The Sooners were bested by the Wildcats 3-2 (25-18, 25-22, 24-26, 20-15, 9-15The OU volleyball team had No. 16 Kansas State on the ropes for nearly an hour Saturday evening, but was unable to close the deal.) at McCasland Field House in a match during which the Sooners came within one point of securing the upset.

“We played our hearts out,” OU head coach Santiago Restrepo said. “Overall, it was a great performance.”

The Sooners (7-10, 3-6 Big 12) were efficient and methodical in the first two sets, putting Kansas State (16-3, 6-2 Big 12) in an early 0-2 hole for only the second time this season.

Outsider hitters Caitlin Higgins and Bridget Laplante combined for nine kills in the night’s opening set and — coupled with series of costly errors committed by the Wildcats — the Sooners built a lead that teetered between three and four points for the majority of the set.

Freshman setter Brianne Barker tallied 11 of her 40 assists in the opening frame, while Higgins notched her eighth double-double of the season, finishing the match with 15 kills and 14 digs. Laplante added seven kills and 13 digs.

The 12 attack errors committed by Kansas State told the story of the second set. By comparison, the Sooners were virtually mistake-free, with only one attack error and held the Wildcats to a .020 hitting percentage.

The Sooners were clutch defensively, as sophomore middle blocker Chrissy Disarro and freshman right side hitter Suzy Boulavsky teamed up for a late pair of blocks that secured victory for OU.

Disarro and Boulavsky finished the evening with four block assists each, while senior libero Lacy Barnes broke the 20-dig mark for the fourth time this season, digging a team-high 22 balls overall.

The third set, which featured nine ties and five lead changes, had the 402 fans in attendance on their feet late, as the Sooners found themselves up 24-23 and within one point of notching their biggest victory of the season.

However, it was not meant to be, as the Wildcats rattled off a trio of unanswered kills to steal the third set 26-24.

The Sooners struggled to rebound the rest of the way, hitting only .042 in the night’s final two sets and Restrepo knows he and his team let a golden opportunity slip through their fingers.

“I think we should have won in three, but unfortunately it went five and the game didn’t go our way,” Restrepo said.

With the loss, the Sooners have now dropped their last four matches, despite three of the four being to opponents ranked in the top 25.

OU will aim to get back on track Wednesday evening when it hosts Colorado at 7 p.m. The first 250 fans in attendance will receive on OU volleyball pennant.