Wildcats Host No. 3 Longhorns on ESPNU Wednesday

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State volleyball team welcomes No. 3 Texas for a Wednesday-night showcase on ESPNU at Ahearn Field House, with first serve scheduled for 8 p.m.

K-State (9-14, 2-8 Big 12) will play its fourth nationally televised match on the ESPN family of networks this season. Texas (17-2, 9-0 Big 12) has won its last 11 matches overall, including a three-set victory over the Wildcats in Austin back on September 30.

K-State is coming off a match at Texas Tech in which it set season highs in total blocks (19) and digs (109). Macy Flowers turned in a match-high and career-best 13 blocks in the match while Bryna Vogel and Reilly Killeen each had a career-high 29 digs.

The match is this season's Cats for the Cure match and fans wearing pink can purchase a ticket for just $3. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1.800.221.CATS, stopping by the K-State Ticket Office inside Bramlage Coliseum or by clicking here.
Wednesday's match will also stream live on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. Fans can also listen to Rob Voelker call the action on KMAN 1350 AM, 93.3 FM and at k-statesports.com.

AT A GLANCE

K-State (9-14, 2-8 Big 12) played its eighth five-set match of the season against Saturday, falling to Texas Tech in Lubbock.
The Wildcats' eight five-set matches equals their most five-setters since the 2014 season when they went 6-2.
Five different Wildcats posted career-best defensive efforts against the Red Raiders, as Macy Flowers (13), Brynn Carlson (8) and Kylee Zumach (6) reached new personal bests in blocks while Bryna Vogel and Reilly Killeen set new highs in digs with 29 apiece.
K-State's 19.0 team blocks were a season high and their most since recording 23.5 against Michigan on Sept. 19, 2014.
Flowers' 13 blocks are a season best by any Wildcat and most since Katie Reininger's 13 in the 2014 match at Michigan.
The Cats' 109 total digs also set a season high.
Vogel's and Killeen's 29 digs were the most by a Wildcat since Kersten Kober recorded 32 against KU on Nov. 25, 2015.
Vogel's output is the highest by a non-defensive specialist/libero in the rally-scoring era (since 2001).
Vogel and Zumach paced the K-State offense with a dozen kills each while Carlson added 11 and Peyton Williams had 10.
K-State held advantages over TTU in total kills, hitting percentage, digs and blocks.

SCOUTING THE LONGHORNS

No. 3 Texas (17-2, 9-0 Big 12) is atop the Big 12 standings and is riding an 11-match winning streak.
UT is the conference leader in team hitting percentage in overall (.309) and league-only matches (.320).
The Longhorns also possess the Big 12's best defense, as they limit opponents to a league-low .167 hitting percentage and average 3.36 blocks/set.
Senior middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu is the conference's efficiency leader, hitting .402.
Ogbogu, along with Morgan Johnson, pace the league with 1.77 and 1.30 blocks/set, respectively.

INSIDE THE SERIES

Texas leads the all-time series, 38-7, after a three-set victory in Austin earlier this season.
The Longhorns have won the last 28 meetings in the series.
The 28-match losing streak is K-State's longest active streak against a Big 12 opponent.
K-State last defeated UT in 2013, a five-set victory in Manhattan.
Head coach Suzie Fritz is 3-30 in her career vs. Texas.
Texas has been ranked the last 27 meetings with K-State.
Wednesday's matchup will be the eighth time in last nine meetings that UT has been ranked in the top five.

VS RANKED OPPONENTS

Wednesday's match vs. No. 3 Texas will be the eighth match against a team ranked in the AVCA Top 25 (0-7).
It is the second time this season the Cats will have faced a top-five Texas squad.
Dating back to last season, the Cats have lost their last 12 matches to ranked opponents.
K-State is 1-19 in its last 20 matches against ranked teams, going back to 2014.
The last win against a top-25 team was a four-set win at No. 6 Hawaii on Aug. 27, 2016.

PEY DAY

Redshirt freshman Peyton Williams, who is also a member of the K-State women's basketball team, is shining in her first season on the volleyball court for the Cats.
Williams has 10 matches this season hitting .400 or better (min. 10 attempts), the most such matches by a Wildcat in a single season since 2009 when Kelsey Chipman did so 13 times.
Senior Bryna Vogel is second on the team with four .400+ matches this season.
The middle blocker continues to lead the team in efficiency at .361 - ranking sixth in the Big 12.
Her .361 hitting percentage would be the highest efficiency turned in by a Wildcat since Megan Farr's .390 in 2007.
The Topeka native has eight matches this season reaching double-digit kills - all in her last 13 matches played.
Williams has collected Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors in both volleyball and basketball - the first player in K-State history to claim both.

BATTLE OF THE BLOCK

After not recording a single team block in the season's first meeting at Texas on Sept. 30, K-State has picked up 81 total blocks in the seven matches since - and 41 in the last three matches.
In that seven-match span, the Wildcats have twice reached 18 blocks twice and set a season high with 19 Saturday at TTU.
Following the Sept. 30 match with the Longhorns, K-State was averaging just 1.79 blocks per set as a team.
Since then, the Cats are putting up 2.79 blocks per set and have been led by Macy Flowers (1.38 bps) and Peyton Williams (1.25 bps).

MILESTONE WATCH

K-State head coach Suzie Fritz sits at 325 career wins in her 17th season at K-State.
Her career total is fifth-best ever in the Big 12 and is five away from moving into a tie for fourth and 11 shy of equaling the third-best total in league history.
Zumach (976) and Vogel (832) sit within reach to join the 1,000-kill club.
Vogel is also approaching 1,000 career digs, as she eclipsed 900 career digs earlier this season and sits at 933.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Brynn Carlson

Macy Flowers

Reilly Killeen

Kersten Kober

Katie Reininger

Bryna Vogel

Peyton Williams

Kylee Zumach

Kansas State University Athletics