Wildcats Begin Home Slate with K-State Invitational

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State opens its 2019 home schedule Thursday night at 6 p.m. against Clemson, as part of the three-day K-State Invitational held at Bramlage Coliseum.

The Wildcats (1-2) will square off with Omaha Friday at 7:30 p.m., before concluding the annual tournament against Central Arkansas on Saturday at 5 p.m.

All three matches will air on the all-new Big 12 Now on ESPN+, as Brian Smoller and former Wildcat Liz Wegner-Busch will team up to call the action. Fans can listen to Rob Voelker all weekend on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). Live audio will also stream free at K-StateSports.com/watch.

All-session tickets are available for just $10 while all three matches are a part of a Wildcat Weekend, with single-match tickets available for just $3 with a K-State football ticket vs. Bowling Green. Tickets can be purchased by calling (800) 221-CATS, stopping by the K-State Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum or by visiting here.

MATCH #4
K-STATE (1-2) vs. CLEMSON (3-0)
Thursday, September 6 // 6 p.m. // Bramlage Coliseum // Manhattan, Kan.
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Brian Smoller, Liz Wegner-Busch
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Rob Voelker
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch | Live Stats

MATCH #5
K-STATE (1-2) vs. OMAHA (3-1)
Friday, September 7 // 7:30 p.m. // Bramlage Coliseum (// Manhattan, Kan.
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Brian Smoller, Liz Wegner-Busch
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Rob Voelker
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch | Live Stats

MATCH #6
K-STATE (1-2) vs. CENTRAL ARKANSAS (4-0)
Saturday, September 8 // 5 p.m. // Bramlage Coliseum // Manhattan, Kan.
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Brian Smoller, Liz Wegner-Busch
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Rob Voelker
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch | Live Stats

K-STATE AT A GLANCE

K-State finished its season-opening weekend 1-2 at the Wolfpack Invitational in Raleigh, North Carolina.
K-State defeated Austin Peay in four sets after falling to host NC State in the season opener.
Maryland outlasted the Wildcats in five sets in the tournament's finale.
Brynn Carlson and Gloria Mutiri each earned all-tournament honors for the Cats.
Carlson led K-State with 47 kills over three matches (3.62 per set) while Mutiri added 36 (2.77 per set) to rank first and second, respectively.
Carlson set a career high with 18 kills against the Wolfpack while Mutiri produced a career-best hitting efficiency of .480 against Austin Peay.
Carlson reached double-digit kills in all three matches
Peyton Williams led K-State with a .371 hitting percentage over the weekend, which ranks seventh in the Big 12.
The Cats dropped their season opener for the first time since 2011, snapping a streak of seven season.
K-State begins the year 1-2 for the first time since 2011.
The Cats won the opening set in all three matches at the Wolfpack Invitational.

SCOUTING CLEMSON

Clemson opened its 2019 at home, going 3-0 at the Big Orange Bash with victories over Georgia, Kennesaw State and Wofford.
In going undefeated, the Tigers dropped just one set over three matches.
Kaylin Korta, who hit at a .313 clip, leads Clemson with 34 kills and 3.40 kills per set.
All-ACC selection Solei Thomas is not far behind with 32 kills at 3.20 kills per set.
As a team, the Tigers hit .308 in their opening weekend while picking up 32 service aces (3.20 per set).
Clemson returns a trio of All-ACC picks from 2018 in Thomas, Brooke Biley and Gabby Easton.
The Tigers were slotted eighth in the ACC preseason coaches' poll after a 19-15 2018 season - a 12-win improvement from 2017.

SCOUTING OMAHA

Omaha enters the weekend with a 3-1 mark, sweeping its home tournament before a mid-week loss to Kansas.
The Mavericks defeated Abilene Christian, Albany and Idaho State at Baxter Arena before a three-set loss to the Jayhawks Tuesday night.
Isabella Sade leads the Mavs with her 66 kills and 4.71 kills per set.
UNO tallied 30 service aces over its first four matches, averaging 2.14 per set.
In The Summit League's preseason coaches' poll, Omaha was picked third after going 12-4 in league play a season ago.
Five starters and 11 letterwinners return for Omaha, including Sade who was a 2018 All-Summit League performer.

