Longhorns Sweep Wildcats on Road

AUSTIN, Texas - The Kansas State Wildcats faced the No. 2 team in the nation on Wednesday night and the Texas Longhorns got the sweep. K-State could not repeat its strong showing against the Longhorns from earlier in the season when the Wildcats hit .300 for the match despite the 3-0. K-State instead had a negative hitting percentage at -.019 while the Longhorns played to a 25-13, 25-10, 25-17 win.

K-State (10-17, 4-13 Big 12) had trouble putting balls away against a strong Texas defense and tall front line of defense. Texas (21-1, 16-1)) pounded away at the Wildcats to hit .348 with Destinee Hooker leading the way with 15 kills. The Wildcats were led by Vanessa Murray with six kills in the loss.

The Wildcats could not produce enough offense facing the big block of Texas as the Longhorns stuffed seven blocks in the first set on their way to a 25-13 win. K-State hit -.086 in the first set with only seven kills. Texas on the other hand hit for an efficient .357 percentage led by a trio of players all with three kills apiece.

K-State again failed to get moving on offense in the second setting losing 25-10 with only four kills to go with six errors for a -.071 hitting percentage in the set. The numbers for Texas were nearly identical to the opening set with a .345 hitting clip and 13 kills again, and the Longhorns entered the locker room with a 2-0 advantage.

In the third set, the Wildcats were able to see more offense but it was not enough to overcome the Longhorns falling 25-17 to lose the match 3-0. K-State showed signs of keeping pace with the Longhorns early in the set before a 5-0 run put Texas up 15-8. The Wildcats would battle back within five points with a four-point run of their own, but could not overcome the deficit.

The Wildcats return home for a match against Colorado at 2 p.m. Saturday at Ahearn Field House. The match will be Senior Day for middle blocker Kelsey Chipman and setter Soriana Pacheco. In addition to Senior Day, it will be Bring Your A Game Day with youth fans getting in free with an A on their report cards. For more information call the Fan Experience and Sales Office.

- k-statesports.com -