SE: K-State Volleyball Bounces Back in Hunt for NCAA Tournament
Mar 16, 2021 | Volleyball, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
It took an out-of-system play to get K-State back on track in an out-of-system season.
The Wildcats were up two sets on Saint Louis and looking to close out their first win of the spring on Sunday afternoon. The Billikens weren't making it easy.
With K-State down 20-19 in a back-and-forth third set, Saint Louis tried to quick hit the Wildcats. Shelby Martin got a touch to prevent a kill, but the Wildcats still had work to do.
"There are times where someone is going to rope a ball at you and you're going to try to fight it off," head coach Suzie Fritz said. "It can end up anywhere."
On Sunday, it ended up with Holly Bonde. The sophomore had no choice but to send a no-look set somewhere into the upper reaches of Bramlage Coliseum, so that Jayden Nembhard, in theory, would have time to track it down.
"It kind of was a weird play," Nembhard said. "I had so much time to think about what I was going to do with the ball. It was really high. I figured out where to place it and we got the kill."
It was just one moment in a 3-0 win that wasn't particularly close, but for a K-State team trying to put together one of the most unconventional NCAA Tournament seasons in program history, that's what this whole thing is about: turn an uncomfortable situation into something positive.
Consider what the Wildcats have faced so far.
Kicked out of their home gym at Ahearn Field House due to COVID-19 precautions, K-State had its non-conference season canceled and were picked to finish second-to-last in the Big 12.
All they did was go 10-6 and finish third in a conference-only season, then sit at home because the NCAA Tournament was postponed to April, where a reduced field of 48 teams put them right back on the bubble.
So, K-State scheduled a modified spring season before their first two matches were postponed due to COVID-19 precautions. Then they lost in five sets to Sun Belt champs Texas State.
Add it all up and you get a match on Sunday that K-State really, really needed to win.
"There are only 16 at-large bids," Fritz said on Sunday. "We still feel like we're in a good place, we think this is a tournament team and we think that we should be in."
Against the top team in the Atlantic 10 conference this season, the Wildcats took a step towards proving that in a clean sweep of Saint Louis at Bramlage Coliseum.
A double-double from Aliyah Carter and 12 kills from Nembhard provided the offense firepower on Sunday, while Kayley Hollywood and Martin made their spring season debuts.
Fritz was happy with her team's efficiency, even if K-State wasn't able to completely take control of the match through three hard-fought sets.
"I didn't think we were particularly clean in that one," Fritz said. "The staff and team thought there were a lot of ebbs and flows in the match that didn't allow us to consistently put the point scoring runs together. In the end, it's high efficiency, we were hitting around .300 and them at about [.118]. The differential there feels pretty good."
If consistency remains the goal for K-State, the depth on display this weekend should give the team a fighting chance to put together more complete matches this spring.
Nembhard and Hollywood weren't regular starters during the fall season, before both underclassmen stepped into the spotlight on Sunday afternoon.
Hollywood picked her spots and smashed five kills with an efficient .364 hitting percentage, while the offense flowed through Nembhard at outside hitter.
Her 28 total attempts led the 'Cats against Saint Louis.
"Our team, we're there for each other…Whether someone is playing or not playing we are supporting them and pushing them to get better," Nembhard said. "Suzie was telling us that we have to provide a lot more and everyone has to do their part."
That meant cashing in some of the out-of-the-system points that can be the difference between a sweep of Saint Louis and letting a team like Texas State off the hook. K-State led the Bobcats 2-0 last weekend before they came all the way back to win the spring opener in five sets.
Fritz said the key to a strong out-of-system attack is two confident outside hitters who can track down an errant pass and are comfortable finishing an attack from anywhere.
"We had our outsides, Jayden and Aliyah, hitting in a lot of out-of-system stuff and having to kind of take the trash out a little bit and hit a lot of high balls," Fritz said. "They are not risk averse, which helps a lot. It takes some courage to hit those."
The biggest match of the spring season for K-State arrives on Saturday, when No. 24 Creighton should give the Wildcats their best chance to solidify their postseason plans. Earning an invite to the NCAA Tournament next month will take more than a strong out-of-system attack.
But the attitude it will take to earn a bid? That's already coming into focus.
"We're going to make mistakes and that's just part of the game. But just trust each other and continue swinging," Carter said. "You just want to keep on swinging and stay aggressive."
It took an out-of-system play to get K-State back on track in an out-of-system season.
The Wildcats were up two sets on Saint Louis and looking to close out their first win of the spring on Sunday afternoon. The Billikens weren't making it easy.
