From K-State Athletics
Playing against Hawaii for the second straight day due to a weather-altered tournament schedule, K-State swept the Rainbow Wahine at the Stan Sheriff Center, 25-21, 27-25, 25-19, Sunday as the Wildcat defense recorded a dozen blocks and senior Kylee Zumach picked up a team-high 18 kills.
Zumach, who led K-State (2-0) Saturday with 19 kills, also turned in 12 digs for her first double-double of the season and the sixth in her career. In just her second career match, freshman opposite Gloria Mutiri recorded 10 kills on 24 swings without an error (.417).
Defensively, Macy Flowers paced the Cats with seven blocks (6 block assists, 1 solo) while Peyton Williams tallied five block assists in limiting Hawaii (0-2) to a .174 hitting efficiency. After picking up just a pair of blocks Saturday, K-State held a 12.0-6.0 edge in team blocks in Sunday’s sweep.
“It was really great to come out and sweep Hawaii twice,” said Mutiri. “It was a big deal, we didn’t have as much of an atmosphere (Saturday) but then to come in with a good home crowd and still come in and do the same work, it was really fun.”
The Wildcats and Hawaii played Saturday in a match that was closed to the public due to the conditions, but over 5,700 people witnessed K-State sweep UH for the second consecutive day on Sunday.
K-State hit better than .320 in Sets 1 and 3, committing just five attacking errors while picking up 28 kills. The Rainbow Wahine were held under a .150 team efficiency over the final two sets.
Flowers and senior Alyssa Schultejans each recorded seven kills while hitting over .300. Schultejans also had four block assists. Setter Sarah Dixon posted 38 assists and a pair of blocks.
After Hawaii rattled off three straight points to take its first lead, K-State scored eight of the next 10 points to open a 19-15 edge and go on to a 25-21 opening-set victory. The Wildcats committed just a single attacking error on their way to hitting .375 in the set. Zumach killed five balls while Mutiri added three. Williams tallied three blocks in the opening set.
K-State had to withstand five set points in Set 2 after Hawaii held a 24-20 lead and then again at 25-24. The Cats took a 2-0 match lead after closing out the frame on a 7-1 run. Flowers had four blocks, including the game’s final point. Zumach added six more kills in the stanza while Mutiri tacked on five.
UH’s McKenna Granato began the third set with three straight kills, but K-State dug out of the early hole and thanks in part to a six-point spurt that included two Zumach kills. K-State cruised from there and closed the match 25-19. Granato led the Rainbow Wahine in kills for the second straight day with 11.
K-State will hit the road again for the Marcia E. Hamilton Classic in St. Louis, where the Cats will meet Marquette, Western Kentucky and host Saint Louis beginning Friday, August 31.
