Wildcats Fall in Straight Sets to No. 11 Bluejays

OMAHA, Neb. – Senior libero Ella Larkin received all-tournament recognition for her performance at the Creighton Classic, while K-State fell to No. 11 Creighton in three sets Saturday at D.J. Sokol Arena, 17-25, 13-25, 19-25.

Creighton (5-0) picked up the tournament title after stretching its win streak to five, as the Bluejays defense limited K-State (1-4) to a season-low .112 hitting efficiency. Two players reached the 10-plus kill mark for the Bluejays led by Jaya Johnson with 12 and Norah Sis, the Big East Preseason Player of the Year, with 11.

A native of Maize, Kan., Larkin totaled a team-leading 26 digs (3.71 per set) with three service aces and nine assists in Omaha.

Aliyah Carter, who turned in her ninth consecutive match with 10 or more kills against a nationally ranked opponent, eclipsed the 10-kill mark with 11. Shaylee Myers added eight while four players finished with three.

Defensively, senior Liz Gregorski totaled 11 digs for the Cats followed by Larkin with 10, while Izzi Szulczewski paced the offense with 23 assists.

The Wildcats turn their attention towards The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Volleyball Classic, as they open the home slate with matches against Lipscomb (Sept. 12) and North Carolina (Sept. 15).
Tickets are available through the K-State Athletics ticket office at 1-800-221-CATS and www.kstatesports.com/tickets, starting at just $10 when purchased in advance.

CREIGHTON CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Norah Sis, Creighton (MVP)
Ava Martin, Creighton
Kendra Wait, Creighton
Adonia Faumuina, USC
Gala Trubint, USC
Ella Larkin, Kansas State

FROM THE CATS
Head Coach Jason Mansfield
Overall Statement…
"Today was a tough match, we played a really good, experienced team at home. I thought we prepared well, and we were ready to battle after the short turnaround from last night, but they were just a little too good both offensively and defensively for us to get any momentum. Creighton is going to be really good this year and very tough to beat, especially at home. They definitely played today like they're a top 10 team."

On Larkin's all-tournament selection…
"I'm really proud of how much Ella is improving, how she's stepped into a new team and a new role, and really embraced both situations well. Her instincts on defense are special and her passing and serving are both getting a lot better. She helps us be a better team in so many ways and I'm looking forward to continuing to coach her and watch her grow throughout the season."

SET-BY-SET
Set One – #11 Creighton 25, K-State 17
The first saw two lead changes before Creighton punched in a 7-1 scoring run. Down 13-9, K-State called a timeout, that was backed by a kill from Myers after a pass from Szulczewski. The Bluejays stretched their lead out to seven, 17-10, until the Cats scored four straight points to bridge the gap to three. Creighton responded with an 8-3 run to close the set.

K-State posted a .128 attack percentage in the first, as Creighton out-blocked the Cats 4.0-1.0 and hit at a .270 clip behind 14 kills.

Set Two – #11 Creighton 25, K-State 13
Creighton's defense held K-State to a .050 hitting percentage with a 12-6 lead, before the Cats called for a timeout. K-State managed to bring the set back within five with a 4-0 run, highlighted by a service ace from Gregorski.

The Cats .000 hitting efficiency (8 kills, 8 errors) in the second marked a season low.

Set Three – #11 Creighton 25, K-State 19
After back-and-forth action, the Wildcats fell behind 13-8 before consecutive kills by Williams and Carter cut the Bluejays lead to three. K-State recorded its best hitting percentage of the set at .211, led by five kills from Carter.

INSIDE THE BOX

Creighton defeated the Cats in straight sets – 25-17, 25-13, 25-19.
K-State hit at a season-low .112 clip and Creighton posted a .340 hitting percentage.
Carter had a team-best 11 kills and Myers finished with eight.
K-State was held to a season-low .000 attack percentage in the second.
CU had 11.0 blocks as a team while the Wildcats picked up 2.0.
Two Wildcats picked up double-digit digs: Gregorski (11) and Larkin (10)
Larkin was named to the All-Tournament Team.
K-State had three service aces and Creighton had four.

BEYOND THE BOX

K-State leads the all-time series 8-6, while Creighton is 3-1 in Omaha.
K-State falls to 0-3 against ranked opponents this season.

– k-statesports.com –

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Team Stats

Aliyah Carter

Shaylee Myers

Izzi Szulczewski

Meg Brown

Players Mentioned

Aliyah Carter

Liz Gregorski

Ella Larkin

Shaylee Myers

Izzi Szulczewski

Players Mentioned

Aliyah Carter

Liz Gregorski

Ella Larkin

Shaylee Myers

Izzi Szulczewski

Kansas State University Athletics