Volleyball Survives Match Point To Post Exhibition Win At Kansas State

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- The ninth-ranked Creighton Volleyball team saved a match point and won the final three sets to take a 3-2 victory at Kansas State on Friday night at Ahearn Field House. The preseason exhibition was the first of its kind for Creighton against another Division I school thanks new NCAA legislation.

Scores of the match in favor of the visiting Bluejays were 22-25, 24-26, 25-22, 27-25, 15-8.

The exhibition was as close as the scores indicated, as neither team led by more than five until the fifth set, which featured 41 ties and 20 lead changes.

Kansas State took the opening set in the exhibition, 25-22. The Wildcats led most of the set before a Jaali Winters ace capped a 3-0 run for Creighton and gave the visitors an 18-17 lead. The margin grew to 21-19 before the Wildcats ended the set on a 6-1 run to take the 1-0 lead.

Creighton had its chances in the second set, but could not hold off the Wildcats late. The Bluejays appeared in control with a 17-12 lead before KSU answered with the next six points to claim its first lead since 5-4. Creighton had a set point chance after Jaali Winters' kill made it 24-23, but a Bluejay attack error, followed by two Kylee Zumach kills gave the Wildcats a 2-0 lead in the match.

The third set was much like the first two, only this time the visiting Bluejays pulled away down the stretch. The score was knotted at 21-all before CU reeled off four of the final points for the 25-22 set win. Marysa Wilkinson delivered the winner to close out the frame for CU.

The fourth set matched the intensity of the prior three. Creighton trailed 22-20 late before evening the score at 22-all. The Wildcats went up 23-22, but Taryn Kloth followed with a block and a kill to give the Jays a set point chance at 24-23. The Wildcats answered with the next two points and owned a match point at 25-24, only to have Lydia Dimke knot the score with a kill. A Kloth kill, followed by a Dimke ace, sent the match to the fifth frame.

Kansas State scored the first point of the final set, but that would be its only lead in the last stanza. The Bluejays immediately answered with the next four points, and never trailed again. A kill from Kloth gave CU an 8-5 lead as the teams switched sides, and a kill from Winters ended the match.

Dimke had a triple-double, while Kloth and Winters also contributed double-doubles. Wilkinson proved unstoppable for most of the match, leading the way offensively for the Jays. Creighton hit .299 for the contest and had 69 kills, seven aces, 76 digs and 15 blocks.

K-State was led by 18 kills from Alyssa Schultejans, while Sarah Dixon and Bryna Vogel both compiled double-doubles. The Wildcats finished with 70 kills, six aces, 65 digs, eight blocks and hit .247.

The exhibition match was just part of a busy day for the two teams, which spent the morning combining on a joint practice, then ate their pregame meal together at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

Creighton opens the regular-season next weekend in Seattle with three matches at the Husky Invitational, starting with a 5 pm Central tilt against Saint Mary's.

Volleyball Survives Match Point To Post Exhibition Win At Kansas State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Lydia Dimke

Taryn Kloth

Marysa Wilkinson

Jaali Winters