K-State Sets Sights on Fifth-Ranked Longhorns

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The K-State volleyball team will meet its second straight nationally ranked opponent Saturday, as it travels to Austin, Texas to face No. 5 Texas at 1 p.m., at Gregory Gymnasium.

K-State (8-7, 1-1 Big 12), following a five-set home loss to No. 12 Kansas Sunday, will play its third top-25 squad in its last five matches. Texas (10-2, 2-0 Big 12) is the highest ranked team the Wildcats have faced this season and has been ranked in the nation's top five in seven of the last eight matchups between the teams.

The Cats sit in a tie for fourth in the Big 12 with their fourth straight 1-1 start to conference play. K-State has won six of its last nine matches after a 2-4 start to the season. Offensively, K-State is led by redshirt junior Kylee Zumach with 3.00 kills per set and redshirt freshman Peyton Williams' .401 hitting percentage – which ranks second in the league.

Saturday's match will air on the Longhorn Network and will stream live on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. Fans can also listen live to Rob Voelker call the action in Austin on k-statesports.com.

AT A GLANCE

K-State (8-7, 1-1 Big 12) dropped a five-set match to No. 12 Kansas on Sunday on ESPN2 in its Big 12 home opener.
After dropping the opening set, the Wildcats bounced back and held a 2-1 match lead before the Jayhawks clawed back to win the decisive set, 16-14.
The match was K-State's third consecutive five-set match (had won previous two), marking the longest streak of five-set matches since the start of the 2013 season.
Middle blocker Peyton Williams set a career high with 14 kills against KU while hitting at a team-best .462.
In total, four Wildcats reached double-digit kills: Williams (14), Alyssa Schultejans (13), Bryna Vogel (13) and Kylee Zumach (10).
Vogel also paced the Cats defensively with 15 digs for her fifth double-double this season (2nd on team).
KU hit .342 as a team in the match while K-State was at a .279 rate.
The loss was the Cats' sixth straight in the Sunflower Showdown and second straight home five-set loss to the Jayhawks.
The Wildcats begin league play 1-1 for the fourth straight season.

SCOUTING THE LONGHORNS

Texas (10-2, 1-0 Big 12) enters Saturday's match as the No. 5 team in the nation, according to the latest AVCA Top 25 poll.
The Longhorns, who were preseason No. 1 team in the country, pace the Big 12 in team hitting percentage (.297) while K-State ranks eighth in opponent hitting percentage at .238.
Defensively, Texas holds its opponents to a league-best .147 attacking percentage and rank first in the conference with 3.45 blocks per set.
Senior Chiaka Ogbogu is the team leader, and third in the Big 12, with a .381 attacking efficiency.
UT possesses two of the league's top seven hitters in terms of kills per set: Lexi Sun (3.49; 5th) and Micaya White (3.28; 7th).
Sun was named Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year while White was named Freshman of the Year at the conclusion of last season.

INSIDE THE SERIES

K-State trails the all-time series with Texas 7-37, dating back to 1981.
UT has the last 27 meetings overall in the series, with K-State's last coming in 2003.
The Wildcats last won in Austin in 2001 - a four-set victory.
K-State is 3-19 all-time on the road in the series while head coach Suzie Fritz is 3-29 against the Longhorns in her career.
UT has been ranked the last 26 times it has met K-State, dating back to 2004 (2003 was last time played unranked).
Under Fritz, K-State has faced Texas 12 times when being ranked in the top five, including seven of the last eight times.

VS RANKED OPPONENTS

Saturday's match vs. No. 5 Texas will mark the fourth time this season - and second straight match - K-State will meet an opponent ranked in the top 12 of the AVCA poll (0-3).
Dating back to last season, the Cats have lost their last eight overall to ranked opponents.
K-State is 1-15 in its last 16 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 set a career high with 14 kills (.462) Sunday against KU. Wednesday, she recorded a career-best 7.0 blocks in the Cats' five-set win over the Sooners.
The middle blocker continues to lead the team in efficiency at .401 - second-best in the Big 12.
The Topeka native has all four matches this season reaching double-digit kills - all in her last five matches played.
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.

BACK ON TRACK

After starting the season 2-4, and dropping four straight, K-State has won six of its last nine matches, including a 1-1 start to the Big 12 slate.
In its last nine matches, K-State is averaging 13.71 kills/set with 12.58 assists/set and hitting at a .249 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 14.08.
K-State has recorded 47 service aces over its last nine matches (1.24/set) after having just 19 (0.86/set) in its 2-4 start.
Over its last 37 sets played (9 matches), K-State has recorded 15 or more kills in a single set 19 times, including a season-high 20 in Set 3 against KU on Sunday. 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 from moving into a tie for fourth and 12 shy of equaling the third-best total in league history.
Zumach (888) and senior Bryna Vogel (758) sit within reach to join the 1,000-kill club. Vogel eclipsed 800 career digs Wednesday and sits at 820.

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Players Mentioned

Alyssa Schultejans

Bryna Vogel

Peyton Williams

Kylee Zumach

Kansas State University Athletics