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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013
VOLLEYBALL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Freshman libero Cassie Wait bumps the ball during the Sept. 22 game against Notre Dame. Kansas won the game in four sets.
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Jayhawks defeat Wildcats for eighth straight victory
IBRIAN HILLIX
bhillix@kansan.com
For the second straight year, Kansas (12-3) defeated Kansas State in Manhattan, 31-29, 26-24, 25-19 to push its winning streak to eight matches and with a perfect 2-0 record in the Big 12.
In a hostile environment, the layhawks fought off the crowd and multiple runs by the Wildcats (12-3). This marks the first time since 1993 that Kansas has won three straight matches against Kansas State. In its first conference road match of the year, Coach Ray Bechard believes his team's preparations at the beginning of the season played a major role.
"We were an experienced team," Beard said. "This is why we went
to Wisconsin, Creighton, Arizona and Arkansas at the beginning of the season, for matches like tonight with hostile environment against good teams, and we had a good response."
After failing to convert multiple game points in the first set and saving a set point in each of the first two sets, junior outside hitter Chelsea Albers attributed it to the team's toughness and resiliency.
"It shows how competitive we are," Albers said. "It shows we can go on the road in a tough environment and really fight, and it shows how competitive we are and how hard we're willing to work to win." It wasn't easy.
Kansas State came out and took the early lead, but a four-point
run by the Jayhawks led by Albers and redshirt senior middle blocker Caroline marmoc gave Kansas take the lead. After multiple lead changes and a 10-all tie, Kansas scored three in a row to force a Wildcat timeout.
With a 16-12 Kansas lead, the Wildcats came back and took five of the next six points to force a tie at 17-all. Jarmo made a solo block and set herself up for a timely kill to break the tie. Up 19-17, the Wildcats strung together four points in a row to take a 19-21 lead, forcing a Jayhawk timeout.
Kansas State fought off six set points the rest of the way in a heated end to the set. The Wildcats had a set point of their own up 29-28, but the Jayhawks took back the lead
behind back-to-back kills from jui-
or outside hitter Sara McClinton.
A kill off a Wildcat block sailed out-
of-bounds as the Jayhawks took the
set 31-29—the most points played
in a set this year.
Kansas carried the momentum into the beginning of the second set. Two kills each by freshman middle blocker Tayler Soucie, Albers and McClinton pushed the Jayhawks as they led 11-8. After five points in a row by the Wildcats, the Jayhawks responded to win seven of the next nine points and force a Kansas State timeout. Senior setter Erin McNorton had a string of four serves that the Wildcats struggled to return during the stretch. Down four once again, the Wildcats came back to tie it at 19-
19.
The teams were neck-and-neck the rest of the way. The Wildcats had a set point at 24-23, but a severe error evened the score. The Kansas defense shut down the Wildcats the rest of the way as two more Kansas State errors helped Kansas take the set 26-24.
In her first conference road match, Soucie had an all-around performance with nine kills and a team-high seven blocks. Albers's team-high 12 kills paced the offense.
Similar to the first two sets, neither team budged as no squad led by more than three points at the beginning of the set. A string of four straight Kansas points, highlighted by a kill from Albers, gave Kansas a 14-11 lead. Coming off a Kansas State timeout, the Jayhawks continued to pull away as they built a six-point lead after kills by McClinton and Souci. The Wildcats never got closer than four the rest
of the way as an attack error gave the Jayhawks the set 25-19. Kansas State never led in the set.
Kansas defeated the Wildcats in four sets in both matches last season. These two face off again at Horejsi Family Athletics Center on Saturday, Nov. 16.
The Wildcats fell to 0-2 in conferen ce play.
Edited by Jessica Mitchell
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