WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (KStateSports.com) – K-State bounced back Sunday afternoon with a straight-set victory over UMBC to conclude the Stacey Clark Classic at Holloway Gymnasium, as the Wildcats earned their first win of the 2024 season.
Behind 32 assists from Izzi Szulczewski, who earned all-tournament recognition, the Wildcats (1-2) generated an impressive .459 hitting percentage with 43 kills and only four attack errors. The defense limited the Retrievers to a .011 efficiency with a season-best 13 blocks, that included six from both Jordyn Williams and Brenna Schmidt.
Eight players contributed to the offense led by Aliyah Carter with 15 kills and a career-best .714 with no errors on 21 swings, while Liz Gregorski and Meg Brown combined for 13. Gregorski produced a career-high 12 digs to go with four blocks.
Szulczewski capped the season opening weekend averaging 10.83 assists per set, as she guided a 5-1 offense that hit .234 overall. The Beaverton, Ore., native added eight kills, 12 digs, and nine blocks.
With her 15 kills Sunday, Carter moves to fifth all-time in K-State history with 1,440 career kills and sits second in the rally-scoring era.
UMBC (0-3) hit .011 as a team, totaling 24 kills with 23 errors on 90 attempts to go with 30 digs, three aces and a block from Mila Ilieva and Helen Frankovich. Six Retrievers produced a kill with seven coming from Abby Erickson.
STACEY CLARK ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
UMBC: #16 Hannah Howard
K-State: #15 Izzi Szulczewski
UC Davis: #3 Olivia Utterback
Purdue: #17 Eva Hudson (MVP) and #7 Raven Colvin
FROM THE CATS
Head Coach Jason Mansfield
Overall Statement…
“I’m really happy with our bounce back. Playing three matches in three days is tough, and it’s the only time we’ll do that all year. We had a solid practice the day before leaving, so we essentially played four long days of volleyball. I’m just really proud of how we showed up, competed against a strong team, and played clean volleyball. That’s what good teams do. I was especially impressed with how clean our play was, hitting over .400, which is pretty impressive against a good opponent, and holding them to .011.”
On Szulczewski’s all-tournament honor…
“[Szulczewski] did a fantastic job in all three matches, especially in the last two, spreading the ball, setting up our middles, and running the offense. She’s an excellent blocker, served well, and played great defense. Her ability to play across all aspects of the game really matters for us, and her leadership was outstanding this weekend.”
SET-BY-SET
Set One – K-State 25, UMBC 14
With the help of a 10-1 run, K-State jumped out to a 17-8 advantage forcing a timeout from UMBC. The Cats were hitting an incredible .632 (12 kills) with no errors before the Retrievers brought score within single digits, 20-12.
Behind eight kills from Carter, who hit .889 with no attack errors, K-State hit .500 (14 kills, 1 error). The defense held UMBC to a .071 attack percentage three blocks.
Set Two – K-State 25, UMBC 9
K-State scored 11 consecutive points in the second set to take control of the set. The Cats recorded just one error in the second set, hitting .480 as a team with 13 kills on 25 swings, while the holding the Retrivers to a -.069 hitting percentage.
Set Three – K-State 25, UMBC 14
The Wildcats kept their foot on the gas, as they totaled a season set-high 16 kills in the final set and hit .412. Carter totaled five kills in the third set while Szulczewski and Schmidt each made three stops at the net.
INSIDE THE BOX
- K-State swept past UMBC – 25-14, 25-9, 25-14.
- The Cats hit .459 (43 kills, 4 errors) compared to UMBC’s .011 (24 kills, 23 errors)
- Carter led the offense with 15 kills and career-best .714 hitting percentage.
- Szulczewski, who was named to the all-tournament team, earned 32 assists.
- Williams and Schmidt each totaled six blocks, while the team totaled 13.
- Gregorski had a match-high 12 digs with seven kills and four blocks.
- Erickson led UMBC with seven kills (.545), while Ostvig had 11 assists and Howard posted 11 digs.
BEYOND THE BOX
- Sunday marked the first-ever meeting between the Wildcats and Retrievers.
- K-State is 14-4 in three-set matches in the Mansfield era.
- Szulczewski capped the season opening weekend averaging 10.83 assists per set, as she guided a 5-1 offense that hit .234.
- With her 15 kills Sunday, Carter moves to fifth all-time in K-State history with 1,440 career kills and sits second in the rally-scoring era.
WHAT’S NEXT
K-State will face two Top 25 foes in Omaha, Neb., in the Creighton Classic, which includes matchups against No. 21 USC (September 6) and tournament host No. 12 Creighton (September 7). The three-day event will be held at Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center and D.J. Sokol Arena and can be seen on FloSports.
