K-State Heads into Key Final Weekend, Dillons Sunflower Showdown

MANHATTAN, Kan. – In the regular season's final weekend and with both teams having postseason aspirations, K-State hosts rival Kansas in the 2021 edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown Friday and Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum.

K-State (15-10, 6-8 Big 12) and KU (14-11, 6-8 Big 12) are each seeking an at-large bid into the 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship, as they find both themselves within the nation's top 40 in RPI. The Wildcats and Jayhawks, along with West Virginia, are in a three-way tie for fifth place in the Big 12 Conference standings while all three could finish the season as high as third.

K-State and KU split two matches in Lawrence a season ago and, dating back to 2004, have split the last 34 meetings in the Sunflower Showdown.

Following Saturday's match, the Wildcats will honor three graduating student-athletes in Holly Bonde, Kayley Hollywood and Jacque Smith. Both contests are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. starts.

The entire series will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN app, with radio coverage on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). Live, streaming audio is also available at K-StateSports.com/watch.

Tickets are now available for the Dillons Sunflower Showdown and start at just $5 in advance at K-StateSports.com/tickets. Saturday's match features a special $10 t-shirt package, which includes a general admission ticket and an exclusive K-State volleyball t-shirt.

MATCH #26
K-STATE (15-10, 6-8 BIG 12) vs. KANSAS (14-11, 6-8 BIG 12)
Friday, November 26 // 6:30 p.m. // Bramlage Coliseum // Manhattan, Kan.
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // ESPN app
Radio: News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Rob Voelker
Listen: K-StateSports.com/watch
Tickets | Live Stats

MATCH #27
K-STATE (15-10, 6-8 BIG 12) vs. KANSAS (14-11, 6-8 BIG 12)
Saturday, November 27 // 6:30 p.m. // Bramlage Coliseum // Manhattan, Kan.
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // ESPN app
Radio: News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Rob Voelker
Listen: K-StateSports.com/watch
Tickets | Live Stats

K-STATE AT A GLANCE

K-State heads into the final weekend of the regular season, as it welcomes in-state rival Kansas for the 2021 edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown.
The Wildcats, who are in a three-way tie for fifth in the Big 12 standings with KU and West Virginia, suffered a pair of losses at No. 2 Texas last week.
The Cats enter the final week of the regular season ranked No. 35 in the RPI, as they seek their first postseason bid since the 2016 season.
Against the Longhorns, Aliyah Carter led the K-State offense with 10 kills Thursday before a match-high 12 on Friday.
Carter has reached double-digit kills in all 25 matches this season.
Holly Bonde added 10 kills on Thursday night, hitting a team-high .241.
Carter added six digs in the opener with five more coming in the series finale.
Texas, who ranks third in the nation in hitting percentage, hit .398 and .360, respectively, in the two-match set.
Kadye Fernholz picked up two blocks Thursday and Sydney Bolding added three on Friday.
Libero Mackenzie Morris, K-State's leader in digs and digs per set, registered five digs in each contest.

SCOUTING KANSAS

Kansas (14-11, 6-8 Big 12) enters the weekend as one of three teams in a fifth-place tie in the Big 12 standings (K-State, West Virginia).
The Jayhawks swept their home weekend series with TCU last week, winning in five sets Friday before a four-set victory Saturday.
It marked the first time KU has won consecutive matches since Sept. 25-Oct. 1, a span of 10 matches.
Offensively, the Jayhawks are led by three players with over 200 kills in Jenny Mosser (270), Caroline Bien (264) and Caroline Crawford (201).
KU ranks seventh in the league in kills per set as a team, logging 12.22 per set this season.
On the defensive side, Kansas is tops in the Big 12 with 2.69 blocks per set, led by Rachel Langs at 1.18 per set - good for sixth in the conference.

INSIDE THE SERIES

K-State leads the all-time series, 67-54-1, dating back to 1974.
A season ago, the in-state rivals split two matchups at Horejsi Family Athletics Center in Lawrence.
Four of the last five matchups have been in Lawrence, with the teams each going 2-2 in that span.
K-State has won three of the last five meetings since 2018 after snapping a seven-match skid to KU (2014-17).
Over the last nine meetings in the series, there have been five five-set matches, four four-set contests and zero sweeps.
The last straight-set victory in the Sunflower Showdown was in 2016 by the Jayhawks.
Since 2004, the sides are 17-17 against each other.
At home, the Wildcats are 30-19 against KU.
Head coach Suzie Fritz is 23-17 in her career against KU and 11-8 at home.

