Cats Clash with Cyclones Saturday Night

Saturday, October 26

Ames, Iowa

8 p.m.

Kansas State University

Iowa State

K-State's coach Suzie Fritz subs out Sarah Dixon during the match against Kansas at Ahearn Field House in Manhattan, Kansas.

Oct 25, 2019 | Volleyball

Watch Listen Live Stats Match Notes (PDF)

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State concludes the first half of its Big 12 schedule Saturday night at Iowa State, with first serve scheduled for 8 p.m. from Hilton Coliseum.

The Wildcats (7-12, 2-5 Big 12) are coming off a five-set victory over Kansas in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown Wednesday, as the Cats erased a two-set deficit to break their five-match skid.

Freshman Anna Dixon turned in her second consecutive 21-kill outing to lead four Wildcats in double-digit kills. K-State had a season-high 12 service aces in defeating the Jayhawks for the third straight time.

Iowa State (12-7, 3-4 Big 12) has dropped three of its last four matches but have won the last five meetings with the Wildcats. K-State seeks its first road win in the series since 2007.

The match will be streamed live on Cyclones.TV and fans can listen to Rob Voelker on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). Free, live audio is also available at K-StateSports.com/watch.

MATCH #20
K-STATE (7-12, 2-5 BIG 12) at IOWA STATE (12-7, 3-4 BIG 12)
Saturday, October 26 // 8 p.m. // Hilton Coliseum (8,524) // Ames, Iowa
Watch: Cyclones.TV
Radio: News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Rob Voelker
Listen: K-StateSports.com/watch
Live Stats

K-STATE AT A GLANCE

K-State eyes an undefeated week after rallying from two sets down to stun rival Kansas in five sets Wednesday in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown at Ahearn Field House.
With the win, the Wildcats ended a season-long five-match skid while defeating the Jayhawks for the third straight time.
Freshman Anna Dixon turned in her second consecutive 21-kill performance - equaling a career high - to lead four Cats in double-digit kills.
Brynn Carlson put down 15 kills, with five coming in the fifth set.
Peyton Williams added 13 kills while hitting .379 while Gloria Mutiri chipped in a dozen at a .265 clip.
The K-State offense totaled a season-high 75 kills Wednesday and held a 21-kill advantage over KU.
The Cats tallied a season-best 12 aces, as three players each recorded three aces (Teana Adams-Kaonohi, Dixon, Loren Hinkle).
The 12 aces tied the fourth highest in program history in a five-set match and was the most in a five setter since 2007.
K-State also committed a season-high 20 service errors, its highest number since the Cats had 20 at Hawaii on Aug. 31, 2007.
Defensively, Megan Vernon paced the team with six blocks - her sixth straight match leading the team in the category.
Hinkle dug a team-high 13 balls and Sarah Dixon produced her fourth consecutive double-double with 41 assists and 11 digs.
Dixon owns 11 of the 13 double-doubles registered by a Wildcat this season.
The match against KU marked the season's ninth five-set match, as K-State is now 4-5 in five-setters and one shy of tying a single-season record.
The victory was the Cats' second this season when trailing 2-0, matching the most in a single season (2003, 2008, 2014).

SCOUTING IOWA STATE

Iowa State (12-7, 4-4 Big 12) last played last Saturday, dropping a four-set decision at Oklahoma on Oct. 19.
The Cyclones have lost three of their last four, including two of their last three at home.
ISU, who is 4-4 at home this season, are led by Eleanor Holthaus and her 220 kills and 3.06 kills per set.
Five different Cyclones have eclipsed 100 kills this season and four average at least 2.00 kills a set.
Additionally, Holthaus averages 2.2 digs per set to go with 62 total blocks (0.86 per set).
Avery Rhodes leads ISU with her 1.21 blocks per set and she was the season's first Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week.
The Iowa State offense ranks third in the Big 12 in kills per set (13.31), hitting percentage (.250) and service aces per set (1.22).
Candelaria Herrera has the league's third-highest hitting efficiency at .337 while setter Piper Mauck is third with 10.30 assists/set.
Holthaus was ISU's lone selection to the Big 12's preseason all-conference team, as Iowa State was voted fourth in the league's preseason poll.

