K-State Geared Up for NCAA Tournament

Friday, December 3

Lincoln, Neb.

4:30 PM

Kansas State University

Florida State

Buy Tickets

Dec 01, 2021 | Volleyball

Watch (ESPN+)Listen Live Stats Coach Fritz's Media Availability Match Notes (PDF)

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State is set for its first postseason appearance since 2016, as the Wildcats will take on Florida State Friday at 4:30 p.m. in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship at Devaney Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.

K-State (15-12, 6-10 Big 12) earned its 18^th all-time bid into the NCAA Tournament and 13^th under 21-year head coach Suzie Fritz. The Wildcats are 15-17 in their history in the postseason and have advanced to a Regional Semifinal (Sweet 16) on three occasions.

The Wildcats and Seminoles (19-9, 11-7 ACC) will meet for just the fourth time and the first time since 2010. K-State owns a 2-1 edge in the series history while Friday's matchup will be the initial postseason matchup.

The winner of Friday's tilt will take on the winner of No. 10 Nebraska and Campbell on Saturday at 7 p.m. K-State is 1-1 against the Cornhuskers all-time in the NCAA Tournament while it has never faced Campbell.

Earlier this week, sophomore outside hitter Aliyah Carter was a unanimous selection onto the 2021 All-Big 12 First Team, becoming the program's first unanimous first-team all-conference pick as both a freshman and a sophomore. The 5-foot-9 product of Dubuque, Iowa, ranks second in the Big 12 in kills per set at 4.06 and her 422 kills are the most by a Wildcat since 2011.

Friday's match can be seen on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Rob Voelker will have the call on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) with live, streaming audio available at K-StateSports.com/Watch.

MATCH #28 // NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND
K-STATE (15-12, 6-10 BIG 12) vs. FLORIDA STATE (19-9, 11-7 ACC)
Friday, December 3 // 4:30 p.m. // Devaney Center // Lincoln, Neb.
Watch: ESPN+ // Larry Punteney (play by play), Kathi Wieskamp (analyst)
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 is geared up for its first postseason appearance since the 2016 season, as the Wildcats take on Florida State Friday in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship.
The Wildcats were one of seven Big 12 teams to receive a bid into this year's 64-team field.
The bid marks the 18th in program history and the 13th under head coach Suzie Fritz, who is in her 21st year at the helm.
The Cats ended the regular season by dropping a pair of matches at Bramlage Coliseum to rival KU in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown.
After a four-set defeat last Friday, the Jayhawks overcame K-State's two-set lead to clinch the finale in five sets.
Aliyah Carter, who was named a unanimous All-Big 12 First Team selection on Tuesday, led the Cats in kills in both contests, putting up 16 Friday before 18 on Saturday.
Carter turned in her team-leading 13th double-double Saturday, adding 15 digs.
Libero Mackenzie Morris, K-State's leader in digs and digs per set, registered 20 digs Saturday for her sixth 20-dig outing this season.
The pair of losses extended K-State's losing skid to four matches, its longest streak of the season.

SCOUTING FLORIDA STATE

Florida State (19-9, 11-7 ACC) earned a fifth-place finish in the ACC standings
The Seminoles closed the regular season with three consecutive home losses to Miami, Notre Dame and No. 14 Georgia Tech.
Five players earned All-ACC accolades, led by first-team pick Emma Clothier.
Clothier, a junior middle blocker, collected her second straight All-ACC First Team honor after leading FSU in kills (27), hitting percentage (.327), aces (32) and points (352).
Junior outside hitter Morgan Chacon was tabbed second-team All-ACC honors while Emery Dupes, Audrey Koenig and Khori Louis all earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team.
As a team, FSU led the ACC with 15.80digs per set and was third in aces per set at 1.48.
Florida State has qualified for 11 of the last 12 NCAA Tournaments, with the 2020 limited field being the only time missed in that span.

INSIDE THE SERIES

K-State and Florida State have met just three times previously, with the Wildcats owning a 2-1 series edge.
The Cats and Seminoles last met in 2010, as FSU claimed a five-set victory.
K-State picked up straight-set victories in 2003 and 2005.
Friday's meeting will be the first in postseason play.
The Wildcats are 1-0 against teams from the ACC in the NCAA Tournament, as they defeated Louisville in 1999 in the opening round (3-0).
Head coach Suzie Fritz is 2-1 in her career against FSU and 10-8 against teams from the ACC.

POSTSEASON NOTES

K-State earned its first postseason bid since the 2016 season, when the Cats hosted the first two rounds as the No. 14 national seed and reached the Round of 32.
During Sunday's NCAA Selection Show, K-State was revealed as one of the last four teams into the 64-team bracket.
The Wildcats were the last team left out of a limited field of 48 a season ago (coronavirus pandemic) and were among the last four teams out in 2018.
The bid snapped the longest postseason drought under head coach Suzie Fritz (previous long had been two seasons from 2009-10).
Fritz has now qualified for 13 NCAA Tournaments in her 21-year career and she has a 10-12 postseason record.
In its history, K-State has made the NCAA Tournament 18 times, advancing to a Regional Semifinal three times.
K-State is 12-5 in the tournament's opening round.
The Wildcats have now been sent to Lincoln, Neb. for their first-round contest five times (all since 2011).
During the regular season, K-State went 5-10 against teams in this year's postseason field.

HEY TE

In her first full season as K-State's primary setter, Teana Adams-Kaonohi leads the Big 12 with 1,095 assists and 10.53 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 seven double-doubles this season and now has 10 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 14 times this season, including 10 or more blocks in seven of its last 12 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 14 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 27 matches, going 14-4 in those contests.
Fernholz has registered at least three blocks in 18 of 25 matches in which she has appeared.
Fernholz finished the regular season with 106 total blocks, making her the second Wildcat to eclipse the 100-block mark since 2015.
A Wildcat has turned in at least five blocks in a match 36 times this season, led by Fernholz's 12 five-block outings.

KILLER CARTER

Aliyah Carter is one of two players in the Big 12 averaging over 4.00 kills a set at 4.06, trailing only Baylor's Yossiana Pressley (4.48).
On Tuesday, Carter earned his second straight unanimous All-Big 12 First Team selection.
The 2020 Big 12 and AVCA Midwest Region Freshman of the Year became the first Wildcat to earn unanimous first-team honors as both a freshman and a sophomore.
Additionally, she is just the second player in program history to earn back-to-back unanimous first-team accolades, joining Kaitlynn Pelger (2012-13).
Her 422 kills this season are the most in a single season since Pelger's 500 in 2011.
Carter's current career average of 4.08 kills per set ranks first in K-State history during the rally-scoring era and second overall.
She is the first Wildcat during the rally-scoring era to turn in two seasons with over 4.00 kills per set.
Five times Carter has eclipsed the 20-kill plateau, with her fifth coming on Oct. 27 against Texas Tech (21 kills).
She now has 11 career matches with 20 or more kills, tying her for second in program history during the rally-scoring era.

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 20 digs in the series finale against Kansas, Morris now has 12 career matches with 20 or more digs (fourth most 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).