Cats Set for Home-Opening Weekend at K-State Invitational

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State is set to open its home schedule Thursday night against Ohio, as the Wildcats host the annual K-State Invitational over three days at Bramlage Coliseum.

K-State (3-2) will take on the Bobcats (0-5) Thursday night at 7 p.m. and Loyola Chicago (4-2) on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The Wildcats will conclude the weekend against Fresno State (2-1) Saturday at 11 a.m.

The Cats won two of three matches at the Gaucho Invitational last weekend, defeating host UC Santa Barbara in five sets before a four-set win over San Diego State to finish the weekend. Mackenzie Morris and Haley Warner were voted onto the all-tournament team.

Saturday's match is now free to all fans to attend. With K-State's football home opener against Southern Illinois that day, volleyball fans are advised that football parking priority will be in effect on Saturday and only fans with Ahearn Fund football reserved parking passes will be permitted to park in the east and west lots of the Sports Complex.

A shuttle for volleyball fans will be available from parking lot D-1 west of Memorial Stadium on campus beginning at 9:30 a.m. Pickup is located on the west side of the lot near Sunset Avenue and drop-off is on Kerr Drive on the southeast side of Bramlage Coliseum. Upon arrival, fans utilizing the shuttle should enter Bramlage at the Coliseum's Northeast Entrance.

Tickets for Thursday and Friday are now on sale and available for as little as $3 with a K-State vs. Southern Illinois football ticket. Tickets can be purchased at K-StateSports.com/Tickets are by calling 1-800-221-CATS.

All three matches this weekend will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Rob Voelker will have the call all weekend on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) and at K-StateSports.com/Watch.

MATCH #6
K-STATE (3-2, 0-0 BIG 12) vs. OHIO (0-5, 0-0 MAC)
Thursday, September 9 // 7 p.m. // Bramlage Coliseum // Manhattan, Kan.
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Brian Smoller, Liz Wegner-Busch
Radio: News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Rob Voelker
Listen: K-StateSports.com/watch
Tickets | Live Stats

MATCH #7
K-STATE (3-2, 0-0 BIG 12) vs. LOYOLA CHICAGO (4-2, 0-0 MVC)
Friday, September 10 // 6:30 p.m. // Bramlage Coliseum // Manhattan, Kan.
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Brian Smoller, Liz Wegner-Busch
Listen: K-StateSports.com/watch // Rob Voelker
Tickets | Live Stats

MATCH #8
K-STATE (3-2, 0-0 BIG 12) vs. FRESNO STATE (2-1, 0-0 MWC)
Saturday, September 11 // 11 a.m. // Bramlage Coliseum // Manhattan, Kan.
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Brian Smoller, Liz Wegner-Busch
Radio: News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Rob Voelker
Listen: K-StateSports.com/watch
Live Stats

K-STATE AT A GLANCE

After five matches away from home, K-State is set for its home-opening weekend as it hosts the annual K-State Invitational at Bramlage Coliseum.
Over three days, the Wildcats will take on Ohio, Loyola Chicago and Fresno State.
Last week, the Cats went 2-1 at the Gaucho Invitational, hosted by UC Santa Barbara.
Mackenzie Morris and Haley Warner were voted onto the all-tournament team after helping K-State to wins over UCSB and San Diego State.
Warner hit .479 while averaging 3.67 kills per set, including a season-high 19 kills against the Gauchos.
In the weekend's finale against the Aztecs, Warner needed just 22 swings to register 18 kills, hitting .636.
Morris recorded 20 kills against UCSB before 17 more vs. SDSU.
Morris served up four aces in back-to-back contests, tying her career high.
To open the Gaucho Invitational, K-State fell in straight sets to No. 21 Pepperdine, marking its second straight loss to a top-25 opponent (Nebraska).
Aliyah Carter turned in her second 20-kill performance of the season against the Gauchos, putting down 21 kills at a .386 clip.
Kadye Fernholz tallied 17 total blocks over three matches, averaging 1.42 a set.
Fernholz, a middle blocker, produced a .444 efficiency for the weekend and set season highs with 11 kills and seven blocks against Pepperdine.

