photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State junior middle blocker Anniston Clark sets the ball in a 3-0 loss to Olathe West on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Lawrence.

Free State volleyball struggled with self-inflicted mistakes in a Tuesday dual against Olathe West and lost 3-0.

The Firebirds took an early lead in the first set, winning the first 2 points, but the Owls rattled off a 9-1 run shortly after. That led to Free State calling a timeout down 9-3. Free State scored back-to-back points, but Olathe West rebounded with a 6-3 run to lead the Firebirds 16-8.

“We struggled early with some miscommunications, some errors,” Free State coach Jayme Savage said. “The energy just wasn’t there. We were trying to figure some things out.”

The Firebirds knew going in it would be a tough dual against a team that only has one Sunflower League loss. Still, the Firebirds got in their own way as mistakes prevented them from building momentum.

“Those are all things we can control,” Savage said. “We just have to be more consistent on that end.”

Free State called its second timeout, but Olathe West continued to win with the momentum, rattling off 9 points to Free State’s 1 to win the first set 25-9.

The Firebirds did better in the second set but still ultimately lost. The first 6 points were distributed evenly between Free State and Olathe West, but the Owls started to build a 5-point lead, which led to the first Free State timeout of the set.

The Firebirds came out of the timeout strong and battled their way into a close match with 3 straight points. The Owls bounced back and took a 16-9 lead, which forced the second Free State timeout.

Free State did show an ability to regroup and bounce back. Savage said the team just has to “keep finding ways of executing the game plan and doing that more consistently.”

“We had glimpses; we just weren’t able to capitalize on them effectively,” Savage said. “Our side-out percentage was better, but we have to rely on our aggressive serving and passing, and we just have to be better.”

Free State closed the gap again shortly after the timeout, but Olathe West pulled back ahead and finished the set winning 25-18.

When Free State did close the gap, it came from strong serving. So far, serving has been a strength of the team. Rarely do the Firebirds commit a serving error, and the entire team shows an ability to score points on serves.

“This is one of our more aggressive serving teams.” Savage said. “They’re confident back there. They are doing a really good job of being intentional with their reps in practice, and that’s only going to go up. Our key is we have to keep teams out of system, and we do that by serving aggressively and staying composed under pressure.”

Olathe West took an early 4-point lead in the third set, but Free State battled to tie the game at 10-10. The Firebirds went back and forth with the Owls for the middle portion of the set, but the Owls started to pull away with a 4-point lead while up 18-14. From there, the Owls finished strong again, outscoring the Firebirds 7-5 to win 25-19.

Free State will be back at home on Thursday to host Olathe Northwest, starting at 6:30 p.m.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State senior outside hitter Annika Lintecum jumps to serve the ball in a 3-0 loss to Olathe West on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State senior defensive specialist Taylor Stucker leaps while passing the ball in a 3-0 loss to Olathe West on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Lawrence.