WVU Drops Five-Set Match to K-State

Friday, October 2

Morgantown, W.Va.

6:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

1-3,1-3Big 12

Kansas State

3-1,3-1Big 12

Kansas St.

West Virginia

Photo by: Duncan Slade

October 03, 2020 12:09 AM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats Highlights Coach Sunahara Postgame

By: Amy Salvatore

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Despite claiming the third set for the 2-1 match lead, the West Virginia University volleyball team dropped a five-set match to Kansas State on Friday evening, inside the WVU Coliseum, in Morgantown. The Mountaineers (1-3) fell to the Wildcats (3-1) in set scores of 21-25, 30-28, 24-26, 25-17 and 15-8.

"I thought the first three sets were pretty good," sixth-year coach Reed Sunahara said. "We blew that big lead in the second set; we were up 17-9. I thought we were playing well. We lost that, but we came back in the third after being down big. They were up big. I thought our defense turned it up, but in the fourth and fifth, it was nonexistent. That was why K-State won the match."

Junior outside hitter Natali Petrova recorded her second consecutive double-double, racking up 17 kills and 19 digs in the match. She also added a trio of service aces to the scoresheet, good for a career high, and three block assists.

Classmate Kristin Lux scored double-digit kills for the second straight match, earning 11 swings, while sophomore middle blocker Emmy Ogogor totaled nine on the evening.

Junior setter Lacey Zerwas assisted on 42 of West Virginia's 56 kills to go along with 12 digs, notching her first double-double of the year.

Senior libero Alexa Hasting led the floor defensively with a season-high 24 digs. Of note, Hasting has recorded 20-plus digs in three of WVU's first four matches. Additionally, classmate Lindsay Proctor posted a season-high 19 digs to round out the Mountaineers in double figures.

Senior middle blocker Briana Lynch had a team-high seven blocks on the evening, including a pair of solo stops, followed by classmate Audrey Adams with five block assists.

West Virginia recorded 56 kills, hitting .156 in the loss, with 91 digs and 12 team blocks. Kansas State had 67 kills, 87 digs and 13 team blocks. Jayden Nembhard led K-State's offense with 19 kills, while Mackenzie Morris tallied 24 digs in the match.

West Virginia quickly took a 15-9 lead, following a 3-0 scoring run in the first frame. Kansas State continued to chip away at the lead, using four straight points to come within two late in the set, but a kill from Petrova but the Mountaineers up for good at 22-19. Petrova brought WVU to set point with another big swing at 24-21, as a Wildcat miscue handed West Virginia the 25-21 victory and 1-0 match lead.

The Mountaineers dropped the second set, 30-28, but rebounded from five points down in the third to take a 2-1 match advantage. Trailing 24-19, WVU scored five unanswered points to knot the frame at 24-24. Lynch and Zerwas teamed up for the stop on the next serve to reach set point, as sophomore defensive specialist Natalie Winter came in clutch for a huge swing and the 26-24 third-set victory.

West Virginia was unable to maintain its momentum though, eventually dropping the fourth and fifth set, as Kansas State claimed the 3-2 match victory.

Looking ahead, the Mountaineers will trek to Lawrence, Kansas, to square off with the Jayhawks in back-to-back matches on Oct. 9-10.

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