Iowa State (13-2, 4-1 Big 12) beat Big 12 opponent Kansas State (9-3, 2-3 Big 12) 3-2 in five sets Wednesday night. Set scores on the day were 16-25, 25-22, 25-27, 25-19, 15-11.
This was the Cyclones’ first win in Manhattan since 2020, snapping their six-game losing streak in the series versus the Wildcats.
Iowa State showed major team composure to secure its fourth Big 12 series win this season.
After losing the first, Iowa State battled back with strong grit to take the second set. Resulting in a tough loss in the third, the Cyclones geared up to win the final two sets and bring home the Cyclones’ first win at K-State in five years.
Freshman middle back/right side Reagan Hanfelt is having a groundbreaking season, absolutely dominating this match with 14 kills, eight blocks, five digs and a .435 hit percentage, a career high for the freshman.
Senior outside hitter/right side Faith DeRonde had a season high of 11 kills and one service ace, with a .325 hit percentage. Redshirt junior outside hitter Nayeli Ti’a also had a night featuring 13 kills.
First set
The Cyclones had a rocky first set, allowing the Wildcats to quickly take a 12-3 lead. Iowa State had a mid-set run, minimizing the gap 24-16, the closest score that set. The team failed to score the rest of the set, resulting in a Kansas State set win 25-16.
Second set
Iowa State showed strong grit in the second set, either trailing or tying throughout the entire set, but pulled through on the back half, leading to a Cyclone set win 25-22. Senior setter Morgan Brandt had four kills as the setter. Hanfelt had five kills as the middle.
Third set
The Cyclones took a nice lead in the third set, leading 17-13, but couldn’t hang on as the Wildcats gained rhythm and battled back, causing a back-and-forth nailbiter. Kansas State took the set 27-25.
Fourth set
Iowa State continued to battle through the fourth set, gaining its first ace of the night by DeRonde. Playing amazingly under pressure, the Cyclones were able to pull out a necessary set win 25-19 to push a fifth set, leading the Big 12 in kills on this set of 16 and hitting .323.
Fifth set
The Cyclones took an early lead over the Wildcats at the beginning of the fifth with a 5-1 lead. They fueled up a major rally through the set, taking a great lead of 12-5. Iowa State kept this fire going, winning the final set with a 15-11 set score, securing the series win for the Cyclones.
Team Leaders
Kills: Hanfelt, Reagan (14); Ti’a, Nayeli (13); DeRonde, Faith (12)
Aces: Krzeslak, Paula (1); Brandt, Morgan (1)
Blocks: Hanfelt, Reagan (8); Duckworth, Maya (4); Ti’a, Nayeli (3)
Assists: Brandt, Morgan (53); Van Gorp, Rachel (5); Ti’a, Nayeli (2)
Digs: Van Gorp, Rachel (30); Ti’a, Nayeli (10); Brandt, Morgan (9)
Final stats
Iowa State had 69 kills, 32 hit errors, .195 hit percentage, 80 digs, 11 blocks, two service aces and seven service errors.
K-State had 59 kills, 28 hit errors, .168 hit percentage, 78 digs, eight blocks, five service aces and seven service errors.
NEXT UP
Iowa State continues through the Sunflower State, heading to the court of No.15 Kansas at 6 p.m. Friday.
