Volleyball Preview: at Baylor
Sep 23, 2003 | General
#9 KANSAS STATE (12-2, 2-0)
vs. Baylor (8-6, 1-1)
September 24, 2003
Ferrell Center
Waco, Texas
First Serve: First serve between the Wildcats and Bears is 7 p.m.
Television: None
Radio: None.
Live Stats: Live Stats of all K-State home matches can be found at www.k-statesports.com under the 'Live' button.
Webcasts: Selected home volleyball matches will be webcast live at www.k-statesports.com and are available to PowerCat Passport members. Next webcast is set for September 27 against Oklahoma.
Rankings: Kansas State is ranked ninth this week in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll. Baylor is not ranked.
Records: Kansas State heads into the match with a 12-2 overall record, 2-0 in Big 12 play, while Baylor is 8-6 and 1-1.
K-State Coach Suzie Fritz: Fritz (Florida Atlantic 94) is in her third year at Kansas State and owns a record of 53-19. 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, 11-4, with the Wildcats having won the previous four matches. KSU is 5-2 all-time in Waco. In the teams' last meeting, the Wildcats won 3-0.
Quick Look at the Wildcats
Kansas State enters Wednesday's match riding a 12-match winning streak... The Wildcats are ranked ninth this week in the AVCA Top 25, up one spot from No. 10 ranking last week... The ranking is the highest in school history... Senior Lauren Goehring has been named to the All-Tournament team in all four tournaments so far this season and took MVP honors at Florida State, Montana State and the Wildcat Classic... Valeria Hejjas has 10 or more kills in 10 of the Wildcats' 14 matches this season... K-State has won 19 games in a row and 36 of its last 39.
Goehring Leads Nation in Hitting Percentage
Senior middle blocker Lauren Goehring, through the first 14 matches of the season, is ranked first in the Big 12 and the nation in hitting percentage (.484). Goehring has totalled 163 kills this season, including a career-high 22 against Montana State on September 5.
Hejjas Heats Up, Named Big 12 Player of the Week
Junior Valeria Hejjas has started to heat up offensively for the Wildcats. In the last six matches, Hejjas has hit .380 and averaged 11 kills a match, including a career-high 16 against Kansas on Wednesday. She then matched that with 16 against Texas Tech, and went on to be named the Big 12's Player of the Week, the second straight honor for a Wildcat.
Consecutive Games Streak at 19
Kansas State, heading into Wednesday's match, has won 19 straight games dating back to September 7 against Utah State. After dropping game three of the 3-1 win, the Wildcats have knocked off every other opponent, 3-0. The streak is the longest since 1996 when the Cats won 21 in a row. Also, K-State has won 36 of its last 39 games.
Goehring Named Big 12 Player of the Week
Lauren Goehring was named the Big 12's Volleyball Player of the Week last week after nabbing her third straight MVP honor in as many weeks. For the week, Goehring totalled 40 kills and hit .500 while collecting 13 blocks and nine digs.
Ranking Highest Ever In School History
The Wildcats are ranked ninth in this week's USA Today/AVCA Poll, the highest ever ranking by a Wildcat volleyball team. The Cats were ranked 10th last week. In 1999, K-State was ranked as high as 12th after receiving its first ever preseason ranking the same season. The Cats were ranked 17th this preseason and have finished the season in the top 25 for the past four seasons.
Cats Rank 12th Nationally in Attendance
The Wildcats are currently ranked 12th in the nation in attendance, averaging 1,462 fans during the first five home matches. The largest crowd of the season was 3,323 on September 13 when the Cats beat Colorado State for the Wildcat Classic title.
Defense Steps Up In Shutouts
After facing two top-three teams in Hawaii and Florida, the Wildcat defense has risen to the occasion and has been a big reason for the current 12-match winning streak. During the past 12 matches, Kansas State has held its opponent to a .125 hitting percentage, lowering the season-total to .160 for its opponents. The Cats have won six straight matches and seven of its last eight by 3-0 margins. Nine of the Wildcats' 12 wins this season have been by a score of 3-0.
