K-State Returns to Ahearn, Meets TCU Saturday

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State returns to Ahearn Field House following a two-match roadtrip, as it welcomes TCU for a 7:30 p.m., start time on Saturday for the annual Pack the Field House Night.

K-State (10-4, 0-3 Big 12) is seeking to snap its season-long three-match skid following back-to-back road losses. TCU (9-4, 1-1 Big 12) looks for its first win away from home this season and have won the last three meetings in the series overall.

Fans can purchase tickets for just $1 for Saturday's match, which airs on ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN app. Rob Voelker 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 #15
K-STATE (10-4, 0-3 Big 12) vs. TCU (9-4, 1-1 Big 12)
Saturday, September 29, 2018 // 7:30 p.m. // Ahearn Field House (5,000) // Manhattan, Kan.
Watch: ESPN3 / Watch ESPN app
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Rob Voelker
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch | Live Stats
Promotion: Pack the Field House ($1 tickets) | Buy Tickets

AT A GLANCE

K-State (10-4, 0-3 Big 12) is looking to rebound from back-to-back conference road sweeps after falling at West Virginia Wednesday night at the WVU Coliseum.
The Wildcats sit just outside the latest AVCA Top 25, receiving points in the latest poll for the third straight season.
The Wildcats dropped their third straight match, extending their season-long losing skid.
Against the Mountaineers, K-State was limited to season lows in total kills (30) and hitting percentage (.152) as no player was able to reach double-figure kills.
Redshirt senior Kylee Zumach led the Cats with seven kills and 10 digs.
Freshman Gloria Mutiri and redshirt sophomore Peyton Williams each added six kills.
WVU recorded 11 team blocks and picked up nine service aces in its straight-set win.
As a team, K-State ranks in the top three of the Big 12 in kills/set, hitting percentage, assists/set and aces/set.
K-State begins Big 12 play 0-3 for the first time since starting 0-5 in the 2009 season.

SCOUTING TCU

TCU (9-4, 1-1 Big 12) had its five-match winning streak come to an end with a four-set loss at Kansas last Saturday in its match.
The Horned Frogs have won all nine of their matches at home, while going 0-4 away from the Rickel (0-2 away, 0-2 neutral).
Freshman élan McCall has burst onto the scene, as she leads the Frogs with 5.04 kills per set to go with 2.93 digs per set.
McCall was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week each of the season's first three weeks.
She is second in the Big 12 and sixth in the country in kills/set.
Setter Tori Dilfer is the Big 12's leader with 11.91 assists per set, good for fifth-best in the country
As a team, TCU is tops in the conference in kills/set, aces/set and assists/set.

INSIDE THE SERIES

K-State leads the all-time series with TCU, 7-5, dating back to 2012 when the Frogs joined the Big 12.
The Horned Frogs have won the last three in the series overall, their longest winning streak in the series' history.
K-State is 5-1 at home vs. TCU, with the only home loss coming in five sets last season.
Head coach Suzie Fritz is 7-5 in her career against the Frogs.

STRENGTH VS. STRENGTH

K-State and TCU own the top two spots in the Big 12 in terms of kills per set, as the Cats average 13.85 while the Frogs lead with 14.07.
The two teams also rank in the top three in aces per set, with K-State checking in third at 1.31 and TCU is first at 1.43.
In assists per set, the Horned Frogs are No. 1 in the conference at 13.35 and the Wildcats rank third with 12.85.
Individually, setter Sarah Dixon is second in the Big 12 (11.44 assists/set) behind only TCU's Tori Dilfer (11.91).
Dilfer is also best in the league with 0.57 aces/set with K-State's Alyssa Schultejans just behind her at 0.44 aces/set.
Four players in the Big 12 average better than 4.00 kills a set, two of which will face off in elan McCall (5.04) and Kylee Zumach (4.02).

STUMBLE OUT OF THE GATES

K-State begins the Big 12 portion of its schedule 0-3 for the first time since 2009 when it began conference play 0-5.
The Cats finished their non-conference slate 10-1, winning their final eight matches and hitting .277 while averaging 14.38 kills/set.
In three league matches, the Wildcats are hitting at a .205 clip while registering 12.09 kills per set.
Defensively, K-State averaged 2.65 blocks/set and 14.97 digs/set in non-conference matches. Those numbers have dropped to 1.27 and 13.18, respectively, in Big 12 play.

GLO FLO

K-State freshman Gloria Mutiri has continued the strong start to her career entering Big 12 play.
Mutiri has reached double-digit kills in two of three conference matches, including a team-best 12 last Friday at Oklahoma.
The native of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, leads the Cats with a .293 hitting percentage in league play and has a team-best four service aces in three matches.

MILESTONE WATCH

With 336 career victories, head coach Suzie Fritz is tied with Nebraska's John Cook for the third-most wins in league history while a member of the Big 12.
Zumach is now in sole possession of second place in K-State history at 1,247 career kills in the rally-scoring era.
Zumach sits 264 kills away from Kaitlynn Pelger's K-State record of 1,511 kills during the rally-scoring era (since 2001).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sarah Dixon

Gloria Mutiri

Alyssa Schultejans

Peyton Williams

Kylee Zumach

Kansas State University Athletics