K-State Sweeps Oklahoma in Final Preseason Battle

Kansas State volleyball closed out the preseason in impressive fashion Saturday, sweeping Oklahoma 29-27, 25-21, 25-14 at Morgan Family Arena.

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  Addison Massey celebrates during K-State volleyball’s matchup against Oklahoma. Photo by Zoe Taylor

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  Reagan Fox spikes the ball against OU's Alaleh Tolliver during the match. Photo by Zoe Taylor

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  Ellah Derrer gets into a ready position against OU's Tekoa Barnes. Photo by Zoe Taylor

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  Kansas State volleyball celebrates a point against Oklahoma. Photo by Zoe Taylor

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  Alex Klukavin spikes against OU’s Alyssa Flack during the match. Photo by Zoe Taylor

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  Camdyn Stucky dives for the ball against Oklahoma. Photo by Zoe Taylor

Although the match was only an exhibition, the opening set provided K-State with an early pressure test in front of a well-attended Morgan Family Arena. The Wildcats fought off four Oklahoma set points before eventually taking the back-and-forth frame, 29-27. K-State carried that momentum into the second set, winning 25-21, before taking complete control in the third.

Freshman Addison Massey made an immediate impact in her first action against another Division I program. Massey delivered nine kills, showing some of the offensive ability that made her a three-time New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year in high school. Massey entered the season as one of K-State's most intriguing newcomers after recording more than 1,900 career high school kills, and her performance Saturday gave the Wildcats an early glimpse of what she could provide this season.

Senior Reagan Fox also delivered an efficient performance, recording eight kills while hitting .412. K-State finished the match with 37 kills and a .287 hitting percentage, while its defense made life difficult for Oklahoma throughout the afternoon.

The Wildcats held the Sooners to 30 kills and a .096 hitting percentage, forcing 21 attacking errors. K-State also controlled the net with a 10-5 advantage in team blocks and finished with 38 digs.

The difference became especially noticeable in the final set. Oklahoma managed just six kills against nine attacking errors, hitting -.103 as K-State rolled to a 25-14 victory to finish the sweep.

For head coach Jason Mansfield, the performance was another encouraging step for a roster featuring eight newcomers and only seven returning letterwinners.

“There’s so much talent, skill, and athleticism,” Mansfield said. “We just don’t have a lot of experience playing college volleyball, but they can play.”