LUBBOCK, Texas (Kansas State Athletics) – K-State got a double-double from Elena Baka, but Texas Tech handed the Wildcats their first straight-set defeat of the season Wednesday night at United Supermarkets Arena, 25-22, 25-23, 25-15.
Baka produced 12 kills while adding 10 digs for her team-leading sixth double-double of the season. The senior outside hitter hit .250 on the night and had 11 kills through two sets.
K-State (9-6, 0-2 Big 12) was limited to 37 total kills while Texas Tech (13-2 2-0 Big 12) hit .272 in racking up 44 kills. Shaylee Myers finished with 10 kills while Kadye Fernholz hit .500 in tallying eight kills.
Libero Mackenzie Morris racked up a match-high 17 digs while Fernholz added three blocks to lead K-State’s defense.
TTU’s Kenna Sauer led all players with 16 kills, coming at a .325 clip. Sauer added 11 digs for her double-double while setter Reese Rhodes handed out 35 assists to go with 16 digs. Reagan Cooper and Brooke Kanas added eight kills apiece.
The Red Raiders ended up with 10 total blocks and 60 digs in limiting the Cats to a .144 team hitting efficiency. Kanas led the TTU front line with six block assists.
K-State’s season-long losing streak hit four matches while Texas Tech has won four consecutive matches.
FROM THE HEAD COACH
Head coach Suzie Fritz
On the match overall …
“It was a frustrating evening or us. We were attacking them with our serving and creating out-of-system situations, but we were unable to convert on those opportunities. Texas Tech’s outside hitters were taking really aggressive swings and it felt like we were fighting them off all night. Our serve-pass was a bright spot, but we have to be able to connect the next phase to it.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set One – Texas Tech 25, K-State 20
Baka (5) and Myers (3) accounted for eight of K-State’s 12 kills in the first set, as the duo combined to hit .400 without an error. As a team, the Wildcats hit .211 in the set while Texas Tech hit .343.
An Aliyah Carter kill evened the score early in the set at 7-apiece. TTU responded by going on an 8-3 scoring run to open a 15-10 lead as the set hit the media timeout.
Scoring five of seven points, K-State inched within two at 22-20 after a kill from Baka. The Cats fought off two set-point tries before Texas Tech was able to close the set with a kill from Cooper.
Cooper finished the frame with five kills on just seven attempts to lead the Red Raiders. Kanas and Sauer each tallied four kills.
Set Two – Texas Tech 25, K-State 23
A six-point scoring run turned a four-point deficit into a two-point lead for K-State (19-17) late in set two. The burst came behind the serve of Myers, who added two kills while Baka registered three kills during the run.
The Red Raiders clawed back and scored the next three points to take a one-point lead. Later the score stood level at 23 and back-to-back kills from Kanas and Jones handed TTU a 2-0 match lead.
Baka added six more kills in the set and Myers picked up five. The Cats produced 16 kills but hit .154 after committing eight attacking errors due in part to five Texas Tech blocks.
Sauer produced seven kills and seven digs, as she had a double-double after the second set (11 kills, 10 digs through two sets).
The set saw 13 tie scores and six lead changes.
Set Three – Texas Tech 25, K-State 15
K-State hit a match-low .057 in the final set, recording only nine kills while committing seven errors. Tech added four more blocks in the set, finishing with 10 on the night.
Texas Tech put together a 10-2 stretch that included seven unanswered points to create a 16-7 advantage. The Red Raiders put the match away on a four-point scoring run that was capped by kill from Karrington Jones.
Fernholz produced four of her eight kills in the third, needing six swings while not committing an error (.667). Myers and Haley Warner chipped in a pair of kills.
Sauer had 10 errorless attacks in recording five kills to lead the Red Raider attack.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- K-State hit .144 as a team (37 kills, 19 errors, 125 attacks).
- Texas Tech finished with a .272 hitting percentage (60 kills, 18 errors, 151 swings).
- Baka led K-State with 12 kills while hitting .250.
- Myers finished with 10 kills and Fernholz added eight at a team-high .500 pace.
- Baka produced her team-leading sixth double-double with 10 digs.
- Morris led all players with 17 digs.
- The Wildcats finished with a season-low two service aces (entered match leading the Big 12 in aces).
- The Cats’ 37 kills marked the second-lowest output on the season.
- Fernholz led K-State with three blocks, as the team’s five total blocks equaled a season low.
- TTU held a 60-49 edge in total digs.
- Sauer turned in a match-best 16 kills at a .325 efficiency.
- Sauer added 11 digs for her double-double.
- Cooper and Kanas added eight kills apiece, with Kanas hitting .400.
- TTU finished with 10 blocks, led by six by Kanas.
- Tech saw three players reach double-figure digs, with 16 coming from Rhodes.
- Rhodes dished out 35 assists for her double-double.
NOTES
- K-State leads the all-time series with Texas Tech 42-15.
- The Wildcats are 17-10 on the road against the Red Raiders.
- Fritz is 34-9 in her career against TTU.
- K-State snapped a five-match winning streak against Texas Tech.
- The Cats suffered their first straight-set loss of the season (6-1)
- K-State’s season-long skid is at four matches.
UP NEXT
K-State returns home Sunday for a nationally televised broadcast on ESPNU against Iowa State. First serve at Bramlage Coliseum is set for 3:30 p.m. Rob Voelker will also have the call on News Radio KMAN with streaming audio available at K-StateSports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app.