With K-State down 20-19 in a back-and-forth third set, Saint Louis tried to quick hit the Wildcats. Shelby Martin got a touch to prevent a kill, but the Wildcats still had work to do.
"There are times where someone is going to rope a ball at you and you're going to try to fight it off," head coach Suzie Fritz said. "It can end up anywhere."
On Sunday, it ended up with Holly Bonde. The sophomore had no choice but to send a no-look set somewhere into the upper reaches of Bramlage Coliseum, so that Jayden Nembhard, in theory, would have time to track it down.
"It kind of was a weird play," Nembhard said. "I had so much time to think about what I was going to do with the ball. It was really high. I figured out where to place it and we got the kill."
It was just one moment in a 3-0 win that wasn't particularly close, but for a K-State team trying to put together one of the most unconventional NCAA Tournament seasons in program history, that's what this whole thing is about: turn an uncomfortable situation into something positive.
Consider what the Wildcats have faced so far.
Kicked out of their home gym at Ahearn Field House due to COVID-19 precautions, K-State had its non-conference season canceled and were picked to finish second-to-last in the Big 12.
All they did was go 10-6 and finish third in a conference-only season, then sit at home because the NCAA Tournament was postponed to April, where a reduced field of 48 teams put them right back on the bubble.
So, K-State scheduled a modified spring season before their first two matches were postponed due to COVID-19 precautions. Then they lost in five sets to Sun Belt champs Texas State.
Add it all up and you get a match on Sunday that K-State really, really needed to win.
⭐️ Aliyah Carter - 13 kills
— K-State Volleyball (@KStateVB) March 14, 2021
⭐️ Jayden Nemhard - 12 kills
⭐️ Kayley Hollywood - .364 Hitting % (5 kills)
Match Highlights vs SLU ⬇️#KStateVB pic.twitter.com/nxNtKZ0mle
"There are only 16 at-large bids," Fritz said on Sunday. "We still feel like we're in a good place, we think this is a tournament team and we think that we should be in."
Against the top team in the Atlantic 10 conference this season, the Wildcats took a step towards proving that in a clean sweep of Saint Louis at Bramlage Coliseum.
A double-double from Aliyah Carter and 12 kills from Nembhard provided the offense firepower on Sunday, while Kayley Hollywood and Martin made their spring season debuts.
Fritz was happy with her team's efficiency, even if K-State wasn't able to completely take control of the match through three hard-fought sets.
"I didn't think we were particularly clean in that one," Fritz said. "The staff and team thought there were a lot of ebbs and flows in the match that didn't allow us to consistently put the point scoring runs together. In the end, it's high efficiency, we were hitting around .300 and them at about [.118]. The differential there feels pretty good."
If consistency remains the goal for K-State, the depth on display this weekend should give the team a fighting chance to put together more complete matches this spring.
Nembhard and Hollywood weren't regular starters during the fall season, before both underclassmen stepped into the spotlight on Sunday afternoon.
Hollywood picked her spots and smashed five kills with an efficient .364 hitting percentage, while the offense flowed through Nembhard at outside hitter.
Her 28 total attempts led the 'Cats against Saint Louis.
"Our team, we're there for each other…Whether someone is playing or not playing we are supporting them and pushing them to get better," Nembhard said. "Suzie was telling us that we have to provide a lot more and everyone has to do their part."
See ya later ✌️ #KStateVB x Built Different pic.twitter.com/4wvOLX8DWH
— K-State Volleyball (@KStateVB) March 14, 2021
That meant cashing in some of the out-of-the-system points that can be the difference between a sweep of Saint Louis and letting a team like Texas State off the hook. K-State led the Bobcats 2-0 last weekend before they came all the way back to win the spring opener in five sets.
Fritz said the key to a strong out-of-system attack is two confident outside hitters who can track down an errant pass and are comfortable finishing an attack from anywhere.
"We had our outsides, Jayden and Aliyah, hitting in a lot of out-of-system stuff and having to kind of take the trash out a little bit and hit a lot of high balls," Fritz said. "They are not risk averse, which helps a lot. It takes some courage to hit those."
The biggest match of the spring season for K-State arrives on Saturday, when No. 24 Creighton should give the Wildcats their best chance to solidify their postseason plans. Earning an invite to the NCAA Tournament next month will take more than a strong out-of-system attack.
But the attitude it will take to earn a bid? That's already coming into focus.
"We're going to make mistakes and that's just part of the game. But just trust each other and continue swinging," Carter said. "You just want to keep on swinging and stay aggressive."