K-State Volleyball drops first Big 12 match of the season to Houston

K-State freshman pin Skylar Brady (11) jumps up to hit the ball during the Wildcats loss to Houston on Sept. 27. (Ethan Gaines)

The Wildcats hosted the Cougars for their first home conference game in front of a packed-out Morgan Family Arena Sunday. Although they showed spurts of momentum and success, a combination of errors and strong play out of Houston was too much for the Wildcats to overcome.

Set 1

Houston controlled the net and was able to set up its attack. Junior Sydney Jones was the story, delivering 9 kills with physical, disciplined play. Efficient setting out of junior Kalei Edson was key for the Cougars, as she put up 15 assists. On the K-State side, freshman Addison Massey led the squad with 4 kills, with junior Emmerson Van Lannen leading the set with 6 assists. Houston was able to put together some early rallies to create enough separation to close out the set down the stretch, winning 25-23.

Set 2

It was a similar tale to the first set for the Wildcats in the second set, as they were never able to capture the momentum. Massey put up 4 more kills, and Van Lannen picked up 7 more assists. The Cougars again dominated the net with their strong front line and efficient attack game, racking in 18 more kills and putting away the Wildcats 25-21.

Set 3

The Wildcats bounced back, taking advantage of Cougar mistakes and feeding off the fiery crowd. Houston had 9 errors compared to K-State’s 1, allowing the Wildcats to dominate, leading the entire set. Avery Stones put up an efficient performance, putting up 2 kills on 4 attempts, making her presence known with her time on the floor. Massey really got herself going with her point of attack, delivering another 5 kills. K-State dominated set three, 25-15.

Set 4

The Cougars resumed their dominant attack game in set four, buying them enough estate to come away with the game-winning set. Jones ramped herself back up, coming away with 6 kills on 9 total attempts. Cougars junior Kamille Gibson also racked in 5 kills, and Kalei Edson picked up 12 more assists. The Wildcats tried everything to claw back in, but the Houston attack was too much to overcome, resulting in a 25-20 final set score.

The story for Houston was junior Sydney Jones, racking in 22 kills on the day and dominating the court with her physicality.

On the bright side for K-State, senior Fuka Sekita picked up her 500th career dig; a huge accomplishment for the transfer that has already made a large impact in her Wildcat tenure.

K-State continues its homestand, facing top 25 BYU at 6:30 p.m. this Thursday.