WVU Falls in Straight Sets at K-State

Saturday, November 3

Manhattan, Kan.

8:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

10-14, 2-9Big 12

Kansas State

13-9, 3-8Big 12

Team	1	2	3	Final F
West Virginia	12	17	23	0
K-State	25	25	25	3

Photo by: Brian Persinger

November 03, 2018 10:08 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

By: Amy Salvatore

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The West Virginia University volleyball team suffered a 3-0 loss to Big 12 foe Kansas State on Saturday evening, at Ahearn Field House, in Manhattan, Kansas. The Wildcats (13-9, 3-8) took the match from the Mountaineers (10-14, 2-9) in set scores of 25-12, 25-17 and 25-23.

Freshman setter Lacey Zerwas dished out 30 of WVU's 32 assists, as junior outside hitter Katelyn Evans had a team-best 12 kills for WVU.

Defensively, sophomore defensive specialist Alexa Hasting had a team-high eight digs, followed by freshman Keatan Broughton and Zerwas with five digs apiece. Additionally, sophomore middle blocker Katie DeMeo added three block assists on the evening.

WVU finished the match hitting .154 with 36 kills and four team blocks. K-State hit .393, racking up 40 kills on 84 attacks and five team blocks.

The Wildcats tallied 15 kills in the first set, hitting .520, in taking the 25-12 victory over the Mountaineers. K-State used a series of scoring runs to go up 13-3 and never looked back. Freshman middle blocker Kristina Jordan and Evans each put down a kill to cut WVU's deficit to nine, down 15-6, but K-State used another 3-0 scoring streak late in the frame to make the score 19-8 in its favor. Junior right side hitter Natania Levak notched a trio of kills down the stretch, but it wasn't enough, as the Wildcats served up an ace to collect the 25-12 first-set win and 1-0 match lead.

The teams traded points early in the second before Kansas State tallied five in a row for a 9-5 lead. The Mountaineers used kills from freshman outside hitter Kristin Lux and Evans to come within one, capitalizing on a Wildcat ball handling error on the next serve to knot the score at 12-12. K-State continued to roll, though, using another 5-0 scoring run late in the set for a 20-13 advantage. The Wildcats eventually reached set point off a Mountaineer attacking error, but back-to-back kills from WVU extended the set at 24-17. However, a WVU service error handed K-State the 25-17 win and 2-0 lead in the match.

West Virginia used a service ace from Zerwas for the 13-9 lead in the third set, but Kansas State went on a 5-0 scoring streak to late in the frame to tie it at 16 points apiece. Evans notched a trio of late kills for the 22-20 Mountaineer advantage, but the Wildcats scored five of the last six points for the 25-23 victory and 3-0 triumph in the match.

West Virginia used a pair of kills from Evans, as well as back-to-back Iowa State attacking errors, for the 14-10 lead in the fourth set, forcing the Cyclones to call a timeout. Iowa State came within one out of the break, down 14-13. However, back-to-back points from WVU put ISU in a frenzy, as the Cyclones called their second timeout of the frame, trailing the Mountaineers by three. A late surge from Iowa State cut its deficit to one, as West Virginia took a timeout, holding a slim 19-18 lead. WVU's momentum continued to fade, though, as the match ended with ISU scoring seven of the last nine points for the 25-21 win and the 3-1 triumph in the match.

Of note, the Mountaineers are two wins away from collecting their 700th win in program history. West Virginia currently holds a 698-737 all-time record since its inaugural season in 1974.

Looking ahead, the Mountaineers will return home to cap their nonconference slate with a match against in-state rival Marshall on Wednesday, Nov. 7. First serve is set 6 p.m., at the WVU Coliseum, in Morgantown.

Wednesday's match will be a Gold Rush, where all fans are encourage to wear gold. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a foam finger, courtesy of WVU Medicine. It also is the Mountaineers last Dollar Day of the season, with tickets and select concessions available for $1 each.

For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.