What looked like a signature road win for K-State volleyball turned into a frustrating missed opportunity Sunday afternoon.
After snapping a seven-set losing streak and taking the first two sets against No. 23 Colorado, the Wildcats couldn’t close out the upset as the Buffaloes rallied to a 21-25, 26-28, 25-22, 25-22, 15-10 win at the CU Events Center.
The loss dropped K-State to 9-5 overall and 1-5 in Big 12 play, extending the Cats’ losing streak to five straight after a 9-0 start. Colorado improved to 12-4 and 3-3 in conference play.
The match was tightly contested throughout. Colorado finished with a narrow 61-60 edge in kills and hit .273 as a team compared to K-State’s .241. The Buffaloes also had slight advantages in blocks (14-10) and service aces (8-6). Both teams were nearly even offensively through the first four sets, but Colorado limited the Wildcats to a .080 hitting percentage in the fifth set to complete the comeback.
After falling behind 6-4 in the first set, the Wildcats responded with a 6-1 scoring run as Reagan Fox recorded back-to-back kills. K-State stretched its lead to 22-18 behind several kills from Cadence Lundgren, but the Buffalos scored 3 straight points to force a Wildcat timeout. Massey added a pair of kills, and a Colorado service error sealed K-State’s first-set win, ending the Cats’ seven-set losing streak.
K-State continued that momentum into the second set. Colorado built a 13-8 lead early, but the Wildcats battled back to tie the set 19-19 behind a solo block and kill from Lundgren. After K-State fought off two Colorado set points, Skylar Brady and Ellah Derrer teamed up for a block before Massey delivered a critical kill. Massey followed with her 13th kill of the set, and a Colorado attack error secured the 28-26 win. K-State hit .385 in the set, with Massey recording 8 kills, to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
“I’m really proud of how we came ready to play today,” head coach Jason Mansfield said. “We’ve had a rough stretch, but I loved how connected the girls were early in the match, and I thought that showed in the way we competed.”
Unfortunately for K-State, that momentum shifted after the break.
The Wildcats erased an early three-point deficit after a successful Mansfield challenge, then took a 13-12 lead on consecutive kills from Sydney Maue. Colorado responded immediately, however, scoring 4 straight points, including 3 kills from senior Cayla Payne. With the match tied 18-18, the Buffaloes rode a 7-4 scoring run to claim the set and extend the match.
K-State came out hot in the fourth set, taking a 5-0 lead and scoring 6 of the first 7 points, including a Derrer solo block and Brady’s third ace. Colorado responded with 3 service aces to tie at 9-9 and later ran a 5-1 stretch to take the lead. K-State tried to close the gap, and 2 Massey kills and a Chandler Carter ace cut the deficit to 2, but Colorado fended off the rally to force a decisive fifth set.
In the fifth-set race to 15, K-State used a double block from Derrer and Fox and kills from Brady and Massey to take a 3-1 lead.
Colorado fought back to take a 7-5 lead before Brady’s 14th kill cut the gap to one. However, the Buffaloes scored 6 of the final 8 points to take the match and finish the reverse sweep. Colorado limited K-State to an .080 hitting percentage in the set and recorded 5 blocks.
“We knew from watching film that their offense would be tough to slow down, and I thought we did a great job limiting most of their attackers,” Mansfield said. “Ana Burilovic is a special player, though, and she really carried them in the second half of the match.”
Massey delivered one of the best performances of her K-State career, totaling a career-high 25 kills on 57 swings and tying for the match-high with Colorado’s Ana Burilovic. Massey became the 22nd player in program history to reach 25 kills in a match and recorded her fourth 20-kill match of the season.
Brady added 14 kills, 3 aces and a career-high 12 digs for her first double-double. Lundgren finished with 8 kills and 4 blocks, while Derrer led the ‘Cats with 7 blocks. Fuka Sekita totaled 11 digs, and the combination of Van Lannen and Stucky contributed 30 and 17 assists, respectively.
“Winning the first two sets on the road against a team as talented as Colorado is a big step in the direction we want to go,” Mansfield said. “I thought Emerson [Van Lannen] and Camdyn [Stucky] set a really good offense for us today, getting more attackers involved.”
Despite the disappointing result, Mansfield said Sunday’s five-set match showed progress for a team trying to find its footing and momentum in the Big 12.
“I told the team after our last match that I believe we’re close to playing better volleyball and ultimately winning matches,” Mansfield said. “It starts with playing good enough volleyball to win sets, and we did that today. That’s a big step forward, and I’m proud of how we competed together.”
The Wildcats return home to Morgan Family Arena Thursday for another chapter of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown against No. 17 Kansas. The first serve of the rivalry match is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and will stream on ESPN+.
