KU Falls to Iowa State, 3-0
Sept. 30, 2006
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Senior Jana Correa posted 14 kills for the 12th time this season as Kansas volleyball lost a three-game match to Iowa State, 28-30, 22-30, 24-30, in Big 12 Conference play Saturday night at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center. Correa is just 30 kills away from becoming the ninth Jayhawk in school history to record 1,000 career kills.
In addition to her team-best 14 kills, Correa added nine digs and freshman Brittany Williams had nine kills on a .304 attack percentage. Junior Emily Brown added eight kills and seven digs while sophomore Savannah Noyes had eight kills and a team-high four blocks in the effort.
Senior Jamie Mathewson led the defense with a match-best 16 digs and freshman Melissa Grieb added 14. Redshirt freshman Katie Martincich dished 39 assists to go with her five digs and three kills. KU (8-7, 1-5 Big 12) totaled a season-high 147 attempts for a three-game match but committed nine service errors.
Four Cyclones had double-digit kills with junior Erin Boeve leading the way with 17 on a .323 hitting efficiency as ISU improved to 11-4 overall and 3-2 in league action.
“We just got beat by a very efficient team tonight,” KU head coach Ray Bechard said after the match. “They [Iowa State] were very prepared and very focused. We did just enough wrong to keep us a little bit off each game. Game One, I thought we played pretty well. Game Two, we missed too many serves. Game Three, we had too many errors. Kansas is in a little bit of a rut right now. We just have to learn from tonight like we always do and bounce back.”
The teams traded points through just about every possession in Game One. After 13 ties, ISU took a 26-22 lead but KU regrouped to come within one, 29-28. The Cyclones took a timeout and came out with a kill to end the stanza. Williams led the Jayhawks with five kills in the opening game.
The Jayhawks fell behind 14-10 in Game Two after three consecutive ISU points. The Cyclones led by as many as eight points late in the match, gaining momentum from Boeve (seven kills) and their blocking line (four blocks). Correa contributed five kills but as a squad, KU hit .111 at the net and committed five service errors.
Behind the serving of senior Dani Wittman, KU jumped to a 5-1 lead in Game Three. A kill from ISU senior Katie Jensen tied the game at 9-9 and the Cyclones took control, never trailing. ISU outhit KU .350 to .167 in the final stanza en route to the sweep.
KU will play two consecutive road games next week beginning with No. 19 Missouri Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo.
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