WVU Drops Five-Set Thriller at Kansas

Thursday, October 10

Lawrence, Kan.

7:30 p.m.

West Virginia University

8-8, 0-4Big 12

Kansas

5-9, 1-3Big 12

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
WVU	20	25	15	25	13	2
KU	25	20	25	17	15	3

Photo by: Katie MacCrory

October 10, 2019 10:58 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

By: Amy Salvatore

LAWERENCE, Kan. – Four Mountaineers notched double-digit kills on Thursday evening, but it wasn't enough, as the West Virginia University volleyball team dropped a 3-2 match at Kansas, inside the Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena, in Lawrence, Kansas. The Mountaineers (8-8, 0-4) fell to the Jayhawks (5-9, 1-3) in set scores of 25-20, 20-25, 25-15, 17-25 and 15-13.

"I thought we did some nice things out there, but we weren't consistent enough," fifth-year coach Reed Sunahara said. "We talk to our team about being consistent all the time, and that's what we have to do. Every time we have a match or practice, it is a learning experience, and we need to learn from tonight."

Sophomore middle blocker/outside hitter Kristina Jordan had a team-best 15 kills for WVU, followed by junior middle blocker Briana Lynch with 14. Senior outside hitter Katelyn Evans (13) and classmate Erin Slinde (11) rounded out the Mountaineers in double figures. Of note, Slinde matched her career high in kills set against Navy on Sept. 21, hitting a team-high .524 in the five-set loss.

Additionally, a trio of Mountaineers notched double-digit digs, as junior defensive specialist Alexa Hasting led the floor defense with 16. Sophomore setter Lacey Zerwas followed suit with 12 digs on the evening, while freshman defensive specialist Natalie Winter rounded out the Mountaineers with 11 for a career high.

Zerwas also dished out 46 of the team's 58 assists to notch her fifth double-double of the year.

Lynch led the team's blocking efforts with a career-high eight total blocks, while Jordan added a trio of block assists.

Winter served up a trio of aces for the Mountaineers, also a career high, as WVU posted a season-best seven aces in the match.

West Virginia recorded 61 kills, hitting .178 in the loss, with 62 digs and nine and a half team blocks. The Jayhawks had 58 kills, 75 digs and 12 team blocks. Camryn Ennis led KU's offense with 14 kills, while Allie Nelson had a match-high 25 digs.

Redshirt junior middle blocker Audrey Adams led WVU with four kills on eight attacks for a .500 hitting efficiency in the first, but it wasn't enough, as the Mountaineers dropped the set, 25-20. The Jayhawks took a commanding lead early on, using a pair of scoring streaks for a 7-1 advantage. However, West Virginia came back with four straight points of its own, as Evans placed one through the pins to go along with a service ace from Winter. Jordan found the court on the next serve, as Lynch and Zerwas teamed up for the stop to bring the Mountaineers within one, down 10-9. West Virginia later called a timeout, as Kansas took a 20-17 lead. Lynch and Jordan teamed up for a block out of the stoppage, but it was too little, too late, as KU used another 3-0 scoring run to take a 23-18 advantage late in the frame. Adams and Jordan each came up with a swing, but Kansas capitalized on a West Virginia attacking error for the 25-20 win and the 1-0 match lead.

Looking to even the score of the match, WVU traded points with KU early in the second set. The Jayhawks capitalized on four straight points to take a 13-8 advantage, but the Mountaineers quickly bounced back, rattling off eight in a row for the 18-15 lead late in the frame. Consecutive kills from Jordan, followed by a bad set from KU and an ace from Zerwas, pushed WVU's lead to five at 22-17. Adams came up with a kill, as Slinde placed one down the line, bringing the Mountaineers to set point at 24-19. A Jayhawk kill extended the frame, but a KU attacking error eventually handed WVU the second-set victory, 25-20, tying the match at 1-1.

West Virginia was unable to maintain its momentum in the third set, hitting .032 to Kansas' .310. The squads exchanged points early before KU scored seven of eight down the stretch for the 23-13 lead. Jordan and Evans each put down a kill, but it wasn't enough, as Kansas claimed the 25-15 win for the 2-1 match advantage.

The turning point for WVU came in the fourth frame, as the Mountaineers hit .244 with 16 kills. West Virginia jumped out to a 13-4 lead to start the set and never looked back. A kill from Slinde started another 6-0 scoring run that increased the Mountaineers' lead to double-digits at 19-6. Kansas fought back, though, using a 3-0 scoring run to cut its deficit to nine at 20-11. A kill from Lynch halted the Jayhawks' streak, as the Mountaineers found the floor three more times to reach set point at 24-14. Another 3-0 scoring surge from KU forced WVU to take a timeout, though Jordan came out of the stoppage with the hot hands, throwing down a kill to win the set, 25-17, and forcing a fifth.

West Virginia pulled away with a 6-2 lead in the fifth set before Kansas used three straight points to cut its deficit to one at 7-6. West Virginia called a timeout to regroup, as Jordan placed one through the pins for the two-point edge at the switch. Both teams continued to exchange points down the stretch, but a trio of kills put KU on top for good, as the Jayhawks reached match point at 14-12. A kill from Lynch kept the Mountaineers' hopes alive, but the Jayhawks answered with a kill of their own to end the set in their favor at 15-13, walking away with the 3-2 match victory.

Up next, the Mountaineers will trek to Manhattan, Kansas, to square off with Kansas State on Saturday, Oct 12. First serve is set for 2 p.m. ET inside Ahearn Field House and will air live on Big 12 Now/ESPN+.

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