Cats, Frogs Tangle in Fort Worth

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State completes the first half of its Big 12 schedule with two matches at TCU Thursday and Friday at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

K-State (11-6, 2-4 Big 12) has split its last two conference series after going 1-1 against West Virginia at Bramlage Coliseum last week. The Wildcats picked up a four-set victory Thursday before dropping a straight-set decision Friday.

In Thursday's win, Aliyah Carter (18 kills, 16 digs) and Teana Adams-Kaonohi (46 assists, 10 digs) each logged double-doubles while four players reached double-figure kills. Libero Mackenzie Morris led all players with 19 digs Thursday before adding 22 more on Friday, earning her Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.

TCU (7-9, 1-5 Big 12) enter the matchup having lost seven of its last nine matches after starting the season 5-2. The Wildcats have taken the last five meetings in the series and lead the all-time series, 12-6.

The entire two-match set will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with live, streaming audio available at K-StateSports.com/Watch. Thursday's contest can also be heard on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM).

MATCH #18
K-STATE (11-6, 2-4 BIG 12) at TCU (7-9, 1-5 BIG 12)
Thursday, October 21 // 6:30 p.m. // Schollmaier Arena // Fort Worth, Texas
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // ESPN app
Radio: News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Rob Voelker
Listen: K-StateSports.com/watch
Live Stats

MATCH #19
K-STATE (11-6, 2-4 BIG 12) at TCU (7-9, 1-5 BIG 12)
Friday, October 22 // 6:30 p.m. // Schollmaier Arena // Fort Worth, Texas
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // ESPN app
Listen: K-StateSports.com/watch // Rob Voelker
Live Stats

K-STATE AT A GLANCE

K-State will hit the road to take on the TCU Horned Frogs in a two-match set at Schollmaier Arena Thursday and Friday.
The Wildcats and West Virginia split a pair of matches at Bramlage Coliseum last Thursday and Friday, with K-State taking the opener in four sets before WVU won in straight sets in the finale.
Libero Mackenzie Morris led all players with 19 digs Thursday and recorded 22 on Friday, equaling the third-most in program history for a three-set match in the rally-scoring era.
Morris' efforts garnered her Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors, marking the first weekly award in her career.
In Thursday's victory, four Cats reached double-digit kills, led by Aliyah Carter's 18.
Carter (16 digs) and Teana Adams-Kaonohi (46 assists, 10 digs) each turned in double-doubles.
It marked Carter's ninth double-double of the season and seventh over her last 11 outings.
Adams-Kaonohi, who produced her fourth double-double, added career-high-tying three aces and three blocks.
Jayden Nembhard added 14 kills while Kadye Fernholz picked up 11 and Holly Bonde 10.
The K-State offense hit .219 in its four-set victory Thursday, but was limited a season-low .072 hitting efficiency Friday.
Carter accounted for 14 of the Cats' season-low 32 kills.

SCOUTING TCU

TCU (7-9, 1-5 Big 12) dropped a pair of straight-set decisions at top-ranked Texas last weekend.
The Horned Frogs have lost seven of their last nine overall after starting the season 5-2.
Julia Adams leads TCU's offense with 3.12 kills per set while hitting .219.
Taylor Raiola ranks second with her 2.57 kills per set.
Mykayla Myers (1.25) and Madilyn Cole (1.21) rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Big 12 in blocks per set.
TCU ranks ninth in team hitting percentage at .197 and kills per set at 12.14.

INSIDE THE SERIES

K-State leads the all-time series with TCU, 12-6, which began when the Horned Frogs joined the Big 12 Conference in 2012.
The Wildcats swept the season series a year ago and extended their winning streak over TCU to five straight matches going back to 2018.
The five-match winning streak is the longest by either team in the series history.
The Cats are 8-2 at home against the Frogs and 4-4 on the road.
K-State is 6-4 in the last 10 meetings in the series.
Head coach Suzie Fritz is 12-6 against TCU in her 21-year career and 4-4 on the road.

