Kansas State University Athletics
Saturday, September 4
Santa Barbara, Calif.
2 p.m.
Kansas State University
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UC Santa Barbara
1-4,0-0Big West
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Kansas St.
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UC Santa Barbara
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K-State Sweeps Doubleheader with UCSB, SDSU
Sep 04, 2021 | Volleyball
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – K-State finished the Gaucho Invitational Saturday with a pair of victories, defeating UC Santa Barbara in five sets (25-22, 25-23, 20-25, 23-25, 15-13) before ousting San Diego State in four sets (25-19, 18-25, 25-23, 25-16) at the Thunderdome.
Haley Warner turned in a team-high 37 kills over the two matches, with 19 coming against the Gauchos and 18 more in the finale against the Aztecs. Aliyah Carter totaled 31 kills, including a season-high 21 coming in the day's first match.
Mackenzie Morris led the Wildcats' (3-2) back row with 37 total digs and a match-high 20 against UCSB. The sophomore libero added four aces in each contest. Kadye Fernholz tallied 10 total blocks Saturday.
"A lot of volleyball and we found a way to get it done," said head coach Suzie Fritz. "Two wins and that's a really tough turnaround against two very capable volleyball teams. Just the grit and the toughness it takes to bounce back and go out and, probably, play better in the second match than we did in the first, says a lot about our team. They showed a lot of toughness.
"We're not where we need to be from a serve-and-pass perspective, but when we are in system, we've got some opportunities to be really good."
K-STATE 3, UC SANTA BARBARA 2
K-State claimed the match's first two sets and held on to outlast host UC Santa Barbara in five sets in Saturday's opener, 25-22, 25-23, 20-25, 23-25, 15-13.
Carter turned in her second 20-kill effort of the season, and eighth of her career, with a season-high 21. Haley Warner added 19, a career best, while leading the team in hitting efficiency at .471.
Morris registered 20 digs and four aces and Fernholz tallied six blocks to lead the K-State defense.
K-State faced a 22-17 deficit in the opening set of the day but responded by rattling off the final eight points of the frame behind the serve of Morris. Carter and Warner accounted for 10 of the Wildcats' 14 kills in set one, with the duo combining for six kills in their 8-0 closing run.
The Cats, who hit at a .500 clip, earned their first lead since a 6-1 Gaucho run handed UCSB a 14-11 lead. The defense registered four total team blocks, as Fernholz was in on all four K-State stuff blocks while adding an ace, a kill and a dig.
In the second set, the Wildcat lead grew as large as eight points, 17-9, following a 7-1 burst. The Gauchos (1-4) chipped away with a stretch in which they scored 10 of 12 points to even the score at 20. Kills from Warner and Carter preceded a set-sealing ace by Morris to give the Cats a two-set advantage.
Carter added five more kills while Warner picked up four in the second. Jayden Nembhard, who came off the bench late in set one, tallied four kills. The offense clicked at a .300 pace with 17 kills coming on 40 swings.
K-State's offense was held to a match-low .158 hitting percentage in the third set, as the Gauchos forced the Wildcats into six errors behind three team blocks. Carter was responsible for five of the team's 12 kills.
Trailing by as many as five, the Cats tied the score at 15 with a tandem block from Teana Adams-Kaonohi and Kayley Hollywood but an 8-3 UCSB burst propelled the Gauchos to their first set victory. Michelle Ohwobete put down six kills on nine attempts without an error (667) to lead the UCSB attack.
UCSB tallied 19 kills and hit .417 in the fourth, pushing the match to a fifth frame. This time, it was Abrielle Bross who posted six kills on nine swings for the Gauchos. Warner matched Bross with six kills to lead the Cats and Morris totaled six digs and an ace.
K-State never trailed in the final set and led by as many as four at 12-8. Holly Bonde's seventh kill of the match sealed the victory. Hollywood picked up a pair of block assists as the Wildcat defense registered three in the frame. Warner had three kills on four swings as the Cats hit .350.
