Kansas State University Athletics

K-State Tops West Virginia in Straight Sets
Sep 27, 2023 | Volleyball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. ā Kansas State earned its second straight Big 12 victory Wednesday night, as the Wildcats topped West Virginia in straight sets at WVU Coliseum, 27-25, 25-19, 25-20.
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"Any win you get in the Big 12 is tough, especially on the road," said first-year head coach Jason Mansfield. "I thought we showed a lot of grit in that first set, staying with them and finding a way to win with some great setting choices and defense. We haven't won the first set in a while, so it was nice to be up 1-0. I thought the rest of the match we stayed consistent which I was really proud of."
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K-State (8-4, 2-1 Big 12) hit over .300 as a team for the fourth time of the season with a .324 hitting efficiency, totaling 46 kills.
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"Hitting over .300 is what we're capable of doing. I thought Sydney and Brenna showed what they can do if we pass well and get them the ball. Shaylee managed really well offensively tonight and kept attacking a variety of ways."
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Two Wildcats reached double figure kills with Shaylee Myers and Aliyah Carter. Myers, a product of Lincoln, Neb., hit .417 with a season-high 11 kills followed by Carter with 10 and a pair of service aces.
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WVU came up short in earning its first conference win as the Mountaineers lost their third straight match moving to 6-9 overall and 0-3 in Big 12 action.
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Loren Hinkle paced the offense with a team-high 23 assists while Izzi Szulczewski tallied 16.
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Defensively, the Wildcats totaled six blocks led by four block assists from Sydney Bolding while Mackenzie Morris had 15 digs with two aces.
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The Mountaineers hit .213 with 40 kills on 108 swings led by Hailey Green with a match-high 16 kills followed by Bailey Miller with 10.
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SET-BY-SET
Set One ā K-State 27, West Virginia 25
The first set saw 15 tie scores with neither team grabbing greater than a two-point lead as the Wildcats and Mountaineers battled up until the final points.
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With the score tied 25-25, Aliyah Carter connected on a pass from Loren Hinkle to make her presence known as the senior laid down the hammer to put the Cats ahead. A service ace from Sydney Bolding, her 13th of the season, secured the final point.
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Aniya Clinton and Brenna Schmidt each tallied four kills in the set while Szulczewski paced the offense that hit .389 with 12 assists.
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Set Two ā K-State 25, West Virginia 19
With back-to-back kills by Schmidt and Shaylee Myers and a service ace by Mackenzie Morris, the Cats grasped a seven-point lead to take control of the set. Ā
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Four Wildcats played a part in K-States two blocks in the set as the defense held the Mountaineers to a .167 hitting efficiency led by six kills from Hailey Green.
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Set Three ā K-State 25, West Virginia 20
Three attack errors from the Mountaineer helped the Cats string together a 5-1 scoring run to lead 14-10. The Mountaineers brought the score withing three but kills by Schmidt and Bolding led the Cats to their second straight Big 12 win.
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K-State hit .286 in the final set behind four kills from Myers and Bolding.
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INSIDE THE BOX
K-State will be back at Morgan Family Arena on Saturday, Sept. 30, to take on Cincinnati (7-5, 0-2 Big 12) with first serve set for 4:30 p.m. CT.
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"Any win you get in the Big 12 is tough, especially on the road," said first-year head coach Jason Mansfield. "I thought we showed a lot of grit in that first set, staying with them and finding a way to win with some great setting choices and defense. We haven't won the first set in a while, so it was nice to be up 1-0. I thought the rest of the match we stayed consistent which I was really proud of."
Ā
K-State (8-4, 2-1 Big 12) hit over .300 as a team for the fourth time of the season with a .324 hitting efficiency, totaling 46 kills.
Ā
"Hitting over .300 is what we're capable of doing. I thought Sydney and Brenna showed what they can do if we pass well and get them the ball. Shaylee managed really well offensively tonight and kept attacking a variety of ways."
Ā
Two Wildcats reached double figure kills with Shaylee Myers and Aliyah Carter. Myers, a product of Lincoln, Neb., hit .417 with a season-high 11 kills followed by Carter with 10 and a pair of service aces.
Ā
WVU came up short in earning its first conference win as the Mountaineers lost their third straight match moving to 6-9 overall and 0-3 in Big 12 action.
Ā
Loren Hinkle paced the offense with a team-high 23 assists while Izzi Szulczewski tallied 16.
Ā
Defensively, the Wildcats totaled six blocks led by four block assists from Sydney Bolding while Mackenzie Morris had 15 digs with two aces.
Ā
The Mountaineers hit .213 with 40 kills on 108 swings led by Hailey Green with a match-high 16 kills followed by Bailey Miller with 10.
Ā
SET-BY-SET
Set One ā K-State 27, West Virginia 25
The first set saw 15 tie scores with neither team grabbing greater than a two-point lead as the Wildcats and Mountaineers battled up until the final points.
Ā
With the score tied 25-25, Aliyah Carter connected on a pass from Loren Hinkle to make her presence known as the senior laid down the hammer to put the Cats ahead. A service ace from Sydney Bolding, her 13th of the season, secured the final point.
Ā
Aniya Clinton and Brenna Schmidt each tallied four kills in the set while Szulczewski paced the offense that hit .389 with 12 assists.
Ā
Set Two ā K-State 25, West Virginia 19
With back-to-back kills by Schmidt and Shaylee Myers and a service ace by Mackenzie Morris, the Cats grasped a seven-point lead to take control of the set. Ā
Ā
Four Wildcats played a part in K-States two blocks in the set as the defense held the Mountaineers to a .167 hitting efficiency led by six kills from Hailey Green.
Ā
Set Three ā K-State 25, West Virginia 20
Three attack errors from the Mountaineer helped the Cats string together a 5-1 scoring run to lead 14-10. The Mountaineers brought the score withing three but kills by Schmidt and Bolding led the Cats to their second straight Big 12 win.
Ā
K-State hit .286 in the final set behind four kills from Myers and Bolding.
Ā
INSIDE THE BOX
- K-State won its second straight match in straight sets, 27-25, 25-19, 25-20
- The Cats hit .324 (46 kills, 10 errors)
- Two Wildcats reached double figure kills
- Myers tallied a team-high 11 kills followed by Carter with 10
- WVU hit a match-high .412 in the first set
- K-State had a match-high 19 kills in the first set
- Hinkle guided the offense with 23 assists
- Bolding totaled four block assists
- K-State out-blocked West Virginia 6.0-4.0
- Green had a match-high 16 kills on the nightĀ
- K-State leads the all-time series 15-8 against WVU, winning their third straight match against WVU.
- The Wildcats move to 2-1 in conference action
- On the road, the Wildcats are 5-1 including 2-1 in true road matchesĀ
K-State will be back at Morgan Family Arena on Saturday, Sept. 30, to take on Cincinnati (7-5, 0-2 Big 12) with first serve set for 4:30 p.m. CT.
Team Stats
KState
WVU
Kills
46
40
Errors
10
17
Attempts
111
108
Hitting %
.324
.213
Points
57.0
45.0
Assists
41
36
Aces
5
1
Blocks
6
4
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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