The Wildcats struggled early against Oklahoma's unorthodox offense but eventually got into a groove and came from behind to force a fifth game. The Sooners utilize the tip often when attacking to catch the defense off guard.
After tying the match at two sets apiece, the Wildcats came out firing in the fifth set with a solo block by Jenny Jantsch and an ace from Leslie Townsend. After two quick points from Oklahoma, K-State went on its longest rally of the night by scoring seven straight points to go ahead 9-2.
The Sooners tried to chip into the lead, but K-State would not be denied after rallying from behind in the match and win the final set 15-9.
The Cats got the early lead in the first set but a 4-0 from the Sooners turned the advantage to Oklahoma. The Sooners extended the lead to four points and every time the Wildcats pulled within a point, Oklahoma answered with a point of its own. A 5-1 run by the Sooners put the score at 20-15. The teams traded points until a 3-0 run by OU gave the Sooners the first set 25-18.
The second set saw the two teams battle back and forth early until the Cats put together their first extended run of the match with four straight points to go up 10-7.
KSU had another four-point rally and used a hustle play from Jantsch and Abby Fay fire up the team. On an attack by OU, Jantsch came up with the tough dig. Fay made a diving pass to keep the ball alive that sailed over the net and found the floor in a hole in OU's defense. The Cats rode that momentum to build a 19-13 lead until OU went on a three-point run of its own.
The Sooners went on another 3-0 run to tie the set at 21-21. Out of a break, hitting errors continued to plague the Wildcats and the Sooners took a 2-0 lead into the locker room after taking the second set 25-22.
The Cats gained some momentum with a four-point swing in the third game to take a 15-11 lead.
After exchanging points, Oklahoma went on a 3-0 rally to cut into the lead and trail by just two points. Another three-point run would give Oklahoma the lead at 23-22 before KSU went on to win 26-24.
The Cats led 15-12 in the fourth game early and extended their lead to 21-14 before three straight Oklahoma points forced KSU to take a timeout. K-State was able to hold off the Sooners and send the match to a decisive fifth set 25-20.
K-State will have its off-night on Wednesday and will be in action next Saturday at home at 7 p.m. to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
