KU Upsets #24 K-State in Sunflower Showdown
Nov. 5, 2005
MANHATTAN, Kan. –
Kansas volleyball knocked off #24 Kansas State, 3-1 (30-28, 24-30, 30-21 and 30-25), Saturday night to stop an eight-match skid and give head coach Ray Bechard his first-ever win over the Wildcats. The Sunflower Showdown victory was KU’s first over K-State since Nov. 16, 1994.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
With the victory, KU improved to 13-11 overall and 5-10 in the Big 12 Conference while the Wildcats moved to 16-8 and 7-7 in league action.
“We came in here and played hard tonight,” Bechard said. “For this team to come back after losing at home to K-State in such a disappointing fashion and losing a teammate to an injury in that match [Oct. 5], is a great feeling. We need this to be a good month for us, and this is a good start.”
Sophomore Emily Brown led KU and tied a career-high with 19 kills and added 12 digs in the win. Freshman Savannah Noyes and senior Andi Rozum also set new career bests with 11 kills each. Rozum ran the offense with 44 assists and added 10 digs and 2.5 blocks.
Senior Josi Lima had 10 kills, eight digs and 3.5 blocks while junior libero Jamie Mathewson set a new career high with 20 digs. Senior Paula Caten contributed a career-best 19 digs and added seven kills in the victory.
KU outblocked K-State 16.0 to 15.0 and outhit them .156 to .102. The Wildcats missed 13 serves in the match while the Jayhawks committed 11 service errors. KU’s 86 digs marked a season-high.
The Jayhawks used six blocks and aggressive offense to win game one, 30-28. After being behind by as many as four, junior Megan Hill tied the game at 24-all with a kill and the Jayhawks scored three straight to lead, 27-24. Lima notched four kills in the game and Caten closed the stanza with a solo block.
After hitting just .027 in game one, K-State regrouped to hit .244 in game two and capitalize off 10 KU attack errors. Brown notched five kills in the game but KU recorded a .080 attack percentage while the defense posted an impressive 20 digs.
KU jumped to a 12-6 lead in game three, forcing K-State’s second timeout of the stanza. The Wildcats reeled off four straight points but KU held onto the lead for the remainder of the game. Behind the serving of Rozum, KU came out of a timeout at the 21-20 mark and finished the stanza with a 9-1 run. KSU hit just .000 in the game, with six kills and six errors in 42 attempts.
With KU leading 18-13 in game four, K-State took is second timeout of the stanza. The Jayhawks increased their lead to seven, 21-14, behind two kills from Noyes. K-State threatened but KU kept its offensive momentum alive, hitting empty spots on the court and staying aggressive with the block. Caten ended the game and match with a kill, ending the Wildcats’ 21-match win streak over the Jayhawks.
To listen to Ray Bechard’s postgame message, please call 785-864-7023.
KU will next be in action at 7 p.m. Wednesday when it travels to Norman to take on Oklahoma at McCasland Fieldhouse.
-KU-