POSTSEASON HOPES

K-State eyes its first postseason bid since the 2016 season, when the Cats hosted the first two rounds and reached the Round of 32.
Both K-State (No. 35 in the RPI) and Kansas (No. 39) seek at-large bids into the 2021 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship, as seven Big 12 team finds themselves within the top 50 of the latest RPI poll.
Despite a third-place finish in the competitive Big 12 last season, K-State was the final team left out of the 48-team field, which is reduced from the traditional 64 teams.
The four-year postseason drought marks the longest under head coach Suzie Fritz and just the second time missing the tournament in consecutive seasons (previous long had been two seasons from 2009-10).
Fritz has qualified for 12 NCAA Tournaments in her 20-year career (10-12 record).
In its history, K-State has made the NCAA Tournament 17 times, advancing to a Regional Semifinal three times.

HEY TE

In her first full season as K-State's primary setter, Teana Adams-Kaonohi leads the Big 12 with 1,010 assists and 10.63 assists per set.
Adams-Kaonohi has turned in the first 1,000-assist season for the Cats since Sarah Dixon (1,099) in 2018.
This season, the junior from Honolulu, Hawaii, has set single-match career bests in assists (61), digs (17), kills (7) and blocks (7).
Adams-Kaonohi's 61 assists against Texas Tech on Oct. 27 marking the only 60-assist performance in the Big 12 this season.
She has also turned in six double-doubles this season and now has nine in her career.
A Wildcat has not led the Big 12 in assists since Disney Bronnenberg in 1998.

IT'S A PARTY

K-State has reached double-digit blocks in 13 times this season, including 10 or more blocks in six of its last 10 matches.
K-State put together four consecutive matches with double-figure blocks (Oct. 2-21), marking the Cats' longest stretch of 10-block matches since 2014.
The 13 10-block contests are K-State's highest single-season total since 2016 (15).
On Oct. 21 at TCU, K-State totaled a season-best 16 team blocks with Kadye Fernholz notching a career-best 10.
Fernholz became the second Wildcat this season to reach double-figure blocks, joining Kayley Hollywood (Sept. 18 at Omaha).
Additionally, the Cats have out-blocked their opponents in 18 of 25 matches, going 14-4 in those contests.
Fernholz has registered at least three blocks in 17 of 23 matches in which she has appeared.
Fernholz is one block away from cracking the 100-block milestone, which would make her just the second Wildcat since 2015 to do so.
A Wildcat has reached at least five blocks in a match 34 times this season, led by Fernholz's 11 five-block outings.

KILLER CARTER

Aliyah Carter is one of two players in the Big 12 averaging over 4.00 kills a set at 4.08, trailing only Baylor's Yossiana Pressley (4.52).
Five times Carter has eclipsed the 20-kill plateau, with her fifth coming on Oct. 27 against Texas Tech (21 kills).
Carter has hit over .320 in four of her five 20-kill outings, including a .327 mark when she picked up a season-high 23 against TCU on Oct. 22.
She now has 11 career matches with 20 or more kills, tying her for second in program history during the rally-scoring era.
Entering the season with one double-double, Carter has produced 12 double-doubles in 25 matches this season - with a career-high 20 digs coming against Fresno State (Sept. 11).
She has carded 10 double-doubles over her last 19 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 3.99 digs per set.
Twice she has claimed Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors, earning her second award on Nov. 19 after leading the conference with 4.29 digs per set last week - more than .050 digs a set better than anyone in the league.
She took home her first Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week award on Oct. 19 after leading the league with 5.68 digs per set over two matches against West Virginia.
Her 22 digs in three sets against WVU tied the third-highest total in a three-set match during the rally-scoring era in program history.
With 22 digs in the series finale against the Red Raiders, Morris now has 11 career matches with 20 or more digs, moving her into fourth place in K-State history during the rally-scoring era.
Currently, she is one of two players in program history during the rally-scoring era to have a career average above 4.00 digs per set (4.01).

CARDIAC CATS

This season, the Cats are 4-0 in five-set matches after hanging on to beat TTU in five on Oct. 27 at home.
K-State has gone unbeaten in five-set contests just three times during the Suzie Fritz era (since 2001): 2013 (5-0), 20012 (3-0) and 2003 (5-0).
The Cats have won eight of their last nine and 10 of their last 12 five-set matches, dating back to last season.
In 2020, K-State went to five sets in nine of 21 matches, going 6-3 in those contests.
The Wildcats went 4-0 in five-set matches last season on the road and twice came back from 1-2 deficits.
Since 2017, K-State has played 36 five-set matches, going 19-17.

K-State Heads into Key Final Weekend, Dillons Sunflower Showdown

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Teana Adams-Kaonohi

Sydney Bolding

Holly Bonde

Aliyah Carter

Kadye Fernholz

Kayley Hollywood

Mackenzie Morris

Jacque Smith

Kansas State University Athletics

K-State Heads into Key Final Weekend, Dillons Sunflower Showdown

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Teana Adams-Kaonohi

Sydney Bolding

Holly Bonde

Aliyah Carter

Kadye Fernholz

Kayley Hollywood

Mackenzie Morris

Jacque Smith

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