Bross led four Gauchos in double-figure kills and finished the match with 18 at a .484 efficiency. Ohwobete put down 15 and Tasia Farmer and Deni Wilson each had 10.
UCSB held a 70-66 edge in total kills and hit .340 to K-State's .321.
The Wildcats had 10.5 blocks while the Gauchos registered seven. Each team posted 10 service aces.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
K-STATE 3, SAN DIEGO STATE 1
Led by Warner's 18 kills and .636 hitting percentage, K-State earned a four-set victory over San Diego State in the finale Saturday of the Gaucho Invitational, 25-19, 18-25, 25-23, 25-16.
Warner recorded a kill on each of her first 10 swings of the match, as she needed just 22 attempts to reach 18 kills against the Aztecs (1-5). The senior opposite finished the doubleheader with 37 kills at an efficiency of .536.
"I think she hit over .500 over the two matches," Fritz said of Warner, a Florida transfer in her first season at K-State. "She and Teana (Adams-Kaonohi) are really starting to groove things in. Another thing I really like is we are able to throw some out-of-system stuff her way and her swing management is getting a lot better. She's making better decisions, when to go for it and when to make them play. So, I was really pleased with that part. I think she's grown a lot and improved a lot in a short amount of time."
A 10-2 Wildcat run in the opening set turned a four-point deficit into a 17-13 lead. K-State maintained momentum and closed by scoring six of the final eight for a 25-19 first-set victory. Warner was a perfect 6-for-6 in the frame, as she helped the Cats hit .400 in picking up 16 kills.
SDSU was limited to a .182 efficiency, with 12 kills and six errors, in the first set and countered by hitting .448 in the second. The Aztecs got 16 kills, four coming from Victoria O'Sullivan, in leveling the match behind an 8-4 closing sprint.
The Cats never led in the second set, but still managed a .321 team hitting percentage with five kills from Bonde on 10 attacks. Warner added four kills on five swings.
Despite hitting a match-low .167, K-State withstood six tie scores and three lead changes to take a 2-1 advantage. The Cats opened a lead as large as five (21-16) only to see SDSU even the score at 22. Two kills from Carter and another by Warner finished the frame.
SDSU was forced into six errors behind three blocks, with Carter being involved in all three stuff blocks.
The final set saw the Wildcats race out to an 11-4 lead on their way to closing out a 25-16 fourth-set victory. Nembhard added three kills to match Warner's three while Fernholz and Hollywood each added a pair. Warner added three blocks in the set and finished the night with a team leading six.
Bonde carded nine kills and two blocks. Morris led the Cats in digs (17) and aces (4) for the second straight contest.
Fernholz hit .462 (6 kills, 13 swings, 0 errors) after hitting .417 in the opener. The sophomore middle blocker has hit .333 or better in all five matches this season.
The Aztecs were led by 13 kills apiece from Zoi Faki and O'Sullivan.
NEXT UP
K-State will open its home slate at the K-State Invitational beginning Thursday. Over three days, the Wildcats will face Ohio, Loyola Chicago and Fresno State at Bramlage Coliseum. All three matches will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and single-match tickets are now on sale at K-StateSports.com/tickets.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Haley Warner turned in a team-high 37 kills over the two matches, with 19 coming against the Gauchos and 18 more in the finale against the Aztecs. Aliyah Carter totaled 31 kills, including a season-high 21 coming in the day's first match.
Mackenzie Morris led the Wildcats' (3-2) back row with 37 total digs and a match-high 20 against UCSB. The sophomore libero added four aces in each contest. Kadye Fernholz tallied 10 total blocks Saturday.
"A lot of volleyball and we found a way to get it done," said head coach Suzie Fritz. "Two wins and that's a really tough turnaround against two very capable volleyball teams. Just the grit and the toughness it takes to bounce back and go out and, probably, play better in the second match than we did in the first, says a lot about our team. They showed a lot of toughness.
"We're not where we need to be from a serve-and-pass perspective, but when we are in system, we've got some opportunities to be really good."