SCOUTING CENTRAL ARKANSAS

Central Arkansas went 4-0 at the 2019 Georgetown Classic in the opening weekend, picking up victories over Rider, Central Connecticut, Sacred Heart and Georgetown.
On Friday, the Sugar Bears picked up a pair of five-set wins over Rider and Central Connecticut to begin the tournament.
Abbie Harry leads UCA with 48 kills and 3.20 kills per set while Madi Bowles ranks second with 45 kills (2.65 per set) while hitting at a .364 clip.
The UCA defense averaged 2.21 blocks per set over its first four matches, limiting opponents to a .170 hitting efficiency.
Central Arkansas was tabbed second in the Southland's preseason coaches' poll while senior Elizabeth Armstrong was named to the preseason all-conference team for the second straight season.

INSIDE THE SERIES

K-State will meet both Central Arkansas and Clemson for the first time ever.
The Wildcats and Mavericks will face off for the third straight season, as K-State owns an 11-6 edge in the series dating back to 1975.
K-State has taken each of the last three matchups with UNO and has won 11 of the last 12 in the series overall.
Omaha last won on Oct. 7, 1980 (2-0).
The Cats are 5-0 at home vs. Omaha, including a 3-0 victory in last season's K-State Invitational.
Head coach Suzie Fritz is 3-0 vs. Omaha.

K-STATE CONNECTION

Clemson's third-year head coach Michaela Franklin played for K-State head coach Suzie Fritz from 2002-04.
Franklin helped the Wildcats claim their only Big 12 title in 2003, as she totaled a career-high 96 kills.
In the Cats' 2003 championship season, they went 30-5 and won the league with an 18-2 mark, reaching the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

K-State will play its first matches in Bramlage Coliseum since the 2016 season when it hosted the first two round of the NCAA Tournament.
In the 2016 postseason, the 14th-seeded Wildcats swept Lipscomb in the opening round before falling in five sets to Ohio State in the Round of 32.
K-State also held the K-State Invitational in Bramlage that season, defeating Georgia Tech and Tennessee State while falling to Michigan.
K-State is 14-3 all-time in Bramlage.

NON-CON SUCCESS

Since 2001, K-State is 167-57 (.746) in non-conference matches, including a 10-1 mark a season ago.
The Wildcats own a 37-6 (.860) home record against non-conference opponents at home since 2010, including the postseason.
From 2010-15, the Cats went 28-1 against non-conference foes at home.

RETURN TO FORM

Redshirt sophomore Brynn Carlson led K-State in kills in two of its three matches at the Wolfpack Invitational, including a career-high 18 in the season opener vs. NC State.
Carlson, who received a medical redshirt in 2018, totaled just 18 kills in eight matches (13 sets) last season.
She reached double-digit kills in all three matches, equaling her career total of matches with 10 or more kills.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

Five players made their Wildcat debut over the weekend in Abigail Archibong, Holly Bonde, Anna Dixon, Loren Hinkle and Dru Kuck.
Dixon, Hinkle and Kuck are all true freshmen, as Kuck played every set at the Wolfpack Invitational as the K-State libero.
Kuck is the team leader with 37 digs (2.85 per set) while Hinkle tallied 21 digs.
Bonde, who redshirted in 2018, picked up 19 kills and hit .232.

YOUTH MOVEMENT

K-State's 2019 roster features a total of 13 freshmen and sophomores (including redshirts) - its highest total since 2014 and third-most in the Fritz era (since 2001).
The combined 666 career sets played among returners are the Cats' fewest since 2009 (537).
The nine freshmen (four redshirts) match the highest number in the Fritz era.
Five incoming true freshmen help comprise the nation's 20th-best recruiting class.

BUT DON'T BE FOOLED

Despite K-State's youth on paper, the 2019 Wildcats gained extra experience playing together through the spring and summer.
Four of the five incoming freshmen graduated high school early and joined the program in January to train together all through the spring.
Additionally, K-State was able to go on a 10-day foreign tour in Brazil from May 28-June 8 that included training with the Brazilian U20 National Team and exhibition matches with professional club teams.
While in Brazil, the Cats spent three days at the Brazilian Olympic Training Center in Saquerema with the U20 National Team before traveling to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo to compete against club teams that included Fluminense, Pinheiros and Sao Caetano.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Abigail Archibong

Holly Bonde

Brynn Carlson

Anna Dixon

Loren Hinkle

Dru Kuck

Gloria Mutiri

Peyton Williams

Kansas State University Athletics