K-State Opens Spring Season vs. Texas State Thursday

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Following a third-place finish in the Big 12 during the traditional fall season, K-State opens its spring volleyball campaign at Bramlage Coliseum Thursday, as the Wildcats host Sun Belt Conference champion Texas State at 6 p.m.

K-State (10-6, 10-6 Big 12), seeking a bid to the 2020-21 NCAA Tournament, earned its best conference finish since the 2008 season. The Bobcats (26-3, 15-1 Sun Belt) have already punched their ticket to the postseason after clinching the Sun Belt Conference tournament title in the fall.

Freshman Aliyah Carter, a two-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week winner, paced the Cats with 228 kills (3.74 per set) while Brynn Carlson added 143 (2.80 per set). Freshman libero Mackenzie Morris was the team's leader in both digs (256) and aces (22), ranking fourth in the Big 12 in digs per set at 3.82.

The Wildcats reached a ranking as high as No. 10 during the fall portion of the schedule and look to boost their resume ahead of the 48-team tournament field to be announced April 4. The entire NCAA Volleyball Championship will be held at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska, from April 13-24.

Thursday's match will be free for fans to attend, with a capacity limitation of 15 percent at Bramlage Coliseum.

The match 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 #17
K-STATE (10-6, 10-6 BIG 12) vs. TEXAS STATE (26-3, 15-1 SUN BELT)
Thursday, March 4 // 6 p.m. // Bramlage Coliseum // Manhattan, Kan.
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // ESPN app
Radio: 1350 KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // 1350kman.com
Listen: K-StateSports.com/watch
Live Stats

K-STATE AT A GLANCE

K-State begins the 2021 spring portion of its schedule with a home series against Texas State.
It marks the first-ever meeting between the Wildcats and Bobcats.
The Wildcats earned a third-place finish in the Big 12 after going 10-6 during league play during the fall.
K-State reached a national ranking as high as No. 10 and was ranked for seven straight weeks to end the fall.
The Cats will play seven non-conference matches in the spring with hopes of qualifying for the 48-team NCAA Tournament.
Freshman Aliyah Carter paced the K-State offense with 228 kills (3.74 per set) in the fall.
Brynn Carlson added 143 kills (2.80 per set).
Freshman Mackenzie Morris led the Cats with 256 digs (3.852 per set), playing every set at libero.
K-State's 10 conference wins were most since the 2008 season (14) while earning its first top-three league finish since 2008.

SCOUTING TEXAS STATE

The Bobcats (26-3) went 24-2 with a 15-1 Sun Belt record during the fall season, including claiming the Sun Belt Conference tournament title over Coastal Carolina.
In the spring portion of its schedule, Texas State is 2-1 after a three-set win over TCU last Saturday.
The Bobcats earned the Sun Belt's automatic postseason bid after winning four straight matches at the Sun Belt Conference Championship.
Texas State won 21 of its last 22 fall matches.
The Bobcats offense was led by Janell Fitzgerald, who averages 3.70 kills per set at a .343 clip.
Fitzgerald, Emily DeWalt and Tyeranee Scott were each first-team All-Sun Belt selections.
DeWalt was tabbed the league's Setter of the Year and Lauren Teske was named All-Sun Belt Second Team.
Texas State ended the fall campaign ranked No. 11 in the AVCA Coaches Top-15 Fall Poll and received votes in six of the first seven polls during the spring.

INSIDE THE SERIES

Thursday's matchup will be the first-ever meeting between K-State and Texas State.
Head coach Suzie Fritz is 2-0 in her career against teams from the Sun Belt.
As a program, the Wildcats are 8-1 vs. the Sun Belt Conference, with a 4-0 home record.

CHECKING IN

K-State was ranked in the AVCA Fall Coaches' Poll for seven consecutive weeks, finishing as the 10th-ranked team.
It was the first time K-State had been in the nation's top 10 since the 2003 season.
K-State cracked the poll on Oct. 7 and was ranked for seven straight weeks for the first time since 2012 (14 straight).
This season marked 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.
The Cats are 235-109 (.683) all-time as a ranked team.
The fall poll, which only ranked the four conferences playing in the fall, ranked the top 15 teams during the fall season.
K-State received votes in six of the seven AVCA Top-25 polls released this spring.

POSTSEASON HOPES

With a third-place finish in the competitive Big 12, K-State seeks a big into the 2020-21 NCAA Tournament.
The 48-team field, which is reduced from the traditional 64 teams, will include 30 automatic qualifiers and 18 at-large berths.
The field will be announced April 4 and will be played April 13-24 at Chi Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
K-State eyes its first postseason bid since the 2016, when the Cats hosted the first two rounds and reached the Round of 32.
Fritz has qualified for 12 NCAA Tournaments in her 20-year career (10-12 record).

HOT FINISH

K-State won seven of its last 10 matches to end the fall campaign.
The Wildcats put together a season-best five-match winning streak before dropped two matches at No. 3 Baylor.
The five-match streak was the Cats' longest conference winning streak since 2015 when they won six straight.
Over the last eight matches, K-State is limiting its opponents to a .167 hitting percentage while the offense is hitting .251 with 12.52 kills per set.
Opponents have hit north of .200 just twice over the stretch while the Cats have held opponents under .175 six times.
K-State owns a 413-345 edge in total kills over the last eight matches.
Carter paces the Wildcat offense with 4.07 kills per set over the last eight matches while Kadye Fernholz is hitting a team-best .328.
Morris has served up 15 aces and racked up 126 digs (3.82 per set) over the last eight matches.

ROAD WARRIORS

The Cats are 5-1 away from home this season and have won their last three road contests.
The five road victories equal the most since 2014 and is the team's highest total since the Big 12 moved to a 16-match schedule.
Jayden Nembhard and Aliyah Carter, both freshmen, lead the way with 82 and 80 kills, respectively, on the road.
Carter averages 3.64 per set while Nembhard accounts for 3.57 per set.
The K-State defense is holding opponents to a .195 efficiency on the road.
The Wildcats are 4-0 in five-set matches on the road and have played 27 out of a possible 30 sets.

DEFENSIVE CATS

As a team, K-State ranks third in the Big 12 in both opponent hitting percentage (.209) and digs per set (14.33).
K-State has held its opponents under a .201 hitting efficiency in seven of the last 10 matches.
The Cats held TCU under .185 in both matchups, including .088 in a straight-set win in the series opener.
The Wildcats held opponents under .230 in 12 of 16 outings during the fall.
During its five-match winning streak (Oct. 30-Nov. 14), opponents hit just .165 vs. K-State.
Abigail Archibong ranks fifth in the league with 1.09 blocks per set while Mackenzie Morris' 3.82 digs per set also ranks fifth.

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Players Mentioned

Abigail Archibong

Brynn Carlson

Aliyah Carter

Kadye Fernholz

Mackenzie Morris

Jayden Nembhard

Kansas State University Athletics