Home, Sweet Home
The Wildcats have an all-time 212-119-5 record in 30-plus seasons at home, including a 41-6 mark since the year 2000. Last season, the Wildcats were 11-3 at Ahearn Field House and are 25-5 under head coach Suzie Fritz. This season, K-State is 5-0 at home.
Ace in the Hole
Against UMKC on September 9, K-State set a new school record with 18 service aces, surpassing the old mark of 17 set back in 1988 against UMKC. Also, Gabby Guerre turned in the second best performance in school history with seven of those 18 service aces against the Kangaroos.
Travlin' Cats
When the Wildcats returned from Bozeman, Montana, September 7th, they had accumulated some serious miles. After a trip to Honolulu, Tallahasse and Bozeman, the team will have traveled a combined 11,380 miles through the air. Add three round-trip rides from Manhattan to Kansas City and the team will have traveled a total of over 12,000 miles in three weeks.
Goehring, Guerre Shine in Florida
Lauren Goehring and Gabby Guerre led the Cats in their title run at the Florida State Invit. Goehring was named the tournament's MVP after tallying 35 kills and 14 blocks while hitting .525 on the weekend. Guerre had a solid performance all-around as she totaled 119 assists, 18 kills, 15 digs, 11 blocks and four service aces in three matches. Guerre is currently second in the Big 12, averaging 12.09 assists per game.
Goehring Named to All-Tourney Team in Hawaii
Lauren Goehring, the 2003 Preseason Co-Big 12 Player of the Year, was named to the All-Tournament team at the NACWAA State Farm Women's Classic in Hawaii Aug. 22-23. The Fort Worth, Texas, native tallied 20 kills and hit .383 for the tournament.
Wildcat Schedule Among Nation's Toughest
Eleven NCAA Tournament teams and six conference champions, including three Final Four participants, highlight the 2003 Kansas State volleyball schedule. The schedule marks one of the toughest in recent history for the Wildcats. Of the 23 teams on the K-State schedule, 15 had winning records and 11 posted more than 20 wins during the 2002 season.
K-State Cracks Preseason Poll
The Kansas State volleyball team opens the 2003 season as the 15th-ranked team in the country, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced in its annual preseason poll. The No. 15 preseason ranking is the highest in the history of Kansas State volleyball and marks the fifth straight season that the Wildcats have been present in the poll. Kansas State opened the 1999 season ranked 23rd and was ranked 17th in 2000, 19th in 2001 and 22nd last season. Southern California, Hawai'i and Florida, the three other participants in the season-opening State Farm Women's Volleyball Classic in Hawai'i, sit atop the preseason poll while Nebraska (7th), Missouri (21st) and Texas (23rd) join the Wildcats from the Big 12 Conference in the rankings. USC, Hawai'i and Florida all advanced to the 2002 Final Four with Southern Cal taking the national title.
Goehring Tabbed Big 12 Preseason Co-Player of the Year
Senior middle blocker Lauren Goehring, along with Nebraska outside hitter Anna Schrad, was named the preseason Big 12 Conference co-Players of the Year in a vote by the league coaches. Goehring becomes the first player in the program's 29-year history to be named preseason Player of the Year. In addition, she was named to the conference's preseason first team. A first team All-Big 12 selection a year ago, Goehring registered arguably the greatest season by a middle blocker in Kansas State history in 2002. She posted the highest kills per game average (3.59) of any middle blocker in the program's history, while tallying the third highest hitting percentage (.370) in school history, including the highest by a Wildcat hitter. Goehring also paced the team in points in both overall (455) and conference-only (305.5). In addition to leading with 23 solo blocks, she was second to Lisa Martin in blocks per game (1.03), total blocks (105) and block assists (82). Goehring registered the third-most service aces (25) on the team, while adding a 1.30 digs per game average. She tallied double-digit kills in 23 of the team's 30 matches, including the final nine contests. In addition to her first team all-conference accolades in 2002, Goehring was selected honorable mention All-Central Region and first team Academic All-Big 12.
