No. 5 Wildcats Can Clinch Big 12 Title Saturday
Nov 21, 2003 | General
No. 5 KANSAS STATE (26-3, 16-1)
vs. Texas Tech (11-15, 3-14)
November 22, 2003
Ahearn Field House
Manhattan, Kan.
First Serve: First serve between the Wildcats and Red Raiders is 2 p.m. CT.
Television: None.
Radio: None.
Live Stats: Live Stats will be available at k-statesports.com.
Webcast: A live webcast will be available at k-statesports.com as part of the PowerCat Passport option.
Rankings: Kansas State is ranked 5th this week in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll. Texas Tech is not ranked.
Records: Kansas State heads into the match with a 26-3 overall record, 16-1 in Big 12 play, while Texas Tech is 11-15 and 3-14.
K-State Coach Suzie Fritz: Fritz (Florida Atlantic 94) is in her third year at Kansas State and owns a record of 67-20. The 2002 Big 12 Coach of the Year is in her seventh season at K-State after spending her first four years as the program’s top assistant.
Series: K-State leads the all-time series, 12-7, with the Wildcats having won the previous four matches, including a 3-0 sweep in Lubbock back on September 20.
Quick Look at the Wildcats
Kansas State enters Saturday’s match coming off a 3-0 sweep of Oklahoma for a school-record 14th straight win... The Wildcats have also won 26 of their last 27 matches... The Cats are a perfect 12-0 at home this season and 5-0 in five-game matches... K-State is currently atop the Big 12 standings at 16-1... The Wildcats are ranked 5th this week in the AVCA Top 25, their highest-ever ranking... Senior Lauren Goehring has hit .300 or better in 23 of the Cats’ 29 matches this season and .400 or better in 16 of those... Goehring is 12th in the nation and first in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.401)... Valeria Hejjas has 10 or more kills in 21 of the Wildcats’ 28 matches this season... Laura Downey-Wallace has 10 or more digs in 25 of the 29 matches this season.
Cats Can Clinch Big 12 Title With Win Over Tech
After sweeping Oklahoma, 3-0, on Wednesday, Kansas State can clinch its first-ever conference title with a win over Texas Tech. Nebraska is currently two games back of the Wildcats with Kansas State holding the tie-breaker between the two schools thanks to a season sweep of the Huskers.
Record Start
The 26-3 start this season for K-State is the best start in school history as the 1977 team began the season 24-2-1. The 16-1 conference mark is the best start since the beginning of the Big 12 in 1996.
Ranking Highest Ever In School History
The Wildcats No. 5 ranking in this week’s USA Today/AVCA Poll is the highest ever ranking by a Wildcat volleyball team. The Cats are also ranked 6th in the Volleyball Magazine Poll. The Cats were ranked 17th this preseason and have been ranked every week this season.
Record-Setting Winning Streak
Kansas State has won a school-record 14 straight matches heading into today’s match with Texas Tech. The Wildcats have not lost a match since dropping a 3-1 decision at Baylor on 9/24. The previous record of 13 was set last season and K-State had a 12-match streak earlier in 2003.
Cats Rank Seventh In Attendance
The Wildcats are currently ranked seventh in the nation in attendance, averaging 2,088 fans during the first 12 home matches. The largest crowd of the season was an all-time single match record of 5,287 on 11/15 against Nebraska.
Goehring Re-Writing Record Books
Senior middle blocker Lauren Goehring, through the first 29 matches of the season, is ranked first in the Big 12 and 12th in the nation in hitting percentage (.401). Goehring has totalled 343 kills this season, including a career-high 22 against Montana State on September 5. The senior currently sits atop the KSU career records in hitting percentage with a .349 mark during her three-plus seasons at K-State. She also ranks ninth all-time in kills with 1,152.
Home, Sweet Home
The Wildcats have an all-time 219-119-5 record in 30-plus seasons at home, including a 48-6 mark since the year 2000. Last season, the Wildcats were 11-3 at Ahearn Field House and are 36-5 under head coach Suzie Fritz. This season, K-State is 12-0 at home.
Cats Sweep Series From NU For First Time Ever
After knocking off Nebraska, 3-2, in Lincoln back on 10/11, and 3-1 in Manhattan on 11/15, K-State swept the season series from Nebraska for the first time in school history. The win on 11/15 was also the first in Manhattan over the Huskers and was played before a record crowd of 5,287 at Ahearn Field House.
Fritz Fastest to 65 Wins
In just her third season as head coach of the Wildcats, Suzie Fritz has compiled a 67-20 (.787) overall record (47-10 in Big 12 play) and is the fastest coach in K-State history to reach the 65-win mark. Fritz also became the first K-State coach to defeat Nebraska twice in a career and did so in back-to-back meetings.
An October to Remember
Kansas State went a perfect 8-0 during the month of October, which included wins at Nebraska, Texas A&M and Kansas and home wins over Missouri and Texas.
Wildcats on the Offensive
Kansas State, as a team, leads the Big 12 in hitting percentage in all matches and in league play. The Wildcats have hit .259 in 29 matches this season and are currently at a .253 clip in Big 12 play. The current school record for hitting percentage in a season is .265, set back in 1985.
