No. 11 Wildcats, Jayhawks Battle in Dillons Sunflower Showdown

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The No. 11 K-State Wildcats travel east on I-70 to take on in-state rival Kansas in the 2020 edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown beginning Thursday at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

The Wildcats (5-3, 5-3 Big 12) are coming off a home series sweep of Oklahoma that garnered setter Shelby Martin Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and outside hitter Aliyah Carter Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors.

K-State has won three of the last four meetings with KU (1-7, 1-7 Big 12) after splitting the series a season ago. The Jayhawks, who were off last week, have dropped their last seven matches overall. The Cats lead the all-time series 66-53-1.

Both matches are set to start at 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. 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.

MATCH #9
#11 K-STATE (5-3, 5-3 BIG 12) at KANSAS (1-7, 1-7 BIG 12)
Thursday, October 29 // 6:30 p.m. // Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena // Lawrence, Kan.
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Radio: News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Rob Voelker
Listen: K-StateSports.com/watch
Live Stats

MATCH #10
#11 K-STATE (5-3, 5-3 BIG 12) at KANSAS (1-7, 1-7 BIG 12)
Friday, October 30 // 6:30 p.m. // Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena // Lawrence, Kan.
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
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 heads into the second half of its 2020 schedule with the Dillons Sunflower Showdown against Kansas.
The Wildcats, ranked 13th in the country, swept the two-match home series with Oklahoma last week.
Following K-State's first season sweep of the Sooners since 2017, Shelby Martin was tabbed Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week while Aliyah Carter earned Rookie of the Week honors.
Martin produced 38 assists, 11 kills and 10 digs for the Cats' first triple-double since 2014 (Katie Brand).
The senior transfer's triple-double was the second of her career and first in the country in 2020.
Carter paced the K-State offense with 17 kills in each win over Oklahoma while recording a career-best six blocks on Friday.
In Friday's five-set win, K-State had four players reach double-digit kills in Carter (17), Holly Bonde (11), Martin (11) and Kadye Fernholz (10).
The Cats served up nine service aces in a three-set win on Thursday, led by Mackenzie Morris' four.
Morris also led the Wildcats in digs with 15 and 18, respectively.
K-State's five conference wins surpasses its 2019 season total (4) and matches its total in 2018.

SCOUTING KANSAS

Kansas (1-7, 1-7 Big 12) enters the Dillons Sunflower Showdown after an off week after its series with TCU being postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.
The Jayhawks have dropped their last seven matches after opening the season with a five-set win over Baylor.
KU spent two weeks in the national polls ranked in the top 10.
Jenny Mosser leads Kansas' offense with 3.29 kills per set while freshman Carolina Crawford spearheads the defense with 1.09 blocks per set.
Crawford was tabbed Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year and was named Rookie of the Week on Oct. 13.
As a team, KU ranks eighth in the league in kills per set and assists per set and last in digs per set.

INSIDE THE SERIES

K-State leads the all-time series 66-53-1, dating back to 1974.
A season ago, the in-state rivals split the season series with each side winning on its home floor.
The Wildcats have won three of the last four meetings, with each of the last two wins coming when trailing 0-2.
K-State is 30-17 all-time in Lawrence while head coach Suzie Fritz is 11-8 on the road vs. KU.
Fritz is 22-16 in her career against the Jayhawks.
K-State is 3-7 in the last 10 meetings and 4-6 in the last 10 road matchups.
The Wildcats' 66 total victories and 30 road wins vs. KU are the highest total against any single opponent.

CHECKING IN

K-State is ranked in the AVCA Fall Coaches' Poll for the fourth consecutive week, checking in as the 11th-ranked team.
K-State cracked the poll on Oct. 7 as the No. 15 squad, and are ranked for four 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.
This season marks the first time the Wildcats have 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 230-106 (.685) all-time as a ranked team.

KILLER CARTER

True freshman Aliyah Carter has made a name for herself already in 2020, being named Big 12 Rookie of the Week on Tuesday.
Carter led K-State in both matches vs. Oklahoma, turning in a match-best 17 kills in each victory.
The Dubuque, Iowa, product has led the Wildcats in kills in three of the last four matches and been the team leader in the category four times this season.
Carter broke the program's single-match freshman record with 26 kills on Oct. 16 against No. 1 Texas.
Carter's 26 kills were the most by any Wildcat since the 2011 season, when Lilla Porubek tallied 26 against Kansas.
Her career-best outing tied for the fifth-most kills in a single match in K-State history during the rally-scoring era (since 2001).
At 3.63 kills per set, Carter ranks third overall in the Big 12, first among league freshmen and second among freshmen nationally.

THREE-HEADED MONSTER

The outside hitter trio of Brynn Carlson, Aliyah Carter and Jayden Nembhard have combined for 251 kills, with each averaging over 3.00 kills per set.
The trio has accounted for over 56 percent of K-State's 447 kills this season.
Carter leads the team with 127 kills (3.63 per set) with a career-high 26 coming against No. 1 Texas on Oct. 16.
All three have turned in a 20-kill performance this season, including 24 kills by Nembhard at West Virginia (Oct. 1) and 20 by Carlson against Texas (Oct. 16).
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 three in the Big 12 in both digs per set (3rd) and opponent hitting percentage (3rd).
K-State held Oklahoma to hitting percentages of .120 and .092, respectively, during its two-match set, marking season lows for any Wildcat opponent.
The Wildcats have held opponents under .230 in six of eight outings.
Fritz improved to 68-0 when holding an opponent below a .100 hitting percentage.
Abigail Archibong ranks sixth in the league with 1.04 blocks per set while Mackenzie Morris' 3.80 digs per set ranks seventh.
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.

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 133 total digs (3.80 per set) and ranks seventh in the Big 12 in digs/set.
She has led the Wildcats in digs in all eight matches, including back-to-back outings with at least 20 digs (24 at WVU, 21 vs. Texas).
Morris also leads the team with 13 service aces, including a career-high four coming in Thursday's three-set win over Oklahoma.
Morris ranks 13th nationally in total service aces and has tallied multiple aces four times this season.

HELPING HAND

Senior transfer setter Shelby Martin ranks fifth in the Big 12 and 22nd in the country at 9.74 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.
Her 60 assists in her Wildcat debut marked a career high.
Martin needs just 75 assists to crack 3,000 for her career and her 2,925 career assists rank fourth among active players.

GOING THE DISTANCE

So far in 2020, K-State has played 35 of a possible 40 sets, going the full five sets in five of the first eight 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 3-2 in five-set matches after holding off Oklahoma's comeback bid on 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 28 five-set matches, going 12-16.

No. 11 Wildcats, Jayhawks Battle in Dillons Sunflower Showdown

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Abigail Archibong

Holly Bonde

Brynn Carlson

Aliyah Carter

Kadye Fernholz

Shelby Martin

Mackenzie Morris

Jayden Nembhard

Kylee Zumach

Kansas State University Athletics

No. 11 Wildcats, Jayhawks Battle in Dillons Sunflower Showdown

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Abigail Archibong

Holly Bonde

Brynn Carlson

Aliyah Carter

Kadye Fernholz

Shelby Martin

Mackenzie Morris

Jayden Nembhard

Kylee Zumach

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