WACO, Texas (K-State Sports) – The 23rd-ranked Kansas State volleyball team saw its 10-match winning streak come to an end Sunday at the hands of the Baylor Bears in three sets (25-23, 25-22, 25-19) at the Ferrell Center.
K-State (12-3, 1-1 Big 12) jumped out to a quick 13-8 lead in the first set, forcing Baylor (13-4, 1-0) to use a timeout. Baylor immediately responded with a 5-1 run as the two sides battled throughout and would be locked up at 23 before the Bears closed out the opening game. Baylor was led by Katie Staiger, the Big 12’s kills leader, who registered 12 kills in the first set.
Baylor finished the first set with 20 kills on 48 swings for a .333 attacking percentage compared to just 12 kills on 46 attempts and a .196 efficiency for K-State. Middle blocker Katie Reininger paced the Wildcats with five kills in the set.
The second set was also tightly contested, as neither team led by more than four points. K-State cut the Baylor lead to just two on four different occasions late in the set but were unable to retake the lead before the Bears took the set, 25-22.
Baylor had two separate 4-0 spurts to gain a lead midway through the third and were able to close the match by the score of 25-19.
The Wildcats had no answer for Staiger, who finished with a match-high 23 kills with just four errors (.373), giving Baylor its ninth consecutive victory overall.
Reininger and Macy Flowers led K-State with seven kills apiece, as no Wildcat reached double-figure kills. K-State had a three-set season-high 143 total attacks in the match and was held to a season-low .133 hitting percentage.
K-State did have a three players record at least 10 digs, led by setter Katie Brand with 18. Senior libero Kersten Kober had 16 while junior opposite Bryna Vogel tallied 13. Brand handed out 31 assists with her 18 digs for her fourth straight double-double.
K-State will have to wait until Saturday to get back on the winning side as it hosts No. 5 Texas at Ahearn Field House at 7 p.m. CT. The match with the Longhorns can be seen on K-StateHD.TV and can be heard at 1350 KMAN.
