Utah Sweeps K-State to Open NCAA Tournament

Lincoln, Neb. - Utah proved worthy of its top-20 national ranking on Friday, as the Utes overpowered Kansas State in a three-game sweep over the Wildcats in a First Round NCAA Tournament match at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Neb.

The Utes trailed for only four rallies in the entire match while holding KSU to fewer than 20 points each set. Utah won the first two sets by identical 25-16 margins before securing the sweep with a 25-17 win in set three.

With the victory, Utah (20-12) advanced to Saturday's 7 p.m. second-round match against either Hofstra or Nebraska, the No. 14 national seed and host of the NCAA Lincoln Regional. Kansas State ended its season with a 22-9 record.

Three Utes produced double-figure kills on Friday, led by 11 kills from Chelsey Schofield. Adora Anae and Shelby Dalton each finished with 10 kills on 18 error-free swings. While Utah hit an impressive .343 in the match - including a .583 mark in the third set - the Utes' defense was just as impressive, totaling 10 blocks and 47 digs.

Utah's defensive effort included holding Kansas State to a season-lowing .072 attack percentage, marking the only time the Wildcats hit under .100 this season. Chelsea Keating had seven kills to lead K-State, which hit .000 over the first two sets before rebounding to hit .276 in the final set.

Utah won the opening set, 25-16. Kansas State committed seven attack errors in the first 17 rallies, enabling the Utes to jump out to a 12-5 lead. Utah cruised from there, leading by at least six the rest of the set. Anae recorded kills for three of Utah's final four points, totaling five kills in the Utes' nine-point victory. Kansas State had 10 attack errors in the set and hit just .023, as Utah recorded 19 digs and three blocks.

Set two was back-and-forth early, featuring three lead changes and five ties. Back-to-back aces gave Kansas State a 14-13 lead, before Utah won eight straight points and closed the set on a 12-2 run to earn a 25-16 win. Like set one, a string of hitting errors from Kansas State attackers contributed to the run, as the Wildcats committed six errors over the final 14 rallies. Utah came up with blocks on two of those six errors, and the Utes' floor defense added 19 digs for the second straight set. Utah held Kansas State to a -.026 attack percentage in the set, as the Wildcats had more errors (8) than kills (7).

Utah never trailed in closing out the sweep with a 25-17 victory in the final set. Dalton had four kills in four swings in set three, as Utah hit a blistering .583. The Utes used a 7-2 run to turn a one-point lead into a 13-7 advantage. Kansas State closed to within four twice before Utah won five of the final six rallies to take the match.

Utah Post-Match Notes

• Utah improved to 12-11 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the second round for the 10th time in 12 NCAA Tournament appearances.
• The Utes won their opening match of the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight appearance while improving to 10-2 all-time in first-round NCAA Tournament matches.
• The Utes have won four straight matches and eight of their last nine. During that stretch, Utah owns wins over the Nos. 2, 13, 15, 18 and 19 teams in the country, with their one loss coming to No. 1 Stanford.
• Utah notched its 20th victory of the season after recording 21 wins in 2013. The Utes have posted consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time since 2005-06.
• Utah hit .343 against Kansas State, tying for the second-best NCAA Tournament mark in school history.
• Adora Anae and Shelby Dalton both had 10 kills on 18 error-free swings to hit .556 on the match. Utah had two players hit .500 in an NCAA Tournament match for the first time in school history (minimum five attacks), while both players' .556 attack percentage ranked the fourth-best mark by a Ute in an NCAA Tournament match.
• Lea Adolph had three aces in the match, tying for the second-highest total by a Ute in an NCAA Tournament match.

Kansas State Post-Match Notes

• Kansas State fell to 14-15 all-time in 15 NCAA Tournament appearances.
• The Wildcats ended their season with a 22-9 record.
• KSU went 0-3 against ranked opponents in 2014.
• Kansas State was swept for just the fifth time this season.
• The Wildcats were held to a season-low .072 attack percentage, marking the only time they hit below .100 in 2014.
• Chelsea Keating led Kansas State with seven kills, marking only the second time this season she led the Wildcats in kills.