MANHATTAN, Kan. (Kansas State Athletics) – After putting together a set one victory, Kansas State could not hold off #2 Texas as the Wildcats fell 1-3 (25-23, 13-25, 16-25, 21-25) to the Longhorns on Friday night at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State (12-10, 3-6) collected 42 kills (.152) and was led by Kayde Fernholz with nine at a .241 clip. The middle blocker added a block assist for 9.5 points on the night.
Loren Hinkle posted a career-best four kills in addition to her double-double numbers of 34 assists and ten digs. This is the setter’s fifth double-double match this season.
Mackenzie Morris tabbed 17 digs for the Wildcats on Friday night. The junior tallied 17 or more digs in the last four matches. Aliyah Carter crept in with eight kills and nine digs.
Texas (17-1, 9-1) finished with 63 kills at a .307 clip. The Longhorns were paced by Logan Eggleston and Madisen Skinner with 17 kills each. Eggleston completed her double-double with 12 digs.
Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres also notched a double-double with 52 assists and 10 digs. Kayla Caffey and Molly Phillips led the Longhorns with a combined eight block assists.
FROM THE HEAD COACH
Head coach Suzie Fritz
Overall thoughts from the match…
“We were well prepared and I was proud of them. We started well and played hard in a lot of stretches, but we broke down in serve receive in the middle part of the match. It is very difficult team to generate offense against out of system. I thought we played hard and we are improving. We have that fight to get two or three points better both individually and collectively.”
On the difference in the first set…
“We had consistency and we had a good clip offensively at .313. That is really good for us. Side-out efficiency had a lot to do with it too. Our serving and passing were strong as well. Our focus was on and we clicked. We were composed for most of the course of the match and it started there.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set One –K-State 25, Texas 23
In a set with 15 tie scores and two lead changes, neither side saw more than a two-point run to kick off the match. The Wildcats and the Longhorns traded points until a three-point run in the final steps gave K-State the 25-23 win.
Loren Hinkle collected two aces in the last two points of the set. The setter added 11 assists. Elena Baka and Aliyah Carter each tallied four kills with Carter walking away at a .375 clip.
Logan Eggleston led all attackers with six kills at a .250 pace and posted four digs. Madisen Skinner added three kills while Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres donned 14 assists.
The Cats held UT to a .242 output with 15 kills. K-State completed a .312 hitting percentage with 13 kills in the set.
Set Two – Texas 25, K-State 13
Texas led from start to finish on set two. The Longhorns’ run was bolstered by 7-1 and 8-1 spurts mid-match.
Eggleston donned six kills at a .414 pace. Ka’aha’aina-Torres, Zoe Fleck, and Keonilei Akana each collected four digs on the back line.
Kadye Fernholz saw three kills (.375) while Baka followed with two on twelve attempts. Mackenzie Morris picked up four digs for the Wildcats. Hinkle tallied five assists and a block assist.
K-State posted .062 hitting percentage with just seven kills while Texas had 15 kills at a .414 pace.
Set Three – Texas 25, K-State 16
UT started on a hot streak, earning a 4-1 lead to start the set. K-State battled back within one point at 8-7 on back-to-back Haley Warner kills. The Longhorns found the 25-16 win on a 9-2 run at the end of the set. Molly Phillips posted two kills and a block assist in the spurt.
Sydney Bolding and Carter pocketed three kills apiece with Bolding swinging at a .750 pace. Carter collected four digs. Hinkle had a busy set with two kills, ten assists, and five digs. Morris added seven digs to the Wildcats’ total.
Phillips led with six kills for UT (.667). Emma Halter picked up an ace and Kayla Caffey had two block assists.
The Longhorns paced at .302 with 16 kills while the Wildcats swung at a .106 clip with 12 kills.
Set Four – Texas 25, K-State 21
Texas had the upperhand for the entire set again, but K-State fought to tie it up at 8-8. A three-point run, spurred by a Shaylee Myers block and kill, helped the Wildcats secure a 17-17 tie once more.
Asjia O’Neal tallied three of the Longhorns’ final four kills to put the set and match away.
The middle blocker collected four kills at a .667 [ace while Skinner added six (.308). Ka’aha’aina-Torres finished with 13 assists. Fleck and Akana combined for 11 digs as O’Neal and Phillips posted two block assists each.
For the Wildcats, Fernholz walked away with three kills at a .429 hitting percentage as Myers donned two kills in the set. Hinkle added eight assists. Morris swept up three digs and Molly Ramsey notched two of her own.
K-State grabbed ten kills (.147) and Texas saw 17 (.286).
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- K-State swung at a .152 pace as Texas hit at a .307 clip.
- This is the Longhorns’ sixth lowest attack percentage this season.
- The Wildcats posted 42 kills.
- Fernholz led the Wildcats for the second time this season with nine kills (.241).
- Carter followed with eight kills and nine digs.
- Bolidng and Baka each notched seven kills.
- Bolding put together a .417 clip (7 kills on 12 attacks).
- She collected three blocks (one solo, two assists).
- Hinkle posted a career-high 4 kills (.800).
- She added her fifth double-double (34 assists, 10 digs).
- Morris grabbed 17 digs for the Cats.
- The Longhorns gathered 63 kills, their third-highest output.
- Eggleston and Skinner led the match with 17 kills each.
- Eggleston completed the double-double with 12 digs.
- Phillips and Caffey each bought four blocks assists.
- Caffey led UT with a .600 clip (six kills on ten attacks).
- Ka’aha’aina-Torres also notched a double-double (52 assists, 10 digs).
- Fleck led both teams with 25 digs.
- She and Halter had two aces apiece.
NOTES
- Texas leads the all-time series at 49-7 and is 23-4 against the Wildcats in Manhattan.
- UT took the first match this season, 3-0, on Oct. 12, in Austin.
- The Cats are 2-4 in four set matches.
- K-State is 2-7 when hitting under .200.
- Fernholz has led the Cats in kills twice this season – in both matches against Texas.
- Fritz is 3-41 in her career against Texas.
UP NEXT
Kansas State begins a two match road stand next week, starting with the Sunflower Showdown against Kansas. The Wildcats and the Jayhawks go head-to-head for the second time this season on Wednesday, November 2. The Big 12 contest kicks-off at 6:30 p.m. in Lawrence. The match will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ while Rob Voelker will be on the call online at K-StateSports.com/watch and the K-State Sports app.
