No. 13 Wildcats Continue Homestand Against Sooners

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State, ranked 13^th in the country, continues its four-match homestand as the Oklahoma Sooners visit Bramlage Coliseum for a two-match set beginning Thursday.

The Wildcats (3-3, 3-3 Big 12) will look to rebound from a pair of home losses to top-ranked Texas last week, including a five-setter last Friday. Oklahoma (2-4, 2-4), who is receiving votes in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll, enters the weekend after sweeping two matches against Kansas.

Both matches are set for 6:30 p.m. starts and will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Brain Smoller and former Wildcat Liz Wegner-Busch will be on the call while fans can also listen to Rob Voelker on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). Free, live audio is available at K-StateSports.com/watch.

Thursday's match marks the Wildcats' Pink Match in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

General admission tickets are now available at K-StateSports.com/tickets or on a walk-up basis on gameday. Due to capacity limitations and to avoid lines at the ticket windows, fans are encouraged to order digital tickets in advance. Fans are reminded that Bramlage Coliseum is limited to 25 percent capacity this season.

Doors will open 60 minutes prior to first serve. Due to construction at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, fans are asked to use the Northeast and Southwest entrances. Click here to see all the 2020 gameday policies.

MATCH #7
#15 K-STATE (3-3, 3-3 BIG 12) vs. OKLAHOMA (2-4, 2-4 BIG 12)
Thursday, October 22 // 6:30 p.m. // Bramlage Coliseum // Manhattan, Kan.
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Brian Smoller (pxp), Liz Wegner-Busch (analyst)
Radio: News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Rob Voelker
Listen: K-StateSports.com/watch
Live Stats | Tickets

MATCH #8
#15 K-STATE (3-3, 3-3 BIG 12) vs. OKLAHOMA (2-4, 2-4 BIG 12)
Friday, October 23 // 6:30 p.m. // Bramlage Coliseum // Manhattan, Kan.
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Brian Smoller (pxp), Liz Wegner-Busch (analyst)
Radio: News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Rob Voelker
Listen: K-StateSports.com/watch
Live Stats | Tickets

K-STATE AT A GLANCE

K-State concludes a four-match homestand, as it welcomes Oklahoma to Bramlage Coliseum for a two-match set beginning Thursday.
The Wildcats, ranked 13th in the country, dropped a pair of matches to No. 1 Texas at Bramlage Coliseum last weekend.
In Friday's opener, the Cats took the Longhorns to five sets behind 26 kills from Aliyah Carter.
Carter's match-high total set K-State's freshman single-match record while hitting .293.
Brynn Carlson added 20 kills, as the duo accounted for 46 of the team's 60 kills.
K-State served up a season-high nine aces Friday while four players reached double-digit digs.
Mackenzie Morris turned in her second straight match with 20 or more digs, producing a match-best 21.
Shelby Martin recorded her third double-double of the year, handing out 49 assists and picking up 12 digs.
In the series finale, Texas handed the Cats a straight-set defeat, their first of the year.
K-State was limited to a season-low .141 hitting percentage and 32 kills.
Texas hit .389 and picked up 11 total blocks in the three-set win.
Jayden Nembhard was K-State's leader with seven kills.
The Cats and Longhorns have gone to five sets in four of the last five years in Manhattan.

SCOUTING OKLAHOMA

After opening the season with four straight losses, Oklahoma (2-4, 2-4 Big 12) swept the weekend series against Kansas over the weekend.
The Sooners, who are receiving votes in the latest AVCA Coaches' Poll, opened the year with top-ranked Texas before facing No. 2 Baylor.
In the home series with the Jayhawks, OU claimed a five-set win in the opener before a straight-set win on Saturday.
Freshman outside hitter Guewe Diouf leads her squad with 3.91 kills a set, good for third in the Big 12.
Diouf has twice been named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.
As a team, Oklahoma ranks last in hitting percentage, kills per set, assists per set, digs per set and opponent hitting percentage.

INSIDE THE SERIES

Oklahoma holds a 57-34-1 all-time series edge, dating back to 1975.
Oklahoma has won the last four in the series, claiming the season series each of the last two years.
K-State is 18-21 at home all-time vs. OU and Fritz is 21-17 against the Sooners in her career.
Prior to its four-match losing streak, K-State had won the six previous matchups and are 6-4 in the last 10 meetings.
The Wildcats are 6-4 in the last 10 meetings in Manhattan.

