Wildcats Enter Final Non-Con Weekend in Omaha

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The K-State volleyball team travels north to Omaha, Nebraska, for its final non-conference matches of the season at the Omaha Challenge held at Baxter Arena beginning Thursday.

The Wildcats (5-5) will meet host Omaha (3-7) on Thursday at 7 p.m., before squaring off with No. 10 Nebraska (5-2) on Friday at 4:30 p.m., and completing the weekend against Northern Iowa (8-3) on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Following the weekend slate, K-State will open its Big 12 slate Wednesday, September 20, at Oklahoma.

K-State has won three of its last four matches after snapping a four-match losing skid after Tuesday's four-set win over UMKC at Ahearn Field House.

The Cats' match with the host Mavericks will be streamed live on OMavs.com while all three K-State matches this weekend can be heard on KMAN 1350 AM, 93.3 FM or k-statesports.com.

MATCH #11
at Omaha (3-7)
Thursday, Sept. 14 | 7 p.m. CT
All-time Series: K-State leads, 9-6
Watch: OMavs.com
Listen: KMAN 1350 AM / 93.3 FM
Online Audio | Live Stats

MATCH #12
vs. No. 10 Nebraska (5-2)
Friday, Sept. 15 | 4:30 p.m. CT
All-time Series: Nebraska leads, 80-4
Listen: KMAN 1350 AM / 93.3 FM
Online Audio | Live Stats

MATCH #13
vs. Northern Iowa (8-3)
Saturday, Sept. 16 | 5:30 p.m. CT
All-time Series: K-State leads, 6-4-1
Listen: KMAN 1350 AM / 93.3 FM
Online Audio | Live Stats

AT A GLANCE

K-State (5-5) picked up its first home win with a four-set victory over UMKC Tuesday following a 2-1 weekend at the Georgia Tech Invitational.
The Wildcats have won three of their last four matches after ending a four-match losing skid.
Freshman Brynn Carlson set a new career high with 15 kills in the win over the Roos and was one of three attackers to hit .400 or better in the match (Bryna Vogel, Kylee Zumach).
After wins over North Florida and Xavier, K-State ended its weekend in Atlanta with a five-set loss at host Georgia Tech. It was just the second time in program history that a final set went extra points (16-14).
Outside hitter Alyssa Schultejans and opposite Bryna Vogel were both named to the all-tournament team.
It is the first such honor for Schultejans while Vogel earns her second all-tournament nod of the season (K-State Invitational).
The Cats hit a season-best .352 in the win over Xavier while hitting .305 against Georgia Tech.
The .305 team hitting efficiency is K-State's highest in a five-set match since 2007 and its fifth-best output in the rally-scoring era (since 2001).

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

At the Omaha Challenge, K-State will meet Omaha, No. 10 Nebraska and Northern Iowa.
Omaha (3-7) will open its home campaign Thursday vs. K-State at 7 p.m. in Baxter Arena.
UNO's four-set win over Southeast Missouri snapped a three-match losing streak.
The Mavericks feature five players averaging better than 2.25 kills/set and five with more than 2.00 digs/set.
After dropping the season's first two matches to top-20 opponents, the 10th-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-2) have strung together five straight wins (all sweeps) - including back-to-back sweeps of No. 11 UCLA.
Offensively, the Huskers are led by junior outside hitter Mikaela Foecke and her 3.54 kills/set and freshman outside hitter Jazz Sweet, who hits at a .352 clip.
The last time K-State and Nebraska met was the Second Round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament in Lincoln, when the Cats upset No. 2 NU in five sets to reach the Sweet 16.
Northern Iowa (8-3) has won four of its last five matches, including a win at No. 19 Iowa State - handing the Cyclones their first loss of 2017.
UNI has gone 3-2 against the AVCA's top 25 already this season, picking up wins over No. 19 Missouri and No. 18 USC.
Panther sophomore Karlie Taylor paces the squad with 4.02 kills/set and junior libero Kendyl Sorge is tops with 4.70 digs/set.

BACK ON TRACK

The Wildcat offense returned to their efficient ways at the Georgia Tech Invitational - hitting .305 as a team in three matches.
Thursday in a sweep of Xavier, K-State posted a season-best .352 team attacking percentage.
The Cats' .305 team efficiency was second-best in the Big 12 last week.
K-State's 15.25 kills/set were third-highest last week in the conference and set a season high with 74 kills at Georgia Tech.
Over its last 16 sets played, K-State recorded 15 or more kills in a single set 11 times. Entering last weekend, the Cats had seven 15-kill sets in six matches (22 sets).

ACES IN SPADES

K-State dropped 23 service aces in three matches in Atlanta (1.92/set) - best of any Big 12 team last week.
Following Tuesday night's match vs. UMKC, the Cats have now recorded 30 service aces in its last four matches (1.88/set).
Prior to that, the Wildcats had a total of 19 aces in six matches (0.86/set) and just eight aces in the previous four matches.
Twice, K-State matched a season high with eight aces while Brooke Smith and Reilly Killeen set career highs with five and four, respectively, over the weekend.
Smith's five aces against Georgia Tech matched the program's record for aces in a five-set match - most since 2010.
The five aces in a match are the most by a Wildcat in any match since Kaitlynn Pelger vs. Southeast Missouri on Sept. 6, 2013.

MONSTERS IN THE MIDDLE

K-State middle blockers Macy Flowers, Elle Sandbothe and Peyton Williams helped spark an efficient Wildcat offense last weekend.
The trio combined to hit at a .402 clip (56k-13e-107ta) and averaged better than 2.00 kills/set.
In the tournament finale in Atlanta, both Flowers and Sandbothe set new career highs with 13 and 11 kills, respectively.
Flowers hit .579 (2e-19ta) against the Yellow Jackets while Sandbothe posted a .381 (3e-21ta) efficiency.
Flowers led the defensive charge with 11 blocks (1.10/set) over three matches.

MILESTONE WATCH

K-State head coach Suzie Fritz sits at 321 career wins in her 17th season at K-State.
She sits in fifth in Big 12 history in career victories and is nine away of moving into a tie for fourth and 15 shy of equaling the third-best total in league history.
Vogel, a senior, has eclipsed the 700-kill mark Tuesday and now sits at 702 career kills.
Kylee Zumach eclipsed the 800-kill mark Friday and is poised to join the 1,000 Kill Club and currently sits with 828 kills.
Redshirt junior defensive specialist Devan Fairfield reached 400 career digs Tuesday vs. UMKC.

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Players Mentioned

Brynn Carlson

Devan Fairfield

Macy Flowers

Reilly Killeen

Elle Sandbothe

Alyssa Schultejans

Brooke Smith

Bryna Vogel

Peyton Williams

Kylee Zumach

Kansas State University Athletics