Wildcats, Mountaineers Set for Saturday Bout

Saturday, October 12

Manhattan

1 p.m.

Kansas State University

West Virginia

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K-State's Loren Hinkle celebrates a point against Texas at Ahearn Field House in Manhattan, Kansas.

Oct 11, 2019 | Volleyball

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MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State will play its second consecutive home match as it seeks to snap a three-match skid Saturday against West Virginia at 1 p.m. at Ahearn Field House.

The Wildcats (6-10, 1-3 Big 12) have dropped consecutive matches to top-five opponents following a three-set defeat against No. 4 Texas Wednesday night.

Freshman Anna Dixon led the Cats with 14 kills vs. the Longhorns and has reached double-digit kills in six straight matches. Setter Sarah Dixon produced her team-leading eighth double-double Wednesday night with 23 assists and 13 digs. Freshman Loren Hinkle added a career-high 16 digs.

WVU (8-8, 0-4 Big 12) looks for its first Big 12 win of the season after falling in five sets Thursday night at Kansas. The Mountaineers are on a season-long four-match losing streak. The teams split the two meetings a season ago, each winning at home.

The match will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with radio coverage on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) with Rob Voelker. Free, live audio is also available at K-StateSports.com/watch.

MATCH #17
K-STATE (6-10, 1-3 BIG 12) vs. WEST VIRGINIA (8-8, 0-4 BIG 12)
Saturday, October 12 // 1 p.m. // Ahearn Field House (5,000) // Manhattan, Kan.
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Brian Smoller, Liz Wegner-Busch
Radio: News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Rob Voelker
Listen: K-StateSports.com/watch
Live Stats | Buy Tickets

K-STATE AT A GLANCE

K-State seeks to end a three-match losing skid as West Virginia visits Ahearn Field House Saturday.
The Wildcats have dropped their last three matches in straight sets after falling to No. 4 Texas at home Wednesday night.
Against the Longhorns, freshman Anna Dixon turned in a match-high 14 kills while Sarah Dixon produced her eighth double-double of the season (23 assists, 13 digs).
The match marked Dixon's sixth consecutive outing reaching double-digit kills, a season-long streak for the freshman.
Loren Hinkle, playing libero for the second straight match, picked up a career-high 16 digs.
Megan Vernon led the Cats in blocks for the third straight match with three block assists.
The Cats matched their season high with seven service aces, as five different players had at least one ace and Jacque Smith and Peyton Williams each turned in a pair.
Texas totaled 10 team blocks in holing K-State to a .096 hitting percentage.
UT was the second straight top-five opponent the Cats faced after a three-set loss at No. 1 Baylor last Saturday.
The loss marked the third consecutive three-set match K-State has dropped, the longest such streak since 2010 when it lost eight straight three-set decisions.

SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA

West Virginia (8-8, 0-4 Big 12) seeks to snap a four-match skid to open conference play Saturday, following a five-set loss to Kansas Thursday night.
The Mountaineers are 1-4 in true road matchups, including an 0-2 record to begin Big 12 action.
WVU is led offensively by Kristina Jordan with 186 kills (3.26 per set).
Jordan's kills per set average is good for seventh best in the league while she is second with 0.37 aces per set.
Briana Lynch is the long Mountaineer hitting over .300 this season, as she hits at a .326 clip (sixth in the Big 12).
Alexa Hasting's 4.22 digs per set this season are second-most in the conference.
In league-only matches, WVU ranks seventh in kills per set (12.19) and hitting percentage (.162).
West Virginia was picked ninth in the league's preseason coaches' poll.

INSIDE THE SERIES

K-State is 9-5 all-time against West Virginia in a series that began when WVU joined the Big 12 in 2012.
The teams split the series a year ago, each winning in straight sets on its home floor.
The Cats win the last meeting on Nov. 3, 2018, 3-0, snapping a three-match skid to the Mountaineers (longest in series history).
The last three matchups in the series have been three-set matches.
K-State is 5-2 at home vs. WVU and have won three of the last four at Ahearn Field House.
There has only been one four-set match in the series history, with eight three-set matches and five going the full five sets.
K-State is 6-4 in the last 10 matches vs. West Virginia.