K-STATE 3, UC SANTA BARBARA 2
K-State claimed the match's first two sets and held on to outlast host UC Santa Barbara in five sets in Saturday's opener, 25-22, 25-23, 20-25, 23-25, 15-13.
Carter turned in her second 20-kill effort of the season, and eighth of her career, with a season-high 21. Haley Warner added 19, a career best, while leading the team in hitting efficiency at .471.
Morris registered 20 digs and four aces and Fernholz tallied six blocks to lead the K-State defense.
K-State faced a 22-17 deficit in the opening set of the day but responded by rattling off the final eight points of the frame behind the serve of Morris. Carter and Warner accounted for 10 of the Wildcats' 14 kills in set one, with the duo combining for six kills in their 8-0 closing run.
The Cats, who hit at a .500 clip, earned their first lead since a 6-1 Gaucho run handed UCSB a 14-11 lead. The defense registered four total team blocks, as Fernholz was in on all four K-State stuff blocks while adding an ace, a kill and a dig.
In the second set, the Wildcat lead grew as large as eight points, 17-9, following a 7-1 burst. The Gauchos (1-4) chipped away with a stretch in which they scored 10 of 12 points to even the score at 20. Kills from Warner and Carter preceded a set-sealing ace by Morris to give the Cats a two-set advantage.
Carter added five more kills while Warner picked up four in the second. Jayden Nembhard, who came off the bench late in set one, tallied four kills. The offense clicked at a .300 pace with 17 kills coming on 40 swings.
K-State's offense was held to a match-low .158 hitting percentage in the third set, as the Gauchos forced the Wildcats into six errors behind three team blocks. Carter was responsible for five of the team's 12 kills.
Trailing by as many as five, the Cats tied the score at 15 with a tandem block from Teana Adams-Kaonohi and Kayley Hollywood but an 8-3 UCSB burst propelled the Gauchos to their first set victory. Michelle Ohwobete put down six kills on nine attempts without an error (667) to lead the UCSB attack.
UCSB tallied 19 kills and hit .417 in the fourth, pushing the match to a fifth frame. This time, it was Abrielle Bross who posted six kills on nine swings for the Gauchos. Warner matched Bross with six kills to lead the Cats and Morris totaled six digs and an ace.
K-State never trailed in the final set and led by as many as four at 12-8. Holly Bonde's seventh kill of the match sealed the victory. Hollywood picked up a pair of block assists as the Wildcat defense registered three in the frame. Warner had three kills on four swings as the Cats hit .350.
Bross led four Gauchos in double-figure kills and finished the match with 18 at a .484 efficiency. Ohwobete put down 15 and Tasia Farmer and Deni Wilson each had 10.
UCSB held a 70-66 edge in total kills and hit .340 to K-State's .321.
The Wildcats had 10.5 blocks while the Gauchos registered seven. Each team posted 10 service aces.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- K-State finished with a .321 attack percentage (66 kills, 16 errors, 156 attacks).
- UCSB hit .340 for the match (70 kills, 17 errors, 156 attacks).
- Carter led all players with 21 kills, hitting .386 to go with four digs and two blocks.
- Warner logged a career-high 19 kills at a .471 efficiency.
- Carter turned in her second 20-kill match of the season and the eighth of her career.
- Morris recorded 20 digs and matched her career high with four aces.
- It marked Morris' seventh career outing with 20 or more digs, moving her into fifth in the rally-scoring era in 20-dig efforts.
- The Cats served up 10 aces, with three coming from Fernholz and a pair by Hinkle.
- Fernholz led the defense with six blocks.
- Adams-Kaonohi dished out 45 assists while digging seven balls to go with four blocks.
- K-State reached double-figure blocks for the third time in four matches.
- Four Gauchos reached double-digit kills, led by Bross' 18 at a .484 clip.
- The all-time series between K-State and UCSB is now tied, 1-1.
- It marked the first meeting between the teams since 1989.
- The match was the 33rd five-set contest the Cats have played in since the start of the 2017 season (16-17).
