Cats’ Early Offense Stalls in Four-Set Loss at WVU

Wednesday, October 30

Morgantown, W.Va.

5 p.m.

Kansas State University

7-14, 2-7

West Virginia

11-11, 2-7

K-State

West Virginia

Oct 30, 2019 | Volleyball

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – K-State got double-doubles from outside hitter Anna Dixon and setter Sarah Dixon, however, West Virginia claimed the night's final three sets to hand the Wildcats a four-set defeat Wednesday at WVU Coliseum, 28-26, 15-25, 17-25, 19-25.

K-State (7-14, 2-7 Big 12) picked up 21 kills in its opening-set victory, as Anna Dixon produced six of her team-high 16 in the first set. West Virginia (11-11, 2-7 Big 12) went on to own a 47-30 edge in total kills after the first set, holding the Wildcats under a .200 hitting efficiency in each of the final three frames.

"We made a lot of good volleyball plays in the first set and withstood some late-game pressure," head coach Suzie Fritz said. "We made some really nice plays at the end of the first. Frankly, I thought (West Virginia) got a lot better as the match went on and I didn't think we matched their execution and intensity as the match wore on."

Anna Dixon's 16-kill, 11-dig performance marked her first career double-double, as her 11 digs set a career best. She has led the Wildcats in kills in each of the last seven matches and produced 10 or more kills in 11 straight.

Sarah Dixon handed out 22 assists to go with 10 digs for her team-leading 12^th of the season. Freshman Teana Adams-Kaonohi dished out a team-best 24 assists with eight digs.

Brynn Carlson added 10 kills on 25 swings while hitting at a .400 clip (0 errors). Gloria Mutiri and Peyton Williams each recorded eight kills while Williams chipped in two service aces.

Dru Kuck led four Wildcats in double-figure digs with 15. In addition to Anna Dixon and Sarah Dixon, freshman Loren Hinkle registered 11 digs.

The Wildcats and Mountaineers battled to the tune of 16 tie scores and seven lead changes in the opening set. K-State fought off a pair of set-points chances by WVU and finished the frame on a 3-0 scoring run, capped by Anna Dixon's sixth kill of the set. Williams added four kills while Mutiri chipped in three as the Cats tallied 21 kills.

K-State was limited to just seven kills as a team while committing seven attacking errors in the second set. WVU tallied seven straight points as part of a 10-2 burst to open an 18-12 lead and finished the game by scoring six of the final seven points. Holly Bonde and Carlson led the Cats with two kills apiece.

K-State fell into a 6-1 hole to begin the third, but the Cats' largest scoring run was just three points. WVU led by as many as nine (23-14) after rattling off five points straight points. Anna Dixon accounted for four of the Wildcats' 11 kills in Set 3, as the team produced a .093 efficiency.

Conversely, West Virginia hit .351 in the third while picking up 17 kills. Katelyn Evans, who led the Mountaineers with 19 kills, tallied five in the set.

Anna Dixon and Evans each contributed six kills for their respective clubs in the fourth, with WVU holding an 18-12 lead in kills. West Virginia registered three total blocks in the frame as a Mountaineer 8-1 run broke a 10-10 tie midway through Set 4.

K-State's .152 team hitting percentage marked its second lowest of the season. West Virginia ended the night hitting .314 – a season high for a Wildcat opponent and just the second team to hit above .300 (Ohio, 304).

Evans led a quartet of Mountaineers in double-digit kills: Briana Lynch (13), Kristina Jordan (11) and Erin Slinde (10).

WVU's Alexa Hasting led all players with 16 digs. West Virginia owned a 72-63 advantaged in total digs and a 9.0-3.0 lead in total blocks.

The Wildcats return to Ahearn Field House Saturday, as the TCU Horned Frogs visit for a 6:30 p.m. start. The match will air live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and Rob Voelker will have the call on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). Free, live audio available at K-StateSports.com/watch.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

K-State hit .152 as a team (51 kills, 26 errors, 165 attacks).
West Virginia turned in a .314 hitting percentage (63 kills, 15 errors, 153 swings).
K-State's .152 efficiency was its second lowest of the season while WVU's clip was the highest for a Wildcat opponent this season.
Anna Dixon led the Wildcats for the seventh straight match with 16 kills.
Anna Dixon turned in her first career double-double, picking up a career-high 11 digs.
Sarah Dixon's double-double (22 assists, 10 digs) was her team-high 12^th of the year.
Four Cats reached double-digit digs, led by Kuck with 15.
Megan Vernon led the Wildcats with two blocks.
WVU out-produced K-State in kills 47-30 after the first set.

NOTES

K-State leads the all-time series, 9-7.
The Cats are 4-4 on the road in the series.
WVU has won the last two matches in the series and sweep the season set for the second time in three years.
K-State is 3-5 in four-set matches.