” Mansfield said. “Something that was really special tonight was our team believing in each other. But specifically, Shaylee taking swings at the end of sets and big swings in a variety of ways to score.”
Two Wildcats finished with double-doubles: Aniya Clinton with 19 kills and 13 digs, and LeGrand with 49 assists and 14 digs, marking her sixth straight.
K-State advances to face No. 1 seed Nebraska at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Bob Devaney Center.
“Nebraska is a great team,” LeGrand said. “They’ve proven it all season, but I think we got to focus on us. We have to be the aggressor from the start.”