Wildcats Return Six Starters
With the Wildcats opening the 2003 season against nationally-ranked programs in Hawai'i, Southern Cal and Florida, head coach Suzie Fritz will be happy to have six returning starters, including four All-Big 12 performers in the lineup to start the 2003 campaign.Senior Laura Downey-Wallace returns after being named the Big 12 Conference Libero of the Year in 2002 and Honorable Mention All-Big 12 after averaging 5.47 digs per game. Senior MB Lauren Goehring was named the 2003 Big 12 Preseason Co-Player of the Year after averaging 3.59 kills per game with a .370 hitting percentage. Goehring also averaged 1.03 blocks per game en route to earning first team all-conference honors. Junior setter Gabby Guerre and senior outside hitter Cari Jensen return after earning First Team All-Big 12 honors a year ago. Guerre averaged 11.75 assists and 2.39 digs per game while Jensen pounded out 3.57 kills per game last season. Senior defensive specialist Kris Jensen and junior middle blocker Lisa Martin round out the returning starters for 2003.
Wildcats Garner Big 12 Awards in 02
Highlighted by junior libero Laura Downey-Wallace and head coach Suzie Fritz, Kansas State had five individuals selected for postseason honors from the Big 12 on Sunday, in voting by the league's head coaches... Downey-Wallace was named the inaugural winner of the conference's Libero of the Year, while Fritz was honored as the league's Coach of the Year. Junior MB Lauren Goehring, sophomore S Gabby Guerre and junior OH Cari Jensen and were all selected first team All-Big 12 Conference, while Downey-Wallace was an honorable mention pick... K-State's four selections to the all-conference teams broke the school-record of three set by the 1989, 1997, 1999 and 2000 squads, while the three first team honorees were also the most in the program's history... The four selections also tied Missouri and Nebraska for the most among league schools. Goehring, Guerre and Jensen are the 12th, 13th and 14th players in Kansas State history to garner first team all-conference honors... The program has now had at least one player on the conference's first team for eight consecutive years... It also marks the second straight season and third overall that the program has had multiple selections to the first team... Goehring is one just four middle blockers to be named first team all-conference, joining Kate DeClerk (1996), Val Wieck (1997, 1998) and Kelle Branting (2000), while Guerre joins Renee Whitney (1984, 1985) and Disney Bronnenberg (1999), as the only Wildcat setters on the first team.
Smarty Pants
For a program that believes that the student' is just as important as the athlete', Kansas State once again distinguished itself in the classroom, as the team tied the school-record with seven players earning recognition to the Academic All-Big 12 first team... Three-time first team selection, senior co-captain Jennifer Pollard, was joined on the team by juniors Laura Downey-Wallace, Lauren Goehring, Cari Jensen and Kris Jensen and sophomores Gabby Guerre and Katie Stanzel on the 44-member first team... The total tied Nebraska for the most selections of any league school and includes five of the team's six starters... Kansas State now ranks second among Big 12 institutions in both the number of academic all-league selections (43) as well as first team honorees (35) since the inception of the league... At least four Wildcats have made the academic all-conference team since the league's first year, including a program-best nine selections in 1996.
30 Years of Kansas State Volleyball
The 2003 campaign marks the 30th season of intercollegiate competition for the Wildcats" K-State owns an all-time mark of 561-472-11 (.539) in 1,044 matches" After posting just a 24-66 record from 1991-93, Kansas State has reeled off eight straight winning seasons, including 20-win seasons in six of the last seven years... In fact, the 180 wins that the Wildcats have tallied since 1994 are more than the program recorded the entire decades of the 1980s and 1990s... K-State started its streak of eight straight winning seasons in 1994 with their first winning record in five years... The team followed that success with the first of three 20-win seasons in 1995 and the program's first in 10 years... The Wildcats continued its upward spiral in 1996, as the team set the school record for wins in a single-season with a 26-9 record, including a 13-7 mark in the first year of the Big 12 Conference... After a 19-12 mark in 1998 snapped its streak of 20-win seasons, the program has since strung together four straight 20-win campaigns.
