Following a straight-set victory over CSUN (28-26, 25-18, 25-23) on Sept. 4 to open the Wildcat Classic, K-State volleyball wrapped up its non-conference home slate in dominant fashion Sunday afternoon. The Wildcats swept the Drake Bulldogs in three sets (25-17, 25-13, 25-20) at Morgan Family Arena to claim the tournament crown.
With the victory, K-State extended its winning streak to four games and moved to 12-1 in set play this season.
Starting the first set strong, the Wildcats took it 25-17, breaking open an early 7-7 tie with a commanding 9-1 run powered by seven straight serves from Caleigh Ponn and three blocks from Cadence Lundgren. Up 20-15, K-State put the set away with a 5-1 finish, capitalizing on a net defense that forced 11 Bulldog errors and held Drake to a .000 hitting percentage in the opening frame.
Fired up by the packed purple crowd, the Wildcat offense exploded in the second set, taking an early 9-1 advantage. Big 12 ace leader Emerson Van Lennen fueled the fire with five kills and an ace. Later in the set, K-State smashed five straight kills to push the margin to 18-6, hitting an efficient .433 behind a balanced attack to claim set two, 25-13.
Set three was the closest battle of the night as Drake made its tightest push, cutting K-State’s lead to 12-11. The Wildcats responded immediately, keeping the Bulldogs at bay. Senior Reagan Fox was unstoppable in the closing frame, posting five kills without an error on a set-high .714 hitting efficiency to seal the 25-20 win and complete the match sweep.
“I thought that we started a little flat, but I thought we got better kind of as the match went on,” head coach Jason Mansfield said. “Our offense got better. Felt more connected as the match went on. So really proud of our performance, and I thought our offense was really good.”
(Erica Merz)
As a team, K-State hit a season-best .353 clip (44 kills, 8 errors, 102 attempts) compared to Drake’s .155. Wildcat standouts at the net included Fox, who had a career-high 12 kills and posted a career-best .556 hitting percentage. Van Lannen dished out 18 assists alongside seven digs, while libero Fuka Sekita and Addison Massey anchored the back row with 11 digs each.
“I think Jason and I have worked super closely on what we want this culture to be, especially having a bunch of young girls come in, and I think the biggest thing that stands out is just our competitiveness,” Fox said. “So, I think our fight is commendable.”
K-State dominated the net overall, out-blocking Drake 10-3 behind four blocks each from Lundgren and Reese Resmer.
“We’re starting to build a real identity here with our depth and flexibility,” Mansfield said. “Having options at every position means anyone can step up when called on, and that versatility is what’s going to carry us when we hit tough stretches on the road.”
The Wildcats hit the road for their first away test of the season at the Nevada Tournament in Reno, Nev. K-State opens tournament play against Weber State at 8 p.m. MT on Friday, Sept. 8, before closing out the weekend against host Nevada at 3 p.m. MT on Sunday, Sept. 13.