SCOUTING THE FIELD

At the K-State Invitational, the Wildcats will open with Ohio on Thursday before facing Loyola Chicago and closing the weekend with Fresno State on Saturday,
Ohio (0-5) has gone winless to begin the season, going five sets against Northern Kentucky and Illinois State.
The Bobcats are led by Caroline Clippard's 3.32 kills per set and Maggie Nedoma's 3.26 kills a set.
Libero Sam Steele is producing 4.37 digs per set while Nedoma has a team-high eight service aces.
Loyola Chicago (4-2) has won its last three contests, going 3-0 at its home tournament against Eastern Kentucky, SIU Edwardsville and Xavier.
Libero Grace Hinchman was named Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week after she averaged 5.42 digs per set.
Hinchman totaled 29 digs in a five-set win over Xavier and 17 vs. EKU and 19 vs. SIU Edwardsville.
Offensively, Taylor Venuto paces the Ramblers with 70 kills (3.04 per set) while hitting .398.
Fresno State (2-1) opened its season last weekend at the Fresno State Invitational, picking up victories over CSUN and UC Riverside.
Desiree Sukhov put up 3.58 kills per set and Grace Doyle is hitting a team-high .439 with 2.75 kills per set.
Doyle also has a team-best 18 blocks (1.50 per set) and libero Ella Rud leads the team with her 2.42 digs pe set.

INSIDE THE SERIES

K-State and Ohio will meet for the fourth time, as the Wildcats have won two of three meetings.
K-State last faced the Bobcats in 2019, falling in five sets in Denton, Texas.
The Cats are also 2-1 against Loyola Chicago.
The Ramblers make their first trip to Manhattan since 2016.
K-State has won both matchups with Fresno State, last meeting in 2007 in Manhattan.
In her career, head coach Suzie Fritz is 1-1 against the Bobcats, 1-0 against Loyola and 2-0 against Fresno State.

IT'S A PARTY

K-State has reached double-digit blocks in four of five matches to begin the year.
Additionally, the Cats have out-blocked each of their five opponents this season.
Kadye Fernholz has a team-high 27 total blocks - 10 more than any other Wildcat - and her 1.35 blocks per set rank fifth in the Big 12.
Fernholz has registered at least four blocks in all five contests, with a season-high seven coming against Pepperdine.
Fernholz has led the team in blocks in three of five matches.
A Wildcat has reached at least five blocks in a match seven times, led by Fernholz's four five-block outings.
Teana Adams-Kaonohi, Kayley Hollywood and Haley Warner are all tied for second with 17 total blocks apiece and have produced a five-block match.

HALEY'S ROCKET

Haley Warner, in her first season at K-State after transferring from Florida, ranks second in the Big 12 with her .459 hitting percentage and ranks 10th with 3.25 kills per set.
She registered a career-high 19 kills at UC Santa Barbara before 18 more against San Diego State.
Warner produced her 18 kills on just 22 swings against the Aztecs, turning in a season-best .636 hitting percentage.
She has hit .300 or better in four of five contests and hit north of .450 three times.
In three seasons at Florida, the opposite's career high was nine kills.
In five matches as a Wildcat, Warner has reached double-figure kills four times.

RECORD PACE

In just 26 career matches, Aliyah Carter has accumulated 403 kills, tying her with Natalya Korbkova as the fastest Wildcats to 400 career kills during the rally-scoring era (since 2001).
Natalya Korbkova, who was a junior transfer and played during the 2007-08 seasons, is also the fastest to 500 career kills at just 32 matches.
Carter's 26 matches to 400 kills broke the previous best by a freshman, which was held by Kylee Zumach's 30 matches to reach 400 career kills.
Carter's eight matches with at least 20 kills are fifth-most during the rally-scoring era, as she is more than halfway to Kaitlynn Pelger's record of 15 20-kill performances.

KILLER CARTER

Aliyah Carter has picked up right where she left off after her freshman-of-the-year campaign.
Through two weekends, Carter has twice eclipsed the 20-kill plateau as she turned in 21 kills against Colgate and at UC Santa Barbara.
Her 3.90 kills per set lead the team and rank third in the Big 12.
Entering the season with one double-double, Carter produced back-to-back double-doubles to begin the season - with a career-high 16 digs coming against the Huskers.
With her 21 kills against the Gauchos, she has now reached the 20-kill mark eight times in her career, which places her fifth in program history during the rally-scoring era.
In both times of her 20-kill performances this season have come with a hitting percentage of at least .320 (.324 and .386).

MACK ATTACK

Mackenzie Morris, who has played every set in her career as the Wildcat libero, if fifth in the Big 12 with her 3.80 digs per set and sixth at 0.50 aces a set.
Morris served up four aces in back-to-back contests against UCSB and San Diego State, equaling her career high.
Against the Gauchos, Morris carded 20 digs - her seventh career outing with 20 or more digs.
Her seven 20-dig performances rank fifth in program history during the rally-scoring era.

Cats Set for Home-Opening Weekend at K-State Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Teana Adams-Kaonohi

Aliyah Carter

Kadye Fernholz

Kayley Hollywood

Mackenzie Morris

Haley Warner

Kansas State University Athletics

Cats Set for Home-Opening Weekend at K-State Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Teana Adams-Kaonohi

Aliyah Carter

Kadye Fernholz

Kayley Hollywood

Mackenzie Morris

Haley Warner

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