K-State Officially Begins 2017 at Beaver State Classic
Aug 24, 2017 | Volleyball
TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
BEAVER STATE CLASSIC
GILL COLISEUM • CORVALLIS, OR
K-STATE vs PACIFIC
SERIES: K-State Leads, 1-0
? NOTES
? GAMECENTER
? LIVE AUDIO
K-STATE vs OREGON STATE
SERIES: OSU Leads, 2-1
? NOTES
? GAMECENTER
? LIVE AUDIO / LIVE VIDEO STREAM
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State volleyball team officially begins its 2017 season Friday at the Beaver State Classic, a two-day tournament with matches against Pacific, Idaho and Oregon State held at Gill Coliseum.
K-State opens its campaign Friday at 2:30 p.m. CT against Pacific before a Saturday doubleheader against Idaho (12 p.m.) and the host OSU (9 p.m.). Saturday’s match against the host Beavers will offer a free live stream on OSUBeavers.com. All three matches can be heard on 1350 KMAN and streamed live at k-statesports.com.
K-State begins the season just outside the nation’s top 25, having received votes in the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association (AVCA) Preseason Poll. The Cats to open their season with a victory for the sixth consecutive season.
The Wildcats finished 2016 with an overall record of 21-10 and earned a No. 14 national seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they advanced to the second round for the first time since the 2011 season.
K-State, led by 17th-year head coach Suzie Fritz, return 10 letterwinners from last year’s team that finished tied for fourth in the Big 12 standings for the second consecutive season. Among the returners are All-Big 12 selections Bryna Vogel, Elle Sandbothe and Kylee Zumach.
AT A GLANCE
• K-State finished the 2016 season with an overall record of 21-10 (9-7 Big 12) and in a tie for fourth place in the conference standings.
• The Wildcats finished in the top four of the Big 12 for the second straight season, the first time posting back-to-back top-four finishes since 2007-08.
• K-State earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season, and fifth in six years.
• The Cats seek to make it four straight postseason appearances for the first time since qualifying for 11 in a row from 1995-2005.
• K-State reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011.
• Head coach Suzie Fritz turned in her 11th 20-win season in her 16th season at the helm of the Wildcats.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
• While in Corvallis, Ore., at the season-opening tournament, K-State will square off with Pacific, Idaho and host Oregon State.
• Pacific ended 2016 with a 15-15 overall record while finishing sixth in the West Coast Conference at 9-9.
• The Tigers retain five starters from last season, including First Team All-WCC outside hitter Lexi Elman, who led her team with 493 kills (4.36 per set) and 15 double-doubles.
• Idaho ended 2016 in eighth place in the Big Sky standings with a 6-10 mark and 11-18 record overall.
• The Vandals keep four starters from a year ago, highlighted by junior outside hitter Sarah Sharp, the team’s leader in both kills (353) and kps (3.02).
• Oregon State returns all but one starter from a team that went 12-19 and finished in a tie for 10th in the Pac-12 standings at 5-15.
• The Beavers bring back 2016 AVA All-America Honorable Mention outside hitter Mary-Kate Marshall, who ranked second in the regular season with 4.48 points/set in the Pac-12.
• K-State has a combined all-time record of 3-3 against its first weekend’s opponents.
RETURN AISLE
• K-State graduated six seniors (three starters), including three-time All-America setter Katie Brand, from last year’s squad that earned the No. 14 national seed in the NCAA Tournament.
• The Cats do bring back senior opposite Bryna Vogel, who was named Second Team All-Big 12 in 2016 in addition to being selected Preseason All-Big 12 entering 2017.
• Outside hitter Kylee Zumach returns for her redshirt junior season and was named All-America honors as a freshman in 2014.
• Four Cats that have been named to the Big 12’s All-Freshman Team in their respective careers remain on the roster - Elle Sandbothe (2016), Macy Flowers (2015), Alyssa Schultejans (2015) and Zumach (2014).
• Vogel is K-State’s top returner in terms of kills, kills per set and hitting percentage.
• K-State retains two of its top three players in kills (Vogel, Zumach), blocks (Flowers, Vogel) and points (Vogel, Zumach).
• In total, K-State keeps 59% of its kill production from 2016 along with 55% of its blocks, and 59% of its total points.
LONE SENIOR
• Bryna Vogel is the lone senior on this year’s squad.
• Vogel was the third Wildcat since 2001 (rally-scoring era) to turn in a 300 kill-300 dig season.
• Her .284 hitting percentage was highest by a Cat to reach 300 kills since Kaitlynn Pelger in 2012.
• Vogel’s .704 attacking efficiency (21k-2e-29ta) vs. Southern Miss on Sept. 17 was second-best in a four-set match in program history and helped her earn Big 12 Player of the Week.
OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT
• K-State has won its season-opening match each of the last five seasons.
• The Wildcats have posted a winning record in the season’s opening weekend each year since 2012.
• K-State has a combined record of 12-3 (.800) in the opening weekend of the last five seasons.
• Under Fritz, the Wildcats are 10-6 in their season opener.
MILESTONE WATCH
• K-State head coach Suzie Fritz sits at 316 career wins after her 11th 20-win campaign in 2016.
• She sits in fifth in Big 12 history in career victories and is 14 away of moving into a tie for fourth and 20 shy of equaling the third-best total in league history.
• In three seasons, Vogel has accumulated 609 kills and 660 digs, putting her within reach of joining the Double-Grand Club.
• Last season, setter Katie Brand became the eighth Wildcat ever, and third in rally-scoring era) to join the elite group.
• Zumach eclipsed the 700-kill mark in 2016 and is poised to join the 1,000 Kill Club before her career is over.
• In 2016, Brooke Sassin became the fourth Wildcat to play her entire career in the rally-scoring era and achieve 1,000 kills - doing so in three seasons at K-State.
LUCKY NO. 4
• K-State set a new all-time program record for four-set matches played (14) and wins (11).
• The Wildcats went 14-6 (.700) in the fourth set overall last season, the highest winning percentage of any single set.
• On Sept. 9 vs. Mississippi State, K-State set a new program four-set record with a .420 hitting percentage.
• In a four-set victory on Sept. 17, the Cats posted their third-highest efficiency ever in a four-set match at .343.
