From K-State Athletics
The fifth-ranked Texas Longhorns limited Kansas State to 31 kills and a .180 hitting percentage in a straight-set decision, 25-19, 25-15, 25-19, Wednesday night at Gregory Gymnasium.
Freshman opposite Gloria Mutiri led all Wildcats with seven kills while redshirt senior Kylee Zumach added six. Redshirt freshman Brooke Heyne, junior Elle Sandbothe and redshirt sophomore Peyton Williams each tallied five kills.
Texas (16-5, 11-1 Big 12) held a 12-kill advantage (43-31) over K-State (13-10, 3-9 Big 12) in sweeping the season series. UT extended its winning streak over the Wildcats to 31 matches, dating back to 2003.
The Longhorns were led by Micaya White and her 13 kills (.323). Four UT players hit over .300, with Yaazie Bedart-Ghani posting a match-high .692 (9 kills, 13 attacks, 0 errors), as it hit at a .386 clip on the night.
Redshirt senior Devan Fairfield registered 13 digs, most by any player in the match, and setter Sarah Dixon handed out 26 assists. Five different Cats picked up a service ace.
Four service errors by K-State coupled with four Texas aces aided UT’s 25-19 opening-set win. The Longhorns broke a 12-12 tie by scoring eight of the next nine points. The Wildcats challenged with a late 5-1 burst that included a block and a kill by Zumach. Zumach, along with three other Cats, each tallied a pair of kills to lead K-State. Bedart-Ghani recorded five kills on five swings while Micaya White had four in the frame for Texas.
The Longhorns opened the second set by scoring nine of the first 11 points and later used a six-point spurt to open a 16-5 lead. UT took a 2-0 lead behind a 16-9 edge in total kills in the game, led by White who picked up five in the set. Williams added three for K-State.
K-State never led in the final set, as an 8-3 run helped Texas build a seven-point lead and complete the sweep. The Longhorns hit .464 in Set 3 with 14 kills against just one attacking error. White added three kills to her match-high total. Mutiri and Sandbothe each recorded three kills in the frame.
Texas collected eight service aces while the Cats were charged with 10 service errors. Texas out-dug the Wildcats, 46-34, and the two sides each picked up four team blocks.
Williams led K-State with a .444 hitting percentage while also tallying a team-best three block assists.
