Huskers Fall at No. 5 Kansas State

Manhattan, Kan. ? Sophomore middle blocker Melissa Elmer drilled 13 kills on .333 hitting and tallied 10 blocks Saturday night at Ahearn Field House, but it wasn’t enough, as fifth-ranked Kansas State solidified its lead in the race for the Big 12 Conference title with a 30-28, 29-31, 30-26, 30-25 win over No. 10 Nebraska. A KSU-record 5,287 fans were in attendance as the Wildcats snapped the Huskers’ eight-match winning streak and improved to 25-3 overall and 15-1 in the league.

Nebraska, meanwhile, fell to 23-4 and 14-3 in the conference, remaining in second place in the Big 12 standings. The Huskers have lost to Kansas State just three times in 69 meetings. NU’s defeat marked the first time in since 1997 that a conference opponent has swept the season series against NU.

Redshirt freshman right side hitter Kelsey Fautsch provided the Huskers with a bright spot, coming off the bench to produce 10 kills and three blocks. Entering the KSU match, Fautsch had played in just two games in November, and she had not recorded a kill since Nov. 1 vs. Oklahoma.

The Huskers also received solid performances from senior middle blocker Sara Westling and sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua. Westling posted 10 kills and had four blocks, while Saleaumua totaled 11 kills and tied for the match high with 20 digs.

Valeria Hejjas led KSU with 15 kills, but hit just .182.

Kansas State led, 13-11, in game one when Elmer slammed a kill to spark a 6-0 Nebraska run. Saleaumua served five points during the stretch, including a service ace, as the Huskers took a 17-13 lead. NU maintained its advantage and led, 23-19, before the Wildcats tied the score with a 4-0 run. Saleaumua slammed a kill to help the Huskers regain momentum, and Nebraska led 27-25 after Elmer blocked Lauren Goehring. However, Nebraska faltered with three straight hitting errors, as KSU went up, 28-27. Mancuso pounded a cross court strike to even the score, but Cari Jensen and Valeria Hejjas posted back-to-back kills to secure a 30-28, first-game win for the Wildcats.

In game two, the Huskers trailed, 23-18, before Fautsch got hot. Fautsch, who had played little since NU made a lineup switch six matches ago, sparked a Husker rally with three kills, as NU took a 25-24 advantage. The score was tied three more times before Gabby Guerre produced a kill on a setter dump to force a game-point situation. Elmer and Anna Schrad blocked Hejjas to tie it at 29. Saleaumua and Elmer then blocked Jensen, and the Huskers secured a 31-29, second-game win when Hejjas’ attack sailed wide.

NU hit .367 in game one after posting a .213 mark in game one. Fautsch led the way with five kills on nine attempts for a .556 hitting percentage.

Fautsch again came up big in game three. With the Huskers trailing 17-9, Fautsch pounded a kill that swung the momentum back to Nebraska’s side of the court. NU out-scored KSU, 10-3, to pull within one. But Goehring and Guerre blocked Westling on the next play, and Goehring produced an ace serve to open Kansas State’s lead to 23-20. The Wildcats remained in control the rest of the way, eventually taking a 30-26 win on a kill by Goehring.

In game four, the Huskers trailed 14-9, but slowly clawed their way back, closing the gap to 18-16 after a kill by Schrad. NU pulled within one after an ace serve by Michelle Lynch, but Fautsch was blocked on the next play to give KSU a 21-19 advantage. The Wildcats remained in control the rest of the way. KSU led, 28-23, after back-to-back Nebraska hitting errors. A Nebraska service ace forced a game point situation. Saleaumua stalled the Wildcats temporarily with a kill, but Westling served long on the next rally, as the Huskers fell, 30-25.

The Huskers return to Lincoln for two home matches next week. NU will take on Kansas at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, before facing Baylor Saturday, Nov. 22, at the NU Coliseum. The Huskers will celebrate Senior Night following their match with the Bears.