K-State volleyball will have a zero in the loss column heading into conference play. The Wildcats completed a perfect nonconference slate Saturday afternoon, defeating the Omaha Mavericks 3-1 (25-20, 11-25, 25-16, 25-15). The victory improved K-State to 8-0 and closed a successful weekend that also included a road upset over No. 20 Creighton less than 24 hours prior. It also gave the Wildcats their first undefeated nonconference season since 2012 and only their second in program history.

The first set was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team able to create separation early. With the set tied 17-17, K-State broke through with back-to-back kills from Addison Massey and Reagan Fox. Up 19-18, the Wildcats closed with a 6-2 run to take the opening frame, 25-20. Addison Massey led the way with six of K-State’s 15 kills, and the team recorded a .419 hitting percentage with two errors.

Despite the Wildcats’ hot start, their momentum vanished in the second set. Omaha pressured K-State from the start, taking an early 11-6 lead and forcing a timeout. The Mavericks used a six-point run to extend their lead to 17-8, and they never looked back. 

K-State struggled to regain control on offense and in its serve game, and Omaha’s defense stifled any attack the ‘Cats generated. Omaha won the set convincingly, 25-11, handing K-State its largest deficit of the season. 

“We just kind of lost control, even in our service game,” head coach Jason Mansfield said. “They played good defense, so I challenged them in between the second and third sets to have a bounce-back like we’ve had at different times this year.”

The Wildcats were up for the challenge, though, and after falling behind 7-4 early in the third set, they rattled off a 6-1 run to retake the lead. One of the set’s decisive moments came when libero Fuka Sekita made a pancake save to keep the rally alive, allowing Lauren Latham to set up Massey for the kill that pushed the Wildcats’ lead to 15-11. 

K-State built on that momentum, closing the set with a 10-4 run. Sydney Maue and a service ace from Chandler Carter helped the ‘Cats win 25-16, restoring control of the match. Again, K-State’s offense shined, recording 15 kills at a .222 hitting percentage and holding Omaha to .062.

The fourth set saw the Wildcats lean into defense, with blocks from Camdyn Stucky, Reese Resmer, Skylar Brady and Cadence Lundgren giving K-State a 10-5 lead. The Wildcats extended their lead to 20-12 and scored five of the final eight points to put the match away. The ‘Cats’ defense forced 10 errors, out-blocked the Mavericks 4-0 and held them to a .029 hitting percentage.

“We’ve been challenged a lot in some different ways, and I’m glad that we not only got challenged today, but we made up for some of the mistakes that we made in the second set,” Mansfield said. “But yeah, I’m really proud of our team. I mean, you can’t ask for anything more than to be 8-0 at this point.”

Massey was stellar once again, leading both teams with 16 kills, marking her fourth straight match with double-digit kills. Brady added nine kills, and Lundgren totaled eight kills and a match-leading four blocks. As a team, K-State hit .229 with 46 kills, four aces and seven blocks, while holding Omaha to a .158 hitting percentage. The Wildcats also finished with advantages in blocks (7-6) and digs (45-44).

With two wins in Nebraska, K-State is now one of only seven remaining Division 1 programs undefeated this season and has secured its longest winning streak since the 2018 campaign. 

The Wildcats now turn their focus to the Big 12, where they will open conference play on the road against UCF in Orlando. That match begins at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, and will be on ESPN+.