K-STATE 3, SAN DIEGO STATE 1
Led by Warner's 18 kills and .636 hitting percentage, K-State earned a four-set victory over San Diego State in the finale Saturday of the Gaucho Invitational, 25-19, 18-25, 25-23, 25-16.
Warner recorded a kill on each of her first 10 swings of the match, as she needed just 22 attempts to reach 18 kills against the Aztecs (1-5). The senior opposite finished the doubleheader with 37 kills at an efficiency of .536.
"I think she hit over .500 over the two matches," Fritz said of Warner, a Florida transfer in her first season at K-State. "She and Teana (Adams-Kaonohi) are really starting to groove things in. Another thing I really like is we are able to throw some out-of-system stuff her way and her swing management is getting a lot better. She's making better decisions, when to go for it and when to make them play. So, I was really pleased with that part. I think she's grown a lot and improved a lot in a short amount of time."
A 10-2 Wildcat run in the opening set turned a four-point deficit into a 17-13 lead. K-State maintained momentum and closed by scoring six of the final eight for a 25-19 first-set victory. Warner was a perfect 6-for-6 in the frame, as she helped the Cats hit .400 in picking up 16 kills.
SDSU was limited to a .182 efficiency, with 12 kills and six errors, in the first set and countered by hitting .448 in the second. The Aztecs got 16 kills, four coming from Victoria O'Sullivan, in leveling the match behind an 8-4 closing sprint.
The Cats never led in the second set, but still managed a .321 team hitting percentage with five kills from Bonde on 10 attacks. Warner added four kills on five swings.
Despite hitting a match-low .167, K-State withstood six tie scores and three lead changes to take a 2-1 advantage. The Cats opened a lead as large as five (21-16) only to see SDSU even the score at 22. Two kills from Carter and another by Warner finished the frame.
SDSU was forced into six errors behind three blocks, with Carter being involved in all three stuff blocks.
The final set saw the Wildcats race out to an 11-4 lead on their way to closing out a 25-16 fourth-set victory. Nembhard added three kills to match Warner's three while Fernholz and Hollywood each added a pair. Warner added three blocks in the set and finished the night with a team leading six.
Bonde carded nine kills and two blocks. Morris led the Cats in digs (17) and aces (4) for the second straight contest.
Fernholz hit .462 (6 kills, 13 swings, 0 errors) after hitting .417 in the opener. The sophomore middle blocker has hit .333 or better in all five matches this season.
The Aztecs were led by 13 kills apiece from Zoi Faki and O'Sullivan.
NEXT UP
K-State will open its home slate at the K-State Invitational beginning Thursday. Over three days, the Wildcats will face Ohio, Loyola Chicago and Fresno State at Bramlage Coliseum. All three matches will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and single-match tickets are now on sale at K-StateSports.com/tickets.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- K-State finished with a .287 attack percentage (56 kills, 21 errors, 122 attacks).
- San Diego State hit .213 (47 kills, 21 errors, 122 attacks).
- Warner had 18 kills at a .636 clip.
- Warner recorded a kill on each of her first 10 swings of the match.
- Adams-Kaonohi handed out 44 assists to go with five kills
- Carter logged 10 kills and four blocks.
- Fernholz hit .462 and has hit .333 or higher in all five matches this season.
- Warner added six blocks against the Aztecs.
- Morris led the Cats with 17 digs and four aces.
- SDSU got 13 kills apiece from Faki and O'Sullivan.
- This marked the first-ever meeting between K-State and San Diego State.
- Fritz improves to 9-2 against teams from the Mountain West.
Team Stats
KState
UCSB
Kills
66
70
Errors
16
17
Attempts
156
156
Hitting %
.321
.340
Points
86.5
87
Assists
60
69
Aces
10
10
Blocks
10.5
7
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
21
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
19
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
3
Blocks
6
Players Mentioned
S
/ VolleyballOPP/OH
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ Volleyball
OH/OPP
/ VolleyballOPP
/ Volleyball
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