Baylor seemed like it would make easy work of K-State in the second set. The Bears jumped out to a 18-8 lead before extending it to 21-11. The Wildcats answered by scoring six straight points to cut the Baylor lead to 21-17. The Bears went on a short 4-2 run from there, scoring the last two points to take the set 25-19 and tie the match at one set a piece.
"We thought we were serving very aggressively and we could not get them out of system," K-State coach Suzie Fritz said. "They run two quick hitters at you, at the same time. It's a very difficult offense to run when they are in system."
Both teams played tight in the third set of the match with the Wildcats finally breaking through. Tied 20-20,Liliom kept a ball that was blocked back at her alive by kicking it. Abby Fay set the ball back to Liliom and she killed it to put K-State (13-2, 3-1) ahead.
"I think it's an effort play that gives your team a sense of urgency," Fritz said. "We're scrapping, and clawing, and biting and kicking to try to keep balls in play so when stuff like that happens I think it's a sense of urgency to play on."
The play turned into a momentum builder with K-State going on a 5-1 run ending with a service ace from Abby Fay to give the Wildcats the win, 25-21.
"The thing I'm the proudest of is the way we responded back in game three because it would have been very easy for us to fold our tents," Fritz said,
The Wildcats finished the set with 13 kills and five errors. Baylor (11-3, 3-1) had 13 kills, but finished the set with six errors.
K-State found itself in another tight game as the fourth set came around, but tied 19-19, the Wildcats went on one more run, this time to win the match. K-State scored five straight to go ahead 24-19 before the Bears stopped the run with a point of their own. The Wildcats set up a kill for Natalya Korobkova, and she finished to give her team the 25-20 set and match win.
"We talked the other day in practice about the warrior instinct," Fritz said. You cannot let temporary setbacks affect the play, there is going to be some good and some bad, so the ability to be able to stay in it, stay focused, have that killer instinct, and maintain confidence even when things aren't smooth; we got it done and I think that speaks to our warrior will."
K-State travels to Lawrence on Wednesday to face the Jayhawks.
