K-State volleyball found its rhythm in the third set, but the Wildcats couldn’t carry that momentum through the finish against No. 16 TCU on Sunday, Nov. 1, afternoon in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Wildcats fell to the Horned Frogs in four sets, 21-25, 17-25, 25-17, 18-25, at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena.
Despite the loss, K-State (10-9, 2-9 Big 12) found contributions throughout its lineup. Skylar Brady recorded her second career double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs, while Ellah Derrer and Sydney Maue each added nine kills without an attack error.
Addison Massey paced the Wildcats with 13 kills, marking her 17th match this season with at least 10.
TCU (17-5, 8-3 Big 12) relied on its outside hitters to control the match. Becca Kelley led all players with 20 kills, while Evan Hendrix added 19 as the Horned Frogs finished with 53 kills and a .311 hitting percentage.
“Really proud of our effort today,” head coach Jason Mansfield said. “I thought we played with real fire and grit on the road, and I love seeing that. TCU has two elite outside hitters who are difficult to slow down, and we needed to do a little better job of containing them.”
K-State opened the match with a strong offensive showing, hitting .314 in the first set. The Wildcats battled back from a 5-point deficit, using 4 consecutive points to pull within 1. Massey added a service ace during the run, while Brady contributed two kills.
After TCU built another 7-point advantage, K-State made one more push. Massey and Derrer each recorded two kills during a 6-2 run, but the Horned Frogs held on for a 25-21 win.
TCU carried that momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 7-2 lead with a 6-1 scoring run. The Horned Frogs hit .406 in the frame, while K-State managed 10 kills and hit .167. TCU maintained control throughout the set, taking it 25-17 and moving within one set of the match.
The Wildcats responded in the third.
Back-to-back kills from Cadence Lundgren and Maue helped K-State take a 16-13 lead. Lundgren and Brady followed with a block to extend the advantage, and Reagan Fox and Derrer teamed up for another block later in the set.
“Sydney [Maue] and Ellah [Derrer] have been working really hard to take aggressive swings and be more assertive offensively,” Mansfield said. “They both want to become a bigger part of our offense, and today they provided much more balance for us.”
K-State closed the frame with a 5-0 run to secure a 25-17 victory. The Wildcats hit .615, recording 18 kills on 26 attempts with just two errors, while holding TCU to a .192 hitting percentage.
The momentum carried into the fourth set, as the Wildcats used a 6-2 scoring run to take an early 10-8 lead. TCU answered by scoring 7 of the next 9 points to regain control. The Horned Frogs finished with a 10-5 closing run to take the set 25-18 and secure the four-set victory.
Defensively, senior Fuka Sekita led K-State with 15 digs and added nine assists. Brady, Derrer and Lundgren each recorded three blocks as the Wildcats finished with a 49-47 advantage in digs. TCU held a 9-7 edge in total blocks.
“Fuka [Sekita] has been a rock for us,” Mansfield said. “The consistency she brings to her training, her focus every day, her ability to lead by example and the positivity she brings to her teammates are all inspiring.”
K-State returns to Morgan Family Arena next weekend for a pair of Big 12 matchups. The Wildcats host Cincinnati at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, before facing No. 24 Baylor at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8. ESPN+ will stream both matches.
