Wildcats fall to Utes in 3rd straight loss

Sophomore Caleigh Ponn stands on the court during K-State's match against Utah on Oct. 3 at Morgan Family Arena. The Utes defeated the Wildcats 3-0. (Salvador Valera)

K-State came up short Saturday night against No. 23 Utah, falling in straight sets, 25-20, 25-15 and 25-23. The biggest difference throughout the match was Utah’s offensive efficiency. The Utes hit .412 compared to the Wildcats' .211 and were able to consistently find openings in K-State's defense.

One of the biggest bright spots for the Wildcats was Addison Massey, who led the match with 13 kills while hitting .478. She was K-State’s most consistent offensive threat throughout the night, but exited late in the third set and appeared to be dealing with a possible injury.

Despite being down two sets, the Wildcats continued to battle in the third. K-State fought off five straight match points after trailing 24-18 and cut the deficit down to one before Utah finally finished it off, 25-23. That late push showed the Wildcats' fight, even when the match wasn’t going their way.

Overall, there were some encouraging moments for the Wildcats, but against a ranked Big 12 opponent like Utah, they’ll need to find more consistency offensively and do a better job slowing down opposing attacks from start to finish.