Wildcats clinch success at 2011 NCAA Championship Opener – Volleyball News
Victory graced Kansas State Wildcats as they recorded a stellar performance against Shockers of Wichita State on Thursday, December 1. The NU Coliseum in Lincoln, Nebraska hosted this first round match of the NCAA Division I Volleyball Tournament. The Wildcats
proved to be better in every aspect of the game and finished off in straight sets (25-18, 25-22, 25-17).
With a strong offense, KU dominated the opposite side and restricted them to a low score with their better defence. Middle blockers Kaitlynn Pelger and Alex Muff dominated on the net and enabled Wildcats to win the match.
The Head Coach of Wildcats, Suzie Fritz, complimented both players in her post-match comments. She stated: “At different times each one of our middles have stepped up this season. Pelger is an all-conference selection and has been a significant part of our
offense. Alex Muff is our defensive specialist of the two. She does things at the net that we have never had a middle do.”
Match overview
Kansas State volleyball started out slow but gradually picked pace. Wildcats produced powerful serves and tried to put pressure on the rival side with solid spikes. Shockers returned the ball skilfully and picked up lead before the first technical timeout.
The Wildcats came out firing from all angles and tied the score at 12-all. In next few minutes, they rallied past to 18-12 with seven straight points. Alex Muff added three kills in an effort to put her team in lead. Zwiesler of Shockers dismissed few of Wildcats’
attack attempts and saved crucial points. Nonetheless, Wildcats did not stop and Donahue delivered unstoppable spikes to rais her team’s score. The tricky bump passes of KU created trouble for Shockers and they could only score 18 points in the match. The
Wildcats seized first-set win, 25-18.
In the following set, the Wildcats limited Shockers to a low hitting percentage of .100. Lilla Porubek of Kansas State came up with the fast-paced kills after remaining silent the entire first frame. She pounded out consecutive kills and overpowered the
Wichita State. Porubek and Pelger formed a good combo and led the Wildcats with six kills apiece. The Shockers tried to break the rhythm of pumped-up Wildcats but all their efforts went futile as KU players stood tall on the centre court. Luck was totally
on their side as it seemed the ball just needed a touch of their hands. Wildcats scored points on easy pokes and extended their lead 2-0 by winning second set.
In the third set, the Wildcats progressed in similar fashion and pulled away midway through the first. The Shockers tied at 9-9 but K-State went on a 5-1 run to take a four-point advantage. From there the match was all about Wildcats. They rallied another
5-0 and took the game away from Shockers. Third set ended with the final score of 25-17 and Wildcats pulled off success in match, 3-0.
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