BOULDER, Colo. No. 20 Kansas State rallied from a two-game deficit to force just its third 5-game match of the season on Wednesday night at the Coors Events Center. Colorado was able to hold off the Wildcats, ending K-State’s three-match win streak, 3-2 (30-14, 30-25, 25-30, 28-30, 15-5).
Leading Kansas State was junior Sandy Werner with 19 kills on a .455 hitting percentage. The total ties the Topeka, Kan., native’s season-high and is the fourth time this season she has paced the Wildcats in the category. Joining Werner in double-digits was junior Joy Hamlin and senior Agata Rezende. It is the sixth straight match K-State has had at least two players in double-figures in kills. Hamlin registered 13 kills and nine block assists, while Rezende tabulated 11 kills, six digs and five block assists. It is the 15th double-figure kills match by Rezende this season.
Sophomore Stacey Spiegelberg registered 50 assists, nine digs, four block assists and three service aces. Sophomore Angie Lastra led K-State with 13 digs and junior Jamie Perkins led K-State with four service aces. The Council Bluffs, Iowa product registered a new career-high in service aces.
Colorado (6-7, 2-6 Big 12) dominated the Wildcats from the outset of game one. The Buffaloes opened a 13-4 advantage before a Wildcat timeout. Colorado outhit K-State .448 to .000 and held the Wildcats to their lowest point production for a game since Nov. 6, 2004 at Nebraska. In that match, Nebraska held K-State to 13 points in game three.
K-State opened game two with its first lead of the match with a Werner kill. During the stanza, the Wildcats continued its string of at least one service ace in a match with three during the frame. K-State now stands at 211 straight matches with a service ace. Colorado was able to use a 6-2 run midway through the game to hold the Wildcats off. K-State improved its hitting percentage with a .268 effort and 15 kills in the frame.
The teams traded the lead four times and were tied on 11 occasions to begin the third game. K-State was able to use a 5-1 run to force a Colorado timeout. The Buffaloes halted the Wildcats temporarily with two points. A Hamlin and Spiegelberg tandem block spurred K-State to a 7-0 rally and a 25-16 lead, it’s largest of the night. K-State was able to fend off a late Colorado 3-0 rally to take the frame.
In game three, K-State hit .250 with 15 kills, while holding the Buffaloes to a .174 hitting percentage.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 3-0 lead on the back of two Colorado attacking errors and a tandem block by Rezende and Hamlin. K-State was able to withstand the Buffaloes and build an 18-9 lead. The Buffaloes chipped away at the K-State lead, trimming the advantage to one, 29-28 K-State. As the 510 fans in the Coors Events Center came to their feet to urge the home team to the win, Rezende quieted the crowd with the game-winning kill.
Kansas State will conclude a two-match road trip with a trek to Baylor on Saturday. First serve in Waco has been changed from 7 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