IT'S A PARTY

K-State has reached double-digit blocks in 10 of 17 matches to begin the year, including 10 or more blocks in its last three matches.
The stretch of three consecutive matches with double-figure blocks is the Cats' most since three straight during the 2017 season (K-State last had four straight 10-block matches in 2014).
Additionally, the Cats have out-blocked their opponents in 14 of 17 matches this season.
K-State had finished the first 11 matches of the season with more blocks than its opponent until the Baylor series Sept. 25-26.
Over two matches against West Virginia, Kadye Fernholz totaled 13 blocks, including seven in three sets last Friday.
Fernholz upped her team-leading total to 67 blocks and 1.18 blocks per set, which ranks in the Big 12.
Fernholz has registered at least three blocks in 12 of 15 matches in which she has appeared, with a career-high eight coming against Loyola.
Against Omaha on Sept. 18, Kayley Hollywood turned in a career-high 10 blocks to become the first Wildcat this season to reach double figures.
A Wildcat has reached at least five blocks in a match 24 times this season, led by Fernholz's eight five-block outings.

RECORD PACE

Aliyah Carter and Mackenzie Morris each needed just 32 career matches to reach their 500th career kill and dig, respectively.
In a 3-1 victory over Omaha on Sept. 18, Carter notched career kill No. 500 while Morris picked up her 500th dig.
Aliyah Carter equaled the program record as the fastest Wildcat to 500 career kills in the rally-scoring era (since 2001) while Morris was the second-fastest Cat to reach the milestone.
Carter matched the record previously held by Natalya Korbkova, a junior transfer who played during the 2007-08 seasons.
Carter is the fastest to reach the milestone beginning as a true freshman, as she was seven matches faster Kylee Zumach's 39 contests.
Morris only trailed Kersten Kober (2013-16) as the fastest to reach 500 career digs, as Kober needed 29 matches.
Morris' career average of 4.06 digs per set currently ranks second during the rally-scoring era while Carter's 4.13 kills a set is tops.

KILLER CARTER

Aliyah Carter is one of two players in the Big 12 averaging over 4.00 kills a set at 4.15, trailing only Baylor's Yossiana Pressley (4.65).
Three times Carter has eclipsed the 20-kill plateau, with a season-high 22 coming against Weber State on Sept. 17.
Carter has hit over .320 in each of her 20-kill outings, including a .422 mark against WSU.
She now has nine career matches with 20 or more kills, tying her for fourth in program history during the rally-scoring era.
Entering the season with one double-double, Carter has produced nine double-doubles in 17 matches to begin the season - with a career-high 20 digs coming against Fresno State (Sept. 11).
She has carded seven double-doubles of her last 11 contests.

MACK ATTACK

Mackenzie Morris, who has played every set in her career as the Wildcat libero, is fourth in the Big 12 with her 4.11 digs per set.
Her 5.68 digs per set last week led the Big 12 and helped her earn her first Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week award on Tuesday.
Morris led all players with 19 digs over four sets on Thursday before tallying 22 more in three sets against the Mountaineers Friday.
Her 22 digs tied the third-highest total in a three-set match during the rally-scoring era in program history.
Morris now has 10 career matches with 20 or more digs, moving her into fourth place in K-State history during the rally-scoring era.
She has four 20-dig performances this season, with her 22 against WVU marking the second-highest total in a three-set match in the Big 12 this season.
Morris served up four aces in back-to-back contests against UCSB and San Diego State, equaling her career high.

BONDE, HOLLY BONDE

Redshirt junior Holly Bonde pumped out a career-high 20 kills at Oklahoma on Oct. 2.
Her 20-kill outing broke her previous career-best match of 18, which she set earlier this season against Loyola Chicago on Sept. 10.
Entering this season, her career-high kill total was 13, set against Iowa State in the 2020 season opener on Sept. 25.
With 10 kills Thursday vs. WVU, she now has six matches with 10 or more kills, breaking her previous high in a single season of five set last season.
This season, Bonde has played both pin hitter positions and his hitting a career-high .220.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

The Wildcats are 7-1 this season when winning the first set and 5-0 when leading 2-0.
Head coach Suzie Fritz is 298-59 (.838) in her career when leading a match 1-0.
K-State has hit over .300 in a match twice this season, with both being five-set contests.
It marks the first time in program history (rally-scoring era) that the Cats have two five-set matches with better than a .300 efficiency in the same season.
The last time K-State hit .300 or better in a five-set match was the 2017 season.
The Cats' .321 clip in their five-set win at UCSB marked the second-best percentage in five sets in the rally-scoring era and highest since 2008.
In her career, Fritz is 135-3 when her team hits north of .300 while she is 71-0 when holding opponents under .100.

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Players Mentioned

Teana Adams-Kaonohi

Holly Bonde

Aliyah Carter

Kadye Fernholz

Kayley Hollywood

Mackenzie Morris

Jayden Nembhard

Kansas State University Athletics