INSIDE THE SERIES

Iowa State leads the all-time series 53-41, dating back to 1976.
The Cyclones have won the last five matchups, their longest winning streak in the series since claiming eight straight meetings from 2008-11.
K-State is 14-27 all-time in Ames, last winning in 2007 - a string of 11 consecutive matches.
ISU has won seven of the last 10 in the series overall and is 17-5 vs. the Cats since 2008.
Head coach Suzie Fritz is 17-19 in her career against the Cyclones.

GOING THE DISTANCE

Through 19 matches, all but three of K-State's matches this season have gone at least four sets.
After Wednesday's five-set match vs. Kansas, nine matches have gone the full five sets - one shy of matching the single-season record of 10 such matches (last done in 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.
The Cats have also played seven four-set matches (3-4) 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.

CARDIAC CATS

Wednesday night's five-set victory over KU was the second time this season K-State battled back from an 0-2 hole to win (Clemson on Sept. 5).
The match also marked the second consecutive match against KU in which the Wildcats have won after dropping the first two sets.
The two wins when trailing by two sets this season equal the program's single-season record, as the Cats have done so twice in 2003, 2008 and 2014.
K-State has never erased a two-set deficit to win three times in one season.
K-State has just 11 victories when trailing 0-2 in the Fritz era (since 2001).
The Cats have lost the opening set of a match 10 times, going 5-5 in those matches.

BATTLE OF THE BLOCK

In its first seven conference matches, K-State is tied for first in the Big 12 with 68 total blocks and ranks third with 2.52 blocks per set.
The Cats have recorded 10 or more blocks in four of seven league matches and have reached double-digit blocks in their last two outings.
In the season's first 12 matches, K-State reached 10 blocks just twice.
The Wildcats' 18 total blocks at TCU on Sept. 28) marked a single-match high for any team in the Big 12 this season and was the third-highest total in program history during the rally-scoring era.
Megan Vernon has led the Wildcats in blocks in each of the last six matches as she has picked up 32 total blocks in that stretch.
Vernon ranks third in the league with 1.48 blocks per set in conference-only matches while Williams is seventh at 1.04 blocks/set in all matches.
Vernon has recorded at least three blocks in nine straight matches.

AD COMING ON STRONG

Freshman Anna Dixon has registered double-digit kills in each of the last nine matches - a season-long streak - and leads the Wildcats with 123 kills (3.51 per set) over that stretch.
Dixon is coming off back-to-back matches with 21 kills - her first two 20-kill performances of her career.
Her 25-point night (21 kills, 3 aces, 2 block assists) vs. KU is a season high by any Wildcat this season
The Louisburg product has led K-State in kills in each of the five matches.
Dixon ranks third in the Big 12 in conference-only matches with 3.70 kills per set and is tied for fourth with 4.06 points her set.
Over the last nine matches, Dixon has a team-best 34.5 points as she has also tallied 17 block assists.
Dixon has 10 or more kills in 13 of her last 14 matches and is now third on the team with 210 kills and is second at 3.00 per set.

NEW HIGHS

K-State's defense set an all-time program record with 119 digs on Oct. 16 at Oklahoma.
It was the sixth-highest output in a five-set match in the nation this season and highest by any Big 12 team this year.
Dru Kuck's 36 digs vs. the Sooners - equaling the third-most in program history during the rally-scoring era.
The Wildcats also own the league' high total with 18 blocks at TCU on Sept. 28.
K-State tallied a season-high 12 aces against the Jayhawks Wednesday, five more than the previous best of seven.
The 12 aces were the fourth-best total in a five-set match during the rally-scoring era and most since 2007.
The 12 aces marked a high in Big 12-only matches for any conference team.
K-State also committed 20 service errors against Kansas, its most since turning in 20 at Hawaii on Aug. 31, 2008.