GOING THE DISTANCE

Through 16 matches in 2019, K-State has gone the full five sets seven times - three shy of matching the single-season record of 10 such matches (2017).
Through the season's first 13 matches, the Wildcats did not play a three-set match, breaking the program record to begin a season.
K-State has since played three consecutive three-set matches.
The Cats have also played six four-set matches (3-3) in addition to seven five-setters.
The Cats played just three five-set matches a season ago - equaling the lowest such matches in a single season.
The Cats have split the first two sets of a match in 11 of 16 outings this season.

BATTLE OF THE BLOCK

In its first four conference matches, K-State leads the Big 12 with 41 total blocks and 3.15 blocks per set.
K-State's 18 total blocks at TCU in its Big 12 opener marked the Cats' third-highest total in program history in a four-set match (rally-scoring era).
The Wildcats' block total marked a single-match high for any team in the Big 12 this season.
Peyton Williams (9), Megan Vernon (8) and Sarah Dixon (7) all set career highs in the four-set win over the Horned Frogs.
K-State tallied 11 total blocks in three sets at Baylor last Saturday, as Vernon equaled her career-high output.
Vernon leads the league with 1.85 blocks per set in conference-only matches while Williams is sixth at 1.23 blocks/set.
Vernon has also crept her way into the league's top 10 in overall matches with 1.02 blocks per set.
In 12 non-conference matches, the Cats averaged just 1.65 blocks per set and reached double-digit blocks just twice.
K-State has eclipsed 10 or more blocks in two of its four conference matches.

COMING ON STRONG

Over the last five matches, the Wildcats are averaging 3.00 blocks per set - led by Vernon with a 1.75 per set average.
Anna Dixon leads the Cats with 59 kills (3.47 per set) over that stretch while Brynn Carlson is second with 53 kills (3.31 per set).
Dixon has six straight matches reaching double-digit kills, the longest such streak of her career, and has been the team leader in kills in the last two matches.
Vernon has tallied multiple blocks in each of last nine outings and at least three blocks in K-State's last six matches.

THREE-HEADED MONSTER

The Wildcat trio of Brynn Carlson, Gloria Mutiri and Peyton Williams have each eclipsed the 160-kill and 200-point marks this season.
Carlson has a team-high 205 kills (3.15 per set) while Mutiri has recorded 183 and Williams 160.
Carlson leads the trio with 214.5 total points while Mutiri is second with 209.0 points while Williams is second on the team with 58 total blocks.
Carlson, Mutiri and Williams have accounted for 64.1 percent of K-State's total kill production (548 of 855).
One of the three have led or tied for the team lead in kills in 14 of 16 matches this season.
All three have set single-match career highs this in kills: Carlson (21) vs. New Mexico, Mutiri (18) at Missouri State and Williams (17) vs. Central Arkansas.
Mutiri has also set career highs in hitting percentage (.480 vs. Austin Peay) and digs (18 vs. Dayton).
Carlson has led or tied for the team lead in eight of 16 matches and has reached 15 or more kills eight times.

HOME SWEET HOME

Saturday's match will be the Cats' third match in Ahearn Field House this season, as the K-State Invitational was held in Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State dropped its Big 12 home opener to Texas Tech on Oct. 2 and are coming off a three-set loss to No. 4 Texas Wednesday.
The Wildcats opened their home schedule a perfect 3-0 after their home-opening tournament, defeating Clemson, Omaha and Central Arkansas.
Head coach Suzie Fritz is 180-77 (.700) at home in her 19-year K-State career.
Fritz is 101-65 (.608) at home in Big 12 play.
K-State owns a 62-35 (.639) home record since 2011.

SMOTHERING DEFENSE

K-State has held its opponents below a .200 hitting percentage six times this season, going 5-1 in those matches.
On the season, K-State is holding opponents to a .215 hitting efficiency as Wildcat opponents have only reached .300 or better only once (Ohio, .304).
In league play, K-State is limiting opponents to a .204 clip - good for the fourth-best mark in the Big 12.
The Cats limited No. 1 Baylor to a season-low .240 hitting percentage last Saturday.