MANHATTAN, Kan. (K-State Sports) – Senior outside hitter Brooke Sassin notched her 1,000th career kill in the Kansas State volleyball team’s four-set victory (23-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-21) over Oklahoma Wednesday night at Ahearn Field House.
Sassin becomes just the sixth player in K-State history to eclipse the 1,000-kill milestone in the rally-scoring era (since 2001). The San Antonio, Texas, native was one of four Wildcats to reach double-figure kills as K-State swept the season series with Oklahoma for the second straight year.
“I think it’s awesome,” Sassin said of reaching her career mark. “To think of all the games and all the teams and all the different girls I’ve played with that have led up to it; it goes by so fast, just like everyone says. It’s crazy to look back, it feels like my first game was yesterday.”
“I was so excited for her,” said redshirt sophomore outside hitter Kylee Zumach. “We both came in at the same time when she transferred from Mississippi State and we have always been close, so I am really happy for her. That is such a big accomplishment.”
“Seeing her do the things that she’s doing now as a senior and the progress that she’s made, it’s incredibly rewarding as her coach,” head coach Suzie Fritz said of Sassin. “That’s her putting in her time and her learning fast and developing as a player. She has such tremendous shot selection; she can kill the ball in a lot of ways. She creates opportunities for herself, even in bad situations, that’s where I think she’s best. She’s really good when it’s really bad.”
After Oklahoma (14-13, 5-9 Big 12) stole the opening set, K-State (19-8, 8-6) retaliated by taking the next three sets for its 11th four-set win of the season, breaking the previous program record of 10 such wins set in 1987. The Wildcats never trailed in the second and third sets as they recorded a higher attacking efficiency than the Sooners in all three set wins.
“I thought we played really well, at times,” Fritz added. “Probably as well as we have played in the last few weeks. A little slow to start, from a defensive perspective. I thought we were okay offensively most of the night. From game two forward, we were really good serving.”
OU tallied 15 kills with just two errors for a hitting percentage of .419 in the first set, its highest efficiency in any set on the night. It was the only set in which K-State was unable to produce a single team block. Still, the Cats leveled the set, 23-23, before the Sooners picked up the final two points.
K-State responded by scoring the first six points of the second set and holding Oklahoma to a .103 (12k-8e-39ta) hitting percentage. The Cats recorded 5.0 team blocks in the frame, led by senior middle blocker Katie Reininger with four. Reininger finished the match with a team-high five blocks.
“Defensive upgrade,” said Fritz on the biggest difference after the opening-set loss. “The combination of serve, block, dig; that was probably the biggest upgrade and the difference in regards to us slowing them down.
“That’s the kill leader in the league,” Fritz said, talking about Oklahoma’s offense. “So we have to feel pretty good about slowing that down a little bit. Good teams are going to find ways to get kills and they’re one of them. They’re very productive offensively.”
In the third set, K-State again jumped quickly, leading 10-4 and an 8-1 run midway through the game gave the Cats an 18-8 advantage and finished the set, 25-15. As a team, K-State hit a single-set high .444 (14k-2e-27ta) as five players picked up multiple kills, led by Sassin’s four.
K-State rattled off five straight points in the final set to take an 8-4 lead and would never trail in the match again on its way to closing out the match, 25-21. Zumach produced six of her match-high 17 kills in the final set and again five Wildcats tallied multiple kills in the set.
Zumach (17), Reininger (11), Sassin (10) and junior Bryna Vogel (10) all reached double-digit kills. Sassin added 11 digs for her seventh double-double of the season.
Senior libero Kersten Kober collected a match-high 15 digs and tied her career-best output with three service aces.
Senior Katie Brand handed out 51 assists and added five kills and five digs. The 6-1 setter now has 10 50-assist matches this season.
Kansas State look to avenge a five-set loss earlier this year as they square off with No. 7 Texas Saturday in Austin. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.