CHECKING IN

K-State is ranked in the AVCA Fall Coaches' Poll for the third consecutive week, checking in as the 13th-ranked team.
K-State cracked the poll on Oct. 7 as the No. 15 squad and are ranked for three straight weeks for the first time since 2014 (five straight).
The poll, which only ranks the four conferences playing in the fall, ranks the top 15 teams during the fall season.
The ranking marks the first time the Wildcats cracked the AVCA Coaches' Poll since the 2016 when they went as high as No. 23 during the regular season.
It is the first time K-State has been in the nation's top 15 since the 2012 season.
The Cats are 228-106 (.683) all-time as a ranked team.

KILLER CARTER

Aliyah Carter broke the program's single-match freshman record with 26 kills on Friday against No. 1 Texas.
Her match-high output eclipsed All-American Kylee Zumach, who set the freshman record with 25 against Eastern Michigan in 2014.
Carter's 26 kills were the most by any Wildcat since the 2011 season, when lilla Porubek tallied 26 against Kansas.
The Dubuque, Iowa, product's outing tied for the fifth-most kills in a single match in K-State history during the rally-scoring era (since 2001).
Her career-high kill total is good for the second-most kills in any Big 12 match this season.

THREE-HEADED ATTACK

The outside hitter trio of Brynn Carlson, Aliyah Carter and Jayden Nembhard have combined for 203 kills, with each averaging over 3.40 kills per set.
Carlson and Carter each rank in the conference's top seven in kills per set, as the Wildcats are one of just two teams to have multiple players in the league's top 10.
Nembhard, who has played in 13 of 27 sets, leads the team with 3.85 kills per set but does not qualify for the Big 12 leaderboard having played in less than half of K-State's total sets.
All three have turned in at least one 20-kill performance this season, including 24 kills by Nembhard at West Virginia (Oct. 1) and 20 by Carlson against Texas last Friday.
The last time K-State had three different players record 20 or more kills was the 2016 season (Brooke Sassin, Bryna Vogel, Kylee Zumach).
K-State is the only team in the Big 12 with three players averaging over 3.00 kills a set.

DEFENSIVE CATS

As a team, K-State ranks in the top five in the Big 12 in digs per set (3rd), opponent hitting percentage (5th) and blocks per set (5th).
Abigail Archibong ranks fifth in the league with 1.08 blocks per set while Mackenzie Morris' 3.70 digs per set ranks sixth.
K-State registered double-digit blocks in each of its five-set wins at WVU, recording 15.0 and 13.0 team blocks, respectively.
Archibong's 10-block performance on Oct. 1 was the first double-digit block match in the conference as she is tied for the single-match high this year.
The Wildcats are limiting opponents to a .218 hitting efficiency and has held opponents under .230 in four of six outings.

MACK ATTACK

Freshman Mackenzie Morris has played every set as the K-State libero this season.
Morris, a Dallas, Texas, native, has a team-high 100 total digs (3.70 per set) and ranks sixth in the Big 12 in digs/set.
She has led the Wildcats in digs in all six matches, including back-to-back outings with at least 20 digs (24 at WVU, 21 vs. Texas).
Morris also leads the team with seven service aces.

HELPING HAND

Senior transfer setter Shelby Martin ranks seventh in the Big 12 and 20th in the country at 9.78 assists/set.
Martin has turned in three double-doubles already this season, upping her career total to 31 after producing 28 in three seasons at East Carolina.
Martin needs just 152 assists to crack 3,000 for her career.
Her 2,848 assists rank fourth among active players.

NEW HOME SWEET HOME

K-State will call Bramlage Coliseum home for the 2020 season, moving from its traditional home of Ahearn Field House due health and safety considerations related to COVID-19.
The Wildcats are 18-6 (.750) all-time when playing in Bramlage Coliseum, including a 1-3 start to the 2020 season.
In 2019, K-State went 3-0 in Bramlage after sweeping the K-State Invitational against Clemson, Central Arkansas and Omaha.
The Cats have won seven of their last 11 matches, dating back to 2016, played at Bramlage Coliseum.

GOING THE DISTANCE

So far in 2020, K-State has played 27 of a possible 30 sets, going the full five sets in four of the first six matches.
The Wildcats fought off a 1-2 deficit on back-to-back nights to win in five sets at West Virginia (Oct. 1-2).
The Cats are 2-2 in five-set matches after dropping a five-setter to No. 1 Texas last Friday.
Last season, K-State's five five-set wins marked its highest single-season total since the 2014 season (6).
The Wildcats' 10 five-set matches a season ago tied the program record.
Since 2017, K-State has played 27 five-set matches, going 11-16.

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Players Mentioned

Abigail Archibong

Brynn Carlson

Aliyah Carter

Shelby Martin

Mackenzie Morris

Jayden Nembhard

Kylee Zumach

Kansas State University Athletics