WACO, Texas ā Kansas State had a hard-fought season and kept the trend as the Wildcats were swept by Baylor 20-25, 20-25, 20-25 Saturday after at the Ferrell Center.
K-State (15-14, 6-10 Big 12) was led by Elena Baka for the eleventh match this season as the senior inked 12 kills and 11 digs for her eleventh double-double. She also tallied all three of the Cats' aces. Fellow senior Haley Warner chipped in five kills and at a match-best .364 clip.
Aliyah Carter and Kadye Fernholz also donned five kills on the afternoon. Fernholz added three blocks while Carter was good for five digs. Loren Hinkle collected 17 assists while Ava LeGrand posted a ten-assist performance.
Mackenzie Morris ended the match with nine digs and one assist.
Baylor (23-6, 12-4) ends the season in second place of the Big 12. Elise McGhee led all players with 14 kills at a .258 hitting percentage. She and Kara McGhee each tallied three block assists. Lauren Harrison followed with 12 kills and eight digs.
Averi Carlson inked a double-double with 29 assists and 12 digs while Mallory Talbert collected three consecutive aces on the afternoon.
FROM THE HEAD COACH
Head coach Suzie Fritz
Overall thoughts from the seasonā¦
"There is a lot to be proud of this season. We were very close in a lot of matches and saw a great deal of improvement throughout the season. Our younger players have really worked hard to be impactful. I thought it was a breakout year for Sydney Bolding, Elena Baka and Mackenzie Morris overall. Loren Hinkle did an excellent job at the setter position, particularly given she inherited the job a few weeks prior to the start of the season. We're proud of them and how hard they've battled throughout the season."
On the seniors' performancesā¦
"It was terrific to see the seniors end their careers on strong performances. This was one of Haley's best matches offensively and she was equally effective blocking today. Elena has been wonderfully consistent throughout the 2nd half of the season. She has an excellent all-around skill level that helped the team be successful in every phase. She is a great 'glue' player that helps hold a team together."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set One ā Baylor 25, K-State 20
Baylor's string of seven straight points to build an early 12-3 lead. Talbert donned three consecutive aces in the spurt as Elise McGhee posted two kills.
K-State was able to cut the gap to five on a four-point run, fueled by three Baylor attack errors. Baylor secured four straight points as Elise McGhee was good for two more kills.
The Wildcats grabbed a 5-1 run for a 17-12 score in favor of the home side. The team took another five-point run to try to take back the lead as Baka scored an ace and LeGrand tallied an assist and block.
However, BU was able to close the set on Elise McGhee's kill. The outside hitter tallied nine total kills for the set as Carlson bagged nine assists. Baylor donned 17 kills at a .196 clip.
Baka secured three of K-State's ten kills (.147) as Hinkle and LeGrand each controlled four assists. Morris added four digs.
Set Two ā Baylor 25, K-State 20
K-State secured an early 5-2 lead as Baka posted three kills. Baylor tied the set at 10-10 with a 4-1 spurt on three Wildcat errors.
The Bears then secured five straight points to take a four-point lead. Elise McGhee earned two kills and a block in the run.
The Cats tied the set at 17s on Baka's kill and block combo.
Baylor took the final four points to set the final score at 25-20. BU tallied 12 kills (.212) as Harrison clinched five total. Lauren BriseƱo gathered four digs as Elise McGhee earned three blocks.
K-State was led by Baka with six of the 11 total kills. The outside hitter swung at a .455 clip as the team notched a .114 hitting percentage. LeGrand boasted six assists as Morris tallied four digs. Fernholz was good for two blocks.
Set Three ā Baylor 25, K-State 20
K-State hung within three points of the Bears in the early points of the set as four Wildcats collected a kill. Baylor built a 11-6 lead on three consecutive points on Allie Sczech's two kills.
BU continued to build as a 6-2 spurt put the home side ahead by seven. Kara McGhee notched two kills and Alexis Dacosta inked an ace.
The Wildcats used a 5-2 run to get within four of the Bears. Carter collected two kills in the train. Baka's third ace of the match put the Cats at a 19-23 score.
Harrison's kill and a hitting error by K-State closed the set at 25-20 for Baylor. The home squad gathered 15 kills at a .275 pace. Kara McGhee held five kills as Harrison and Sczech followed with four apiece.
Carlson secured 11 assists and five digs while Sophia Keene picked up four digs.
Carter led the Wildcats on five kills and added five digs. Baka added five digs while Hinkle gathered ten assists.
The Cats totaled 12 kills at a .154 clip, the highest of the three sets.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- K-State swung at a .139 pace with 33 kills and 19 blocks.
- Baka led the Cats with 12 kills (.286) and her eleventh double-double with 11 digs.
- She notched K-State's only aces of the match (3).
- Carter, Fernholz, and Warner chipped in five kills each.
- Warner led all hitters with a .364 clip.
- Hinkle tallied 17 assists and LeGrand grabbed 11.
- Morris secured nine digs.
- Baylor had 44 kills at a .227 efficiency.
- Elise McGhee led all hitters with 14 kills (.258).
- Lauren Harrison inked 12 kills and eight digs.
- Carlson notched a double-double with 29 assists and 12 digs.
- Kara McGhee grabbed four of the team's seven blocks.
- Talbert had thee aces.
NOTES
- K-State still leads the all-time series 29-27
- The Wildcats are 12-16 on the road against the Bears, with the last win in Waco coming in 2018 (3-0 on Oct. 20).
- Baylor took both matches in the 2021 series 3-0 on Oct. 25 and 26.
- The Cats are 0-10 in the last ten matches against BU.
- Head coach Suzie Fritz is 22-23 versus the Bears.
UP NEXT
Kansas State awaits its postseason fate until Sunday, Nov. 27. The NCAA Selection Show will air at 7:30 pm ET on ESPNU.