Sunflower Showdown Set for National Broadcast

Wednesday, October 17

Ahearn Field House

8 p.m

Kansas State University

Kansas

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Oct 16, 2018 | Volleyball

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MANHATTAN, Kan. – The season's first Dillons Sunflower Showdown between K-State and Kansas is set for a national broadcast on ESPNU Wednesday night at 8 p.m., from Ahearn Field House.

K-State (10-7, 0-6 Big 12) looks to snap its six-match skid to open league play while No. 22 KU (13-4, 6-0 Big 12) enters the match having won its last nine matches and remain the lone unbeaten team in Big 12 play. The Jayhawks, who broke into this week's AVCA Top 25 for the first time this season, have won the last seven meetings in the series.

Fans can purchase a special Wednesday Wildcat 4-Pack ticket package, which includes four tickets and four $10 concession vouchers for just $38.

Wednesday night's match also stream live on WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Brian Smoller will be on the call on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) with free, live audio available at K-StateSports.com/watch.

MATCH #18
K-STATE (10-7, 0-6 Big 12) vs. #22 KU (13-4, 6-0 Big 12)
Wednesday, October 17, 2018 // 8 p.m. // Ahearn Field House (5,000) // Manhattan, Kan.
TV: ESPNU // Sam Ravech (pxp) and John Dunning (analyst)
Watch Online: WatchESPN // ESPN app
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Brian Smoller
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch | Live Stats
Promotion: Wednesday Wildcat 4-Pack | Buy Tickets

K-STATE AT A GLANCE

K-State (10-7, 0-6 Big 12) comes off a weekend bye and seeks its first Big 12 win after a four-set home loss to Iowa State last Wednesday.
The Wildcats dropped their sixth straight match, extending their season-long losing skid, to open conference play.
Against the Cyclones, freshman Gloria Mutiri paced the Cats with 16 kills while Elle Sandbothe added 10.
Redshirt freshman Brooke Heyne recorded a career-high eight kills in the first extended action of the season.
Libero Devan Fairfield had a team-high 13 digs.
ISU held a 62-52 edge in total kills and hit .379 while limiting the Wildcat offense to .225 behind 12 team blocks.
K-State begins Big 12 play 0-6 for the first time since the 2009 season.

SCOUTING KU

Kansas (13-4, 6-0 Big 12) sits atop the Big 12 standings entering the season's first Dillons Sunflower Showdown.
After starting the season 4-4, KU has won its last nine matches, including victories over then-ranked No. 23 Baylor and No. 4 Texas in consecutive matches.
The Jayhawks lead the Big 12 in a pair of defensive categories: blocks per set (3.04) and opponent hitting percentage (.163).
KU's 3.04 blocks/set rank fourth in the nation while Rachel Langs leads the league with 1.52 blocks per set (9th nationally).
Including Langs, three Jayhawks rank in the Big 12's top 10 in blocks: Zoe Hill at fourth with 1.35 and Mmachi Nwoke at ninth with 1.12.
Jada Burse is the team's leader at 3.29 kills/set.

INSIDE THE SERIES

K-State leads the all-time series, 63-52-1, dating back to 1974.
KU has won the last seven in the series overall, going back to 2014, and has been ranked in the AVCA Top 25 in the last six matchups.
K-State last won on Oct. 1, 2014, a five-set victory in Lawrence.
The Cats are 28-19 at home in the series but have dropped the last six to the Jayhawks at Ahearn Field House.
The Wildcats last defeated KU at home on Nov. 23, 2011 (3-1) and are 3-7 in the last 10 at home (last two home matches went five sets).
KU has taken 11 of the last 12 meetings overall.
Head coach Suzie Fritz is 19-15 in her career against KU and is 9-8 at home.

THE GLO SHOW

K-State freshman Gloria Mutiri has continued the strong start to her career entering Big 12 play.
Mutiri leads K-State with 3.00 kills per set in conference-only matches while ranking second on the team with a .280 hitting percentage.
The Sand Springs, Oklahoma, product also owns a team-best five aces in Big 12 matches and is second with 13 total blocks.
Mutiri has reached double-digit kills in five of six conference matches this year and has led the team in kills in three of six league matches.

NICE DIGS

In her first season as the full-time libero, redshirt senior libero Devan Fairfield has put up career-best numbers.
In just 61 sets, she has already eclipsed a career single-season high with 229 digs.
Her 26 digs at Texas Tech last Wednesday set a career high and the first 25-dig match by a Wildcat this season.
Her season average of 3.75 digs/set is more than 2.00 digs higher than any other single season output of her career.
Fairfield has 24 career matches with 10 or more digs, with 13 of them coming in 2018.

BY THE NUMBERS

K-State enters Wednesday night having lost its last six matches while Kansas is on a nine-match winning streak, both season highs for each team.
The Wildcats are 10-0 this season when hitting at a higher efficiency than their opponent and are 8-0 when producing more kills than their opponent.
When holding its opponent to a .200 hitting percentage or lower, K-State is 7-0.

VS. RANKED OPPONENTS

Wednesday's match vs. No. 22 KU will be K-State's second match this season against a team from the AVCA Top 25 (0-1).
Dating back to 2016, the Cats have lost their last 16 matches to ranked opponents, with the last win coming at No. 6 Hawaii on Aug. 27, 2016.
The match marks the seventh straight match in which the Wildcats face a ranked Jayhawks squad.