Kansas Bests Iowa State, 3-1

LAWRENCE, Kansas – Iowa State (10-4, 2-1 Big 12) could not cash in on a first-set victory, falling to Kansas (11-3, 3-0 Big 12) 3-1 (26-28, 25-16, 25-19, 25-20) Friday evening at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

The Cyclones battled off a couple of set point in the first to take the first frame, but slowed down offensively, hitting just .151 across the final three sets after hitting .282 in the first.

In defeat, Iowa State was led by 13 kills at .323 hitting from Candelaria Herrera, who also led the ISU block with six stuffs. Eleanor Holthaus recorded a double-double of 11 kills and 10 digs, while Jaden Newsome also had a double-double with 41 assists and 10 digs, along with six kills. Marija Popovic led the back row with 18 digs.

Set One: Iowa State 28 Kansas 26
Marija Popovic went behind the service line to fire off an 9-0 serving run, an effort which included a couple of kills each for Eleanor Holthaus and Candelaria Herrera to make it 10-4 Iowa State. Kansas fought back, using separate runs of 5-0 and 4-0 to erase the ISU advantage and tie the set at 16-16. The Jayhawks kept the momentum going and eventually opened up a 22-19 lead after a couple of Brooke Andersen attack errors. ISU tied it at 22s and 23s on Kenzie Mantz kills, but KU reached set point first. Iowa State fought off two set points before getting its own chance at 26-25 via a block by Holthaus and Alexis Engelbrecht. ISU failed to convert, but did on its second try with another Mantz kill to make it 28-26.

Set Two: Kansas 25 Iowa State 16
Iowa State got off to a solid start, with Herrera and Jaden Newsome combining for a block that put the Cyclones ahead 6-4. However, KU responded with a 6-0 run, capped by a Jenny Mosser kill, to move ahead 10-6 and did not look back in the set. The Jayhawk attack dominated proceedings, hitting .440 in the set with only two attack errors. Kansas evened up the match when Solei Thomas hit one into the antenna at 25-16.

Set Three: Kansas 25 Iowa State 19
Herrera helped boost ISU early, getting a pair of blocks and a kill to move ahead 4-2. Kansas battled ahead with a 3-0 run at 7-6, but ISU held tough until Kansas got some breathing room with another 3-0 run, capped by consecutive blocks, to make it 13-9 Jayhawks. ISU held tough, but eventually fell to a 4-0 service run that make the score 18-12 KU and put the set out of ISU's reach. Kansas took a 2-1 lead when Newsome was called in the net at 25-19 to end the third.

Set Four: Kansas 25 Iowa State 20
The Cyclones found themselves in a hole early, with the Jayhawks getting out to a 4-1 lead. Iowa State held tough to keep the home team within arm's reach, but the Jayhawks eventually got a 3-0 run to move ahead 14-10 and get a gap in the set. Iowa State out-hit Kansas in the set, hitting .222 to KU's .209, but struggled behind the service line with no aces and four service errors in the frame. A late 3-0 ISU run cut the Jayhawk lead to 23-20, but the home team eventually closed the match out, with London Davis killing at 25-20.

Up Next
Iowa State and Kansas meet again tomorrow at 4 p.m. inside the Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena. Tomorrow's match will be televised on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

Players Mentioned

Brooke Andersen

Alexis Engelbrecht

Candelaria Herrera

Eleanor Holthaus

Kenzie Mantz

Jaden Newsome

Marija Popovic

Solei Thomas