Jayhawks Fall In Five Sets To Wildcats

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas volleyball fell in five sets to Kansas State on Wednesday night inside Ahearn Field House in the the first of two Dillons Sunflower Showdown meetings between the Jayhawks and Wildcats this season.

In a back-and-forth first set between the two in-state rivals, Kansas tallied its most points in a set this season.

Neither side led by more than three points during the set as both teams found themselves knotted up at 31 points. However, it was Kansas who earned the first set victory after earning the final two points needed on a kill by Zoe Hill and another by Camryn Ennis to take the set 33-31.

The Jayhawks looked to take an early advantage, but fell behind quickly in the second set. Down 9-6 to the Wildcats, Kansas fought its way back to a 25-22 set win.

The next set again went down to the very end. KU was behind by as many as eight points, but rallied to put the pressure on the Wildcats. After getting as close as two points late in the set, K-State tallied the final three points to claim its first set of the night.

The fourth set again swayed in Kansas State’s favor and again it went down to the last few points of the set.

Now with the sets tied at two each and K-State earning the last two set victories, KU needed to find a way to break the Wildcat momentum. KSU again jumped out to an early advantage and despite a late comeback attempt, the Jayhawks were unable to claim the set.

Kansas finished the night with three players in double-figure kills with Morgan Christon leading the way with a career-high 18. Senior Ashley Smith (14) finished second on the team in kills, while Rachel Langs (11) rounded out the group in double-digit performances. Sara Nielsen finished with a team-best 46 assists on the night and Allie Nelson was the team leader in digs (19).

NEXT UP

Kansas hosts No. 4 Texas Saturday, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. in Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena. The match will be televised on Big 12 Now // ESPN+.