Cats Set for Sunday’s Sunflower Showdown on ESPN2

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State will renew its rivalry with Kansas on Sunday, as the No. 12 Jayhawks come to Ahearn Field House for a nationally televised Sunflower Showdown beginning at noon CT.

K-State (8-6, 1-0 Big 12) won in five sets Wednesday night at Oklahoma to kick off its Big 12 schedule. The Wildcats have won six of their last eight matches overall. Sunday's match will be the first conference match of the season for KU (11-2, 0-0).

The Sunflower Showdown will air on ESPN2, with the broadcast team of Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Jenny Hazelwood (analyst) calling the action. Fans can also listen live to Rob Voelker call the action on KMAN 1350 AM, 93.3 FM or k-statesports.com.

Tickets are still available for the Big 12 home opener can be purchased at the K-State Ticket Office located in Bramlage Coliseum, by calling 1.800.221.CATS or by clicking here.

AT A GLANCE

K-State (8-6, 1-0 Big 12) picked up a five-set win at Oklahoma on Wednesday in its Big 12 opener.
A trio of Wildcats reached double-digit kills, led by Alyssa Schultejans with 12. Six different Cats posted at least five kills against the Sooners.
Kylee Zumach and Peyton Williams each had 11 kills. It marked Zumach's 13th match this season reaching double-figures, eclipsing her 2016 total of 12. Zumach now has 50 career matches with 10+ kills.
The Wildcats are 6-2 over their last eight matches - including a stretch of seven matches in 10 days to end the non-conference slate - after a 2-4 start to the season.
K-State won its conference opener for the second straight season, its first time starting 1-0 in the Big 12 in consecutive seasons since 2010-11.
2011 was the last time the Wildcats began league play 2-0.

SCOUTING KU

Kansas (11-2, 0-0 Big 12) begins its defense of its conference championship Sunday.
The 12th-ranked Jayhawks won their first nine matches to begin the 2017 season, including wins over No. 13 Kentucky and No. 17 Kentucky.
KU has gone 2-2 over its last four, suffering a home loss to No. 9 Creighton and five-set road defeat at Santa Clara on Sept. 15.
Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Kelsie Payne is the league leader in kills per set at 4.53 while also pacing the league in points/set with 4.96.
The Jayhawks also possess two-time Big 12 Setter of the Year Anise Havili, who is tops with 12.00 assists per set.
As an offense, KU is the conference leader in kills/set (14.96) and assists/set (14.00).
Senior outside hitter Madison Rigdon ranks second in the Big 12 with 0.41 aces per set.

INSIDE THE SERIES

K-State leads the all-time series, 63-50-1, dating back to 1974.
KU swept the Sunflower Showdown in 2016 and has won the last five meetings in the series overall.
The Cats are 1-9 in their last 10 against Kansas.
K-State's five-match losing streak to the Jayhawks is its second-longest active streak to a conference foe (lost 27 straight to Texas).
The last Wildcat victory came on Oct. 1, 2014 in Lawrence.
K-State is 28-18 at home all-time vs. KU.
K-State last won at home against the Jayhawks on Nov. 23, 2011 in four sets.
Head coach Suzie Fritz is 19-13 in her career against KU.

VS RANKED OPPONENTS

Sunday's match vs. No. 12 Kansas will mark the third time this season K-State will meet an opponent ranked in the top 12 of the AVCA poll (0-2).
Dating back to last season, the Cats have lost their last seven overall to ranked opponents.
K-State is 1-14 in its last 15 against ranked teams, going back to 2014.
The last win against a top-25 team was a four-set win at Hawaii on Aug. 27, 2016.

HEY PEY

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.
In her Wildcat debut at the Beaver State Classic, she was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week in the season's opening week after hitting .727 with 16 kills on 22 swings without an error.
Williams was twice named Freshman of the Week by the Big 12 during the 2016-17 basketball season - making her the first player in K-State history to earn freshman-of-the-week accolades in the two sports.
The middle blocker remains the team leader in hitting efficiency at .386.
In her conference debut, Williams tallied a career-best seven blocks in the Cats' five-set win over OU. She recorded three of her 11 kills in the final set to help lift K-State in the road win.
The Topeka native has reached double-digit kills in three of her last four matches.

BACK ON TRACK

After starting the season 2-4, and dropping four straight, K-State has won six of its last eight matches, including a 1-0 start to the Big 12 slate.
In its last eight matches, K-State is averaging 13.85 kills/set with 12.79 assists/set and hitting at a .246 clip.
In the season's first six matches, the Cats posted 12.27 kills/set and 11.32 assists/set as a team with a .232 efficiency.
Defensively, the Wildcats have seen increases in digs/set - from 12.41 to 14.55.
K-State has recorded 43 service aces over its last eight matches (1.30/set) after having just 19 (0.86/set) in its 2-4 start.
Over its last 32 sets played (8 matches), K-State has recorded 15 or more kills in a single set 17 times. The Cats had seven 15-kill sets in six matches (22 sets).

MILESTONE WATCH

K-State head coach Suzie Fritz sits at 324 career wins in her 17th season at K-State.
She sits in fifth in Big 12 history in career victories and is six away of moving into a tie for fourth and 12 shy of equaling the third-best total in league history.
Zumach (878) and senior Bryna Vogel (745) sit within reach to join the 1,000-kill club. Vogel eclipsed 800 career digs Wednesday and sits at 805.

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Players Mentioned

Alyssa Schultejans

Bryna Vogel

Peyton Williams

Kylee Zumach

Kansas State University Athletics