K-State Faces Road Test Against Top-Ranked Baylor

Saturday, October 5

Waco, Texas

2 p.m.

Kansas State University

Baylor

K-State's Gloria Mutiri celebrates a point against Clemson at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas.

Oct 04, 2019 | Volleyball

Watch (Big 12 Now on ESPN+)Listen Live Stats Match Notes

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State heads to the road to take on its first ranked opponent of the season, as the Wildcats face the No. 1-ranked Baylor Bears Saturday at Ferrell Center with first serve scheduled for 2 p.m.

The Wildcats (6-8, 1-1 Big 12) split their first two Big 12 matches after a three-set loss to Texas Tech Wednesday night. Baylor (12-0, 2-0 Big 12) remains as the nation's lone undefeated team in Division I and has claimed its last 19 consecutive sets.

The Bears will mark the first top-ranked foe K-State has faced since taking on Texas in 2013. The Cats are 0-11 all-time against the nation's No. 1-ranked teams. A season ago, K-State defeated then-24^th-ranked Baylor in straight sets in Waco. The Cats lead the all-time series 29-18, dating back to 1993.

The match will be broadcast on the all-new Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Fans can also listen to Rob Voelker call the action with free, live audio available at K-StateSports.com/watch.

MATCH #15
K-STATE (6-8, 1-1 BIG 12) at #1 BAYLOR (12-0, 2-0 BIG 12)
Saturday, October 5 // 2 p.m. // Ferrell Center (6,000) // Waco, Texas
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Listen: K-StateSports.com/watch // Rob Voelker
Live Stats

K-STATE AT A GLANCE

K-State split its first two Big 12 matches of the season, falling in three sets to Texas Tech at home Wednesday after a four-set victory at TCU last Saturday.
The Red Raiders handed the Wildcats their first three-set loss of the season in K-State's Big 12 home opener.
The opening set marked the Cats' longest set of the season (33-31), as it saw 13 tie scores and 11 lead changes.
Gloria Mutiri led K-State with a dozen kills while Anna Dixon added 10.
Holly Bonde set a career high with 16 digs, 11 coming in the opening set.
The Wildcats were unable to overcome 21 kills and 10 digs from Tech senior Emily Hill.
In the Wildcats' four-set win over TCU, K-State set a season-high with 18 team blocks.
K-State limited TCU to a .125 hitting efficiency as Peyton Williams (9), Megan Vernon (8) and Sarah Dixon (7) all set career highs in total blocks.
The Cats' block total marked the third-most blocks in a four-set match in program history (rally-scoring era) and the most blocks since recording 23.5 blocks in 2014 (at Michigan).
The Wildcat defense tallied eight team blocks in the third set against the Horned Frogs after picking up seven stuff blocks in the second set.
Brynn Carlson led the Cats with 18 kills Saturday while hitting .362.
Ten of Carlson's 18 kills against the Frogs came in the final set, as she committed just one attacking error on 19 swings in the frame.

SCOUTING BAYLOR

Baylor (12-0, 2-0 Big 12) enters Saturday as the No. 1-ranked team in the country for the first time in program history and is the lone undefeated Division I team.
The Bears have also set program records with 12 consecutive wins to begin a season and have claimed the last 19 sets they have played - another program record.
BU has picked up five wins over ranked teams this season, highlighted by a four-set win on the road against then-fourth-ranked Wisconsin.
Bears outside hitter Yossiana Pressley leads the nation with her 5.86 kills per set average.
Pressley (6.30) averages nearly a point per set higher than Texas Tech's Emily Hill who ranks second at 5.34.
BU's team hitting efficiency of .330 ranks second in the country, only to Texas' .336.
Four Bears rank in the league's top 10 in hitting percentage, including the top two in the conference in Shelly Stafford (.374) and Kara McGhee (.367).
Defensively, Baylor paces the Big 12 in blocks per set (2.71) and opponent hitting percentage (.143).

INSIDE THE SERIES

K-State leads the all-time series with Baylor, 29-18, dating back to 1993.
The Wildcats and Bears split the series in 2018, each winning in straight sets on the other's home floor.
BU was ranked 24th in the nation on Oct. 20 lats season when K-State left Waco with a 3-0 victory.
K-State is 12-11 all-time on the road in the series.
Fritz is 22-14 in her career against the Baylor with a 9-9 record on the road.
K-State is 4-6 in the last 10 meetings in the series.

VS. RANKED OPPONENTS

Baylor marks the first ranked opponent K-State will face this season.
Last season, the Bears were ranked 24th in the AVCA Top 25 poll in the teams' meeting at Ferrell Center, with K-State winning 3-0.
The Wildcats went 2-2 against ranked teams a season ago, picking up wins over No. 24 Baylor and No. 22 Kansas in consecutive matches.
BU will be the first No. 1 team the Cats have faced since the 2013 season when K-State fell to Texas in three sets.
In its history, K-State has never defeated the nation's No. 1 team (0-11).
Against top-five foes, K-State is a combined 2-69 (.028).
The Wildcats last defeated a top-five team in 2011, when they ousted No. 2 Nebraska in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Lincoln.
K-State last defeated a top-10 team on the road on Aug. 27, 2016 when it defeated No. 6 Hawaii in four sets.
Since 2014, K-State is 3-25 against teams ranked in the AVCA Top 25.

GOING THE DISTANCE

Through 14 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).
The Wildcats played their first three-set match against Texas Tech on Wednesday, breaking the program-long streak to begin a season.
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 claimed the opening set of a match seven times in 14 matches and have split the first two sets of a match in 11 of 14 outings this season.

BATTLE OF THE BLOCK

K-State's 18 total blocks at TCU Saturday marked the third-highest total in program history in a four-set match (rally-scoring era).
The Cats' block total also set a single-season high for any team in the Big 12 in any match.
After not recording a block in the opening set Saturday, K-State registered seven blocks in Set 2 followed by eight more in the third set.
Peyton Williams (9), Megan Vernon (8) and Sarah Dixon (7) all set career highs in the four-set win over the Horned Frogs.
Following a 10-block performance against New Mexico last week, K-State strung together consecutive matches with 10 or more blocks for the first time this season.
The Cats, who rank last in the Big 12 in blocks per set in overall matches at 1.87 per set, lead the league with 3.57 blocks/set in conference play.

THREE-HEADED MONSTER

The Wildcat trio of Brynn Carlson, Gloria Mutiri and Peyton Williams have each eclipsed the 150-kill and 190-point marks this season.
Carlson has a team-high 196 kills (3.27 per set) while Mutiri has recorded 172 and Williams 152.
Carlson leads the trio with 205.0 total points while Mutiri is second with 194.0 points while Williams has a team-high 53 total blocks.
Carlson, Mutiri and Williams have accounted for 65.7 percent of K-State's total kill production (520 of 791).
One of the three have led or tied for the team lead in kills in every match 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 14 matches and has reached 15 or more kills eight times.

MILESTONE WATCH

Head coach Suzie Fritz is three wins away from notching career victory No. 350 as coach of the Wildcats.
Fritz would become just the third head coach in the history of the Big 12 to reach the landmark.
Fritz's career winning percentage of .615 is third among active Big 12 coaches.

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 .213 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 .172 clip - good for third-best mark in the Big 12.