K-State Opens Second Half of Big 12 Slate at WVU

Wednesday, October 30

Morgantown, W.Va.

5 p.m.

Kansas State University

West Virginia

K-State's Brynn Carlson celebrates a point against Omaha at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas.

Oct 29, 2019 | Volleyball

Watch Listen Live Stats Match Notes (PDF)

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State begins the second half of its Big 12 schedule and concludes a two-match road swing Wednesday night at West Virginia, with first serve scheduled for 5 p.m. CT from WVU Coliseum.

The Wildcats (7-13, 2-6 Big 12) look to even the season series after the Mountaineers (10-11, 1-7 Big 12) claimed a four-set decision at Ahearn Field House on October 12. K-State leads the all-time series with WVU, 9-6, while going 4-3 in Morgantown.

The match will be streamed live on Mountaineer 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 #21
K-STATE (7-13, 2-6 BIG 12) at WEST VIRGINIA (10-11, 1-7 BIG 12)
Wednesday, October 30 // 5 p.m. CT // WVU Coliseum (14,000) // Morgantown, W.Va.
Watch: Mountaineer 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 wrapped up the first half of its Big 12 schedule three-set loss at Iowa State last Saturday.
In the match, the Wildcats were held to season lows in kills (32) and total blocks (2.0).
Freshman Anna Dixon led the Cats with 10 kills, her sixth straight outing in which she paced the K-State offense in kills.
Dixon, who has turned in 10 or more kills in 10 consecutive matches, also added a career-high eight digs.
Dru Kuck was the lone Wildcat to reach double figures in digs with 15.
Gloria Mutiri added seven kills on 20 swings with just one error to lead the team in hitting efficiency at .300.
Mutiri and Megan Vernon each tallied two block assists.
Vernon has led or tied for the team lead in blocks in seven straight matches.
K-State collected just one service ace while committing nine service errors in the match.
Conversely, Iowa State totaled nine aces - a season high by a K-State opponent in a three-set match this year.

SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA

West Virginia (10-11, 1-7 Big 12) ended the first half of conference play on a three-match losing skid after a 3-1 defeat at then-No. 1 Baylor.
The Mountaineers are led by Katelyn Evans, who has 117 of WVU's 376 kills during conference play (31 percent).
Kristin Lux is second on the team with 65 kills in league matches.
In overall matches, Evans ranks seventh in the Big 12 with 3.16 kills per set while Kristina Jordan is ninth at 3.03 kills a set.
Evans' 3.90 kills/set average is second-best in the Big 12 in league matches.
WVU allows a league-high .262 opponent hitting percentage in conference.

INSIDE THE SERIES

K-State leads the all-time series 9-6, dating back to 2012 when WVU joined the Big 12.
The Mountaineers took the season's first meeting in Manhattan in four sets.
K-State is 4-3 on the road in the series and has dropped the last two meetings in Morgantown.
The teams have split the last 10 meetings and WVU has won four of the last five matchups.
Head coach Suzie Fritz is 9-6 in her career against the Mountaineers.

FIRST GO-AROUND

K-State and West Virginia met on October 12 at Ahearn Field House, with the Mountaineers taking a four-set decision.
K-State took the opening set before WVU went on to win the next three.
In the match, WVU held a 62-44 edge in total kills and were led by Katelyn Evans' match-high 22 kills.
Evans hit .375 on the night while Audrey Adams turned in 10 kills at a .400 clip.
Anna Dixon was the Wildcat leader with 11 kills, as she was the only player to reach double figures.
Sarah Dixon produced a double-double with 31 assists and 14 digs.
Megan Vernon had a team-high four block assists and hit .400 (4 kills, 10 swings, 0 errors).

GOING THE DISTANCE

Through 20 matches, 16 of K-State's matches this season have gone at least four sets.
After last 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).
The Cats played just three five-set matches a season ago - equaling the fewest such matches in a single season.

CARDIAC CATS

Last 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 eight conference matches, K-State is third in the Big 12 with 71 total blocks and fourth with 2.37 blocks per set.
The Cats have recorded 10 or more blocks in four of eight league matches and have reached double-digit blocks two of their last three 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 seven matches as she has picked up 34 total blocks in that stretch.
Vernon ranks third in the league with 1.40 blocks per set in conference-only matches while Williams is seventh at 1.04 blocks/set in all matches.

AD COMING ON STRONG

Freshman Anna Dixon has registered double-digit kills in each of the last 10 matches - a season-long streak - and leads the Wildcats with 133 kills (3.50 per set) over that stretch.
Dixon produced back-to-back matches with 21 kills - her first two 20-kill performances of her career - against Oklahoma and Kansas.
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 six matches.
Dixon ranks fourth in the Big 12 in conference-only matches with 3.67 kills per set and is seventh with 3.98 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.
The Cats' offense turned in a season-high 75 kills in their five-set victory over Kansas - a season-best outing by any Big 12 team.

CONFERENCE ROAD MATCHES

Through the first half of the Big 12 schedule, K-State went 1-3 in road conference matches.
In those matches, the Wildcats are hitting .215 while holding opponents to a .192 efficiency.
Anna Dixon leads the team with 54 kills and a 3.60 kills per set average in Big 12 road matches.
Brynn Carlson is second with 41 kills and 2.73 per set.
The Cats' defense produces nearly a block per set more than their opponents (2.87-1.90).
Wildcat opponents own a 208-178 advantage is total kills and a 22-8 edge in service aces.