MANHATTAN, Kansas – Kansas State found itself reversed swept in Saturday night's Big 12 match against TCU. The Wildcats dropped in five sets to the Horned Frogs, 25-20, 25-19, 16-25, 20-25, 5-15, at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State (11-8, 2-4) boasted a season-best 18 blocks, led by Sydney Bolding who tallied eight block assists. The senior added two kills and four digs.
Fellow senior, Elena Baka, paced the Wildcats with 17 kills at a .333 clip. She collected four blocks and seven digs for the Cats. Aliyah Carter followed with 14 kills, five blocks, and eight digs.
TCU overcame K-State's net defense with a .263 hitting percentage and 67 kills. Audrey Nalls led both teams with 24 kills (.264) while Julia Adams chipped in 20 (.410).
The Horned Frogs brought ten service aces, which is the highest of any of the Wildcats' five-setters this season. Adams and McKenzie Nichols tallied three aces each. Callie Williams notched a double-double with a match-best 57 assists and 20 digs.
FROM THE HEAD COACH
Head coach Suzie Fritz
On the difference in the match…
"Our serve and pass was significantly better early on in the match. It broke down late. They put a lot of pressure on Elena Bakain serve receive. They also made some position changes that were beneficial to them and we needed to make adjustments faster."
On what the team takes from the match…
"I think we need to focus on what we can do to prepare. The mental parts and pieces are important. We will continue to iron out the details and attack those on a daily basis. We need to push the reset button because we go again on Wednesday."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set One – K-State 25, TCU 20
The two teams were neck and neck with 14 total tie scores and seven lead changes in the first set. At 17-16, K-State broke through with a 5-0 run, which included one of Sydney Bolding's two aces in the set.
Kayde Fernholz clinched the match on her fifth kill, sitting level with Jalyn Gibson to lead the set. Fernholz was five for ten at the net while Gibson paced a .375.
Fernholz nabbed two block assists and Aliyah Carter collected an assist and solo block to help the Cats tally three. The Horned Frogs did not have any blocks.
Though TCU collected more kills in the set (16 to 13), the Wildcats boasted a .400 clip as a team while holding the Horned Frogs to a .235 hitting percentage.
Set Two – K-State 25, TCU 19
The Wildcats started set two strong, pulling ahead on a 7-2 spurt and leading the rest of the way. During the run, Carter tallied two of her six total kills and Bolding posted her third ace of the night.
TCU was able to climb back with one at 11-12 with two Julia Adams' aces, but a four-point race by K-State pushed to the win.
Carter and Elena Baka collected six kills each while Audrey Nalls and Zoe Hall combined for eight kills for the Horned Frogs.
Bolding grabbed four block assists while Baka and Haley Warner tallied two apiece. The team stamped out 5.5 stops in set two while still holding TCU at zero.
The Cats turned in a match-high .289 hitting percentage as TCU swung at a .162 pace.
Set Three – TCU 25, K-State 16
After K-State tied the set at 1-1, the Horned Frogs led the rest of the way, propelled by an 8-1 run in the midst of the set.
One of the differences was TCU's three service aces against K-State's three receiving errors.
Nalls put down seven kills while Callie Williams collected 15 assists and an ace for TCU.
Baka had the highest output for the Wildcats, clinching five kills at a .444 clip. Fernholz followed with two smacks at a .667 hitting percentage.
As a team, K-State swung at. 200 while the Horned Frogs posted a match-high .560 pace.
Set Four – TCU 25, K-State 20
TCU snatched the early lead on a seve-point spurt, aided by back-to-back McKenzie Nichols aces. K-State was able to climb back to tie at 16 after going on a 7-2 run.
The Horned Frogs ended the set on two kills by Julia Adams. The senior saw nine kills at a .500 hitting percentage. Nalls added four kills and five digs for TCU
Baka and Carter notched four kills each with Baka swinging at a .273 pace. The Wildcats went crazy at the net again, tallying 4.5 blocks. The effort was led by Bolding with three block assists.
Both teams struggled on the net as K-State tallied a .121 hitting percentage and TCU paced at .189.
Set Five – TCU 15, K-State 5
TCU paced in the entirety of the final set, helped by a mid-set 9-1 run. Nalls cranked out six kills at a .333 clip while Adams chipped in two.
The Wildcats were held to just one kill (Carter) but collected three blocks. Warner and Loren Hinkle clinched one solo block each.
The Horned Frogs out swung the Cats .263 to -.188.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- K-State hit .204 as a team with 48 kills.
- Baka led the Wildcats with 17 kills (.333).
- This was her seventh match leading the team in kills.
- Hinkle tallied 42 assists, her sixth 40+ performance.
- K-State collected a season-best 18 team blocks (30 assists, 3 solo).
- Bolding matched her season-high of eight blocks.
- TCU swung at a .263 hitting percentage with 67 kills.
- Nalls led both teams with 24 kills (.264).
- TCU tallied 10 aces, the most in any of K-State's five-set matches.
- This is a season-best for the Horned Frogs.
- Adams and Nichols each tallied three aces.
- Williams notched a double-double (57 assists, 20 digs).
NOTES
- K-State leads the all-time series 13-8 and is 8-3 at home against the Horned Frogs
- This is the Wildcats' second home loss of the season
- Fritz is 13-8 in her career against TCU
- The Cats are 1-4 in five-set matches this season
UP NEXT
K-State packs its bags for a trip to Norman, Okla., on Wednesday, Oct. 19. Oklahoma and the Wildcats meet for the first time this season in a Big 12 battle with the start time set for 6 p.m. The match will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ while Rob Voelker will be on the call online at K-StateSports.com/watch and the K-State Sports app.