With the loss, K-State drops to 6-5 overall and 0-1 in Big 12 play.
Due to the athleticism of the Sooners, the Wildcats frequently found themselves in long rallies, highlighted by several digs by both teams. Oklahoma finished the match with a total of 101 digs, while K-State totaled 93.
Yet head coach Suzie Fritz said her team was well rested heading into the match and the long rallies should not have caused a fatigue factor late in the match.
"There were a lot of long rallies, but we knew that coming in,"
head coach Suzie Fritz said. "There is no reason we shouldn't have been rested. We haven't played since Saturday."
Meanwhile, Fritz added that her team needed to out-work the Sooners throughout the match and felt that her team lacked the necessary attacking ability against Oklahoma's tough defense. The Wildcats attack percentage was under .150 on the night.
"We knew coming in that we would have to outwork them, and we didn't," Fritz said.
The Wildcats did however put themselves in position to take control of the match following a 26-24 win in the second set. Kansas State built some momentum heading into the locker room as their offense came alive during the victory. Freshman Caitlyn Donahue produced 6 kills while the team hit a matchhigh .129 on 62 attempts at the net.
That momentum seemed to carry over into the third set as they led for the first half until the Sooner offense came away with key kills by Sarah Freudenrich and Suzy Boulavsky and the Wildcats suddenly found themselves trailing two sets to one.
"They dug a ton of balls. Oklahoma is scrappy and they are kind of like us."
Kathleen Ludwig said. "They aren't huge or physical but they were digging. It was tough for us to get a rhythm and kill balls."
During the fourth set KState looked to get back on track offensively, however, the inconstancies and passing troubles only continued. Oklahoma meanwhile continued to take advantage of the Wildcat miscues as they ran away with the match in a 2515 final set.
"I don't think it's one thing," Fritz said. "I don't think we can put our finger on one thing. I didn't feel like we were good in any particular area."
Freshman Audrey Horton was injured during the second set, and sat out the remainder of the match. Her status and injury was unknown after the game.
The Wildcats will look to get back on track this weekend as they travel to Waco to take on Baylor in a 1 p.m. match on Saturday. The Bears are coming off their first loss of the season in a three-set sweep.
