MANHATTAN, Kan. — No. 8 BYU women’s volleyball fell to Kansas State in straight sets (18-25, 16-25, 19-25) at Morgan Family Arena on Thursday night.
The Cougars (18-4, 7-3 Big 12) had 23 attack errors and hit just .075 for the match to the Wildcats .382 clip. K-State out-blocked BYU, nine to six, and also had eight more digs.
Outside hitter Erin Livingston finished with 12 kills, while opposite hitter Kate Prior added eight. Setter Whitney Bower posted 20 assists and nine digs, with libero Kamaile Hiapo recording 10 digs. Prior and middle blocker Whitney McEwan-Llarenas tallied three blocks each.
Set 1
Two Kamaile Hiapo aces gave the Cougars a 6-5 lead in the early going, their first and only lead of the set. The Wildcats took eight of the next 11 points to retake the lead, and never looked back en route to a 25-18 first frame win.
Set 2
The second set saw eight ties and three lead changes before K-State went ahead 11-10. A 5-0 Wildcat run, including a 7-1 run over both the media and the Cougars’ two timeouts, fueled Kansas State to a commanding 2-0 lead as it took the second set, 25-16.
Set 3
BYU reeled off five-straight to take a 7-5 lead in the third, but K-State responded with a 5-0 run of its own to go back in front, 11-8, and force a Cougar timeout. BYU went on a 6-2 run to draw within one, at 16-15, and Kansas State called timeout. From there, however, K-State closed the set on a 9-4 run to sweep the match with a 25-19 third set win.
Up Next
The Cougars and Wildcats will face off again on Friday, Oct. 27 at 6:30 p.m. CDT. The match will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.