The K-State volleyball team swept Tulsa 3-0 on Friday, but less than 24 hours later, the No. 11 Wildcats' season was over.
K-State was defeated by Oregon 3-2 (24-30, 20-30, 30-27, 36-34, 15-11) Saturday night at Ahearn Field House, ending the Wildcats' hopes of advancing to the final 16 of the NCAA Volleyball Championship.
"We just have to figure out what we have to do to finish tough matches - that's the key," coach Suzie Fritz said after the Oregon match. "We had a 2-0 lead against a very good volleyball team."
Senior Angie Lastra ended her illustrious K-State career with a match-high 20 digs - her 34th career 20-plus dig match. Lastra also leaves the Wildcats as the 2007 Big 12 Conference Libero of the Year and K-State's all-time career dig leader.
"This has been a great experience," Lastra said. "It is the best decision of my life thus far, and I don't regret it. I have met a lot of great people. This was a great opportunity for me to grow, and I am glad I came here."
Junior outside hitter Rita Liliom led the Wildcats' attack, posting a match-high 27 kills on .400 hitting. She also added eight digs and an ace.
"From what she's been through - and the fact that she couldn't even be on the floor for us last year - you have no idea how hard she's worked," Fritz said, holding back tears. "So what she's been able to do is truly remarkable."
Besides Liliom, four Wildcats finished with double-digit kills, including junior Nataly Korobkova (16), sophomore Kelsey Chipman (14), junior Megan Farr (10) and junior Jenny Jantsch (10).
Senior setter Stacey Spiegelberg finished her career with a match-high 67 assists, also while adding 11 digs. Senior Lauren Rosenthal collected seven digs and two aces.
K-State led during all of game one and still never trailed in game two. But then, the Wildcats began to unravel.
"We were hitting over .400 as a team, being very efficient, not forcing plays and not making a lot of unforced errors," Fritz said. "As the match evolved, they started putting more pressure on us with their serve and with their block. Then we started forcing things a bit more."
No. 13 Oregon led 14-9 early in game three, but the Wildcats posted a 5-0 run, tying the game at 14-all. Neither team led by more than four during the remainder of the game. Oregon pulled-out a 30-27 victory.
Game four featured 20 tie scores and eight lead changes. The Wildcats had a game-point at 34-33, but the Ducks closed the game with a 3-0 run to win 36-34.
The fifth game was tied as late as 9-9. Oregon then tallied four-straight points to lead 13-9. Frustration began appearing on the Wildcats' faces, while the Ducks closed the game with a block from Karen Waddington and Gorana Maricic.
Oregon (22-10) advances to the final 16 of the tournament, where they will face UCLA.
"We've had an awful lot of adversity, and it finally paid off," said Oregon coach Jim Moore, a former K-State volleyball coach. "(The players) were very, very good coming down the stretch."
There were 1,261 fans in attendance, and Fritz said they were a huge part of her team's successes this season.
"They've been there for us all year - that student section in particular - ripping up papers, causing chaos and yelling when they serve," Fritz said. "We love those guys. We think of them as part of our family."
K-State is one of the 63 teams in the tournament which will end its season with a loss, but Fritz said she is still proud of her team's performance this season.
"I'm very proud of the year that we had, and I'm very proud of this team," she said.