Jensen, Goehring Earn Academic Honors
Cari Jensen and Lauren Goehring were named to the 2003 CoSIDA Academic All-District VII Women’s Volleyball team. Jensen, a senior from Fowler, Colo., was named to the first team for the second straight year and is automatically eligible for Academic All-America honors while Goehring was named to the second team. Kansas State was one of two schools to have two student-athletes named to the academic team.
Seven Cats Named Academic All-Big 12
Seven Kansas State volleyball players were named to the 2003 Academic All-Big 12 team, the league office announced Tuesday. The seven selections tied a record-high for K-State volleyball as the Wildcats have placed seven athletes on the list for the previous two seasons. Seniors Laura Downey-Wallace, Lauren Goehring, Cari Jensen and Kris Jensen, junior Gabby Guerre and sophomore Katie Stanzel were all named to the first team while sophomore Michaela Franklin was named to the second team.
Cats Rally From 2-0 Hole to Beat Mizzou
Four Wildcats eclipsed the 10-kill mark and two recorded double-doubles as Kansas State rallied from a 2-0 deficit to knock off Missouri on 11/12 at the Hearnes Center. Lauren Goehring led the attack with 19 kills on .375 hitting while Lisa Martin tallied 16 and Cari Jensen and Valeria Hejjas each had 12. Jensen, along with her 12 kills, pitched in 15 digs for her seventh double-double of the season while Gabby Guerre picked her ninth with 51 assists and 15 digs. Laura Downey-Wallace collected a season-high 26 digs while Goehring had seven blocks to lead the defense.
Jensen Leaving Her Mark
Senior Cari Jensen is leaving her mark in the K-State volleyball record books. Jensen currently ranks 8th in attacks for a career with 3,029 while she moved into 11th all-time in kills with 1,130.
L.D. Moves Into Second In Career Digs
Senior Laura Downey-Wallace, the reigning Big 12 Libero of the Year, has picked up where she left off last season as she currently leads the conference in digs with 432 (4.1 dpg). The senior currently ranks second all-time at KSU in digs with 1,346. The record is 1,578 held by Kim Zschau.
Gabby Moving Up Career Charts
Junior Gabby Guerre has 1272 assists (7th-most in a single season at KSU) this season and is currently second in the Big 12 in assists with a 12.1 apg average. Guerre is currently third all-time in assists at K-State with 3,433.
K-State Snaps Nebraska’s Big 12 Streak
On 10/18 in Lincoln, the Wildcats jumped to a 2-0 lead on Nebraska and held on in five games to knock off the 7th-ranked Huskers in a Big 12 battle. K-State snapped Nebraska’s 78-match Big 12 winning streak with the 3-2 win and its 42-match home streak.
Jensen Leads Cats to Big Week, Eclipses 1,000 Kills
Cari Jensen, a Fowler, Colo., senior, led Kansas State to its two five-game wins over Missouri and Nebraska on 10/8 and 10/11. During the two-match stretch, Jensen averaged a double-double with 31 total kills and 20 digs, including a season-high 19 kills in the win over Missouri. Jensen also eclipsed the 1,000-kill mark for her career against Missouri and currently has 1,130 for her career.
Guerre Gets Triple-Double Against A&M
Junior setter Gabby Guerre notched her second career triple-double on 10/4 in the Wildcats’ 3-1 win over the Aggies. Guerre, a Houston, Texas, native, collected 10 kills, 12 digs and dished out a season-high 57 assists. Guerre’s other triple-double came last season against Oklahoma.
Cats Pick Up Rare Win In College Station
Led by five players with 10 or more kills, including Guerre’s triple-double, K-State won in College Station for only the second time in school history on 10/4 with a 3-1 win. The other win came last season in a 3-0 Wildcat sweep.
The Hungarian Hammer
Junior Valeria Hejjas, nicknamed the “Hungarian Hammer” by the “Voice of the Cats” Brian Smoller, has started to heat up offensively for the Wildcats. In conference play, Hejjas has averaged 3.8 kills a game, 7th-best in the Big 12.
Martin Is Money
Junior Lisa Martin, during conference play, has averaged nearly 3.0 kills a game (2.6), 1.33 blocks per game (2nd in Big 12) and has hit .303 (7th) during the conference slate. Against Texas A&M, Martin tallied a career-high 18 kills and collected eight blocks in the 3-1 win.
Cats in Big 12 Play
In Big 12 matches, the Wildcats as a team are second in the league in blocks (2.8 bpg), first in winning percentage (.941) and second in opponent hitting percentage (.161). The Cats are also fourth in assists (14.4) and first in hitting percentage (.253).
Wildcats on TV
Three 2003 home matches will be televised, highlighted by a national audience on Oct. 19. The October 8 match agianst Missouri, a 3-2 win, was broadcast live on CSTV, while the 3-2 win over Texas aired on a tape-delay basis on CSTV to the entire nation on Sunday, October 19. The Nov. 5 match against Iowa State, a 3-0 win, aired on Metro Sports in Kansas City.
