Wildcats Face Road Test at Top-Ranked Texas

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Coming off back-to-back Big 12 wins, K-State makes the journey to Austin, Texas, to take on the No. 1 Texas Longhorns Wednesday at Gregory Coliseum at 7 p.m. CT.

K-State (11-6, 2-2 Big 12) collected the first conference road win at West Virginia last Wednesday, sweeping the Mountaineers 3-0.

Elena Baka paced the Wildcats with a match-high .444 hitting percentage with nine total kills. Sydney Bolding and Haley Warner each added seven at a .267 and .333 pace respectively. The Cats as a team outpaced WVU .204 to .084 and notched ten total blocks.

Texas (12-0, 4-0 Big 12) is looking to continue its undefeated season and fifth straight Big 12 win on Wednesday. They swept TCU at home last Wednesday.

The Longhorns own a 47-7 lead in the all-time series, which started in the 1981 season. The Cats are 3-24 all-time in Austin with the last road win coming in 2001 on a 3-1 victory.

The match will be broadcast on the Longhorn Network on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Fans can also tune in to Rob Voelker's call on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM), online at K-StateSports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app.

MATCH #18
K-STATE (11-6, 2-2 BIG 12) at TEXAS (12-0, 4-0 BIG 12)
Wednesday, Oct. 12 // 7 p.m. CT // Gregory Gymnasium // Austin, Texas
Watch: Longhorn Network on ESPN+ // ESPN app
Radio: News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM) // Rob Voelker
Listen: K-StateSports.com/watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats

K-STATE AT A GLANCE

K-State makes the trip to Austin, Texas, for a Wednesday-night tilt against the No. 1 Longhorns at Gregory Coliseum.
The Wildcats are coming off back-to-back Big 12 wins after sweeping Iowa State and West Virginia.
Against the Mountaineers, Elena Baka logged a match-high .444 hitting percentage with nine total kills.
Sydney Bolding and Haley Warner each collected seven kills versus WVU.
Warner hummed at a .333 pace while Bolding hit at a .267 percentage.
K-State finished the match with 10 blocks for its ninth aces outing with at least 10 blocks this season.
Bolding, Molly Ramsey, Mackenzie Morris each tallied an ace last Wednesday.
Loren Hinkle posted a match-high 32 assists, but could not up her career aces total, keeping her at 96.
Morris carded a match-leading 17 digs, tallying 10+ digs in 16 matches this season.
Morris has turned in at least 15 digs in her last six matches and moved into sole possession of third place in K-State history with 17 20-dig matches in her career (rally-scoring era).
Fernholz led both teams with six blocks Sunday, earning at least five blocks in five of her last seven matches
K-State sits third in the Big 12 with 170.5 blocks and a 2.71 per set average.
The eight three-set wins tie the most by the Wildcats since eight during the 2018 season.
Against Iowa State, Myers averaged 4.50 kills per set and was tabbed Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Oct. 04.
It marked the first honor of Myers' career and the first conference weekly award by any Wildcat this season.

SCOUTING TEXAS

Texas (12-0, 4-0 Big 12) enters Wednesday as the only undefeated Big 12 team.
The Longhorns swept TCU one week ago in Austin.
UT is 7-0 at home with an 2-0 record during league play, also defeating Oklahoma on Sept. 24.
Texas' lone five-set match thus far in the season was at Kansas where the team pulled off the reverse sweep.
Logan Eggleston spearheads the Longhorn offense with 4.57 kills per set (169 total kills) and 5.35 points per set (198 total points) which leads the Big 12 in both categories.
Eggleson was tabbed Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and AVCA National Player of the Week on Sept. 6.
Madisen Skinner is next at 127 total kills (3.63 per set) and sits sixth in the conference.
Asjia O'Neal is second in the Big 12 with a .441 hitting pace while claiming ninth in the conference with 1.09 blocks per set.
UT's offense has a team efficiency of .322, which ranks first in the Big 12.
Texas also ranks first in assists (13.61 per set) and kills (14.32 per set).

INSIDE THE SERIES

Texas leads the all-time series 47-7, which began on Oct. 9, 1981.
The Wildcats are 3-24 in Austin, banking the last win in 2001 (3-1).
Texas brought wins in the series a year ago, taking sweeps in Austin as the No. 2 ranked team
K-Stat's last win against the Longhorns came in 2003 when the Wildcats banged out a five-set victory at home
Head coach Suzie Fritz is 3-39 in her career against Texas and 28-127 versus ranked teams

MORRIS' MILESTONE

With her 20 digs on Sept. 24 against Kansas, K-State junior libero Mackenzie Morris joined the 1,000-digs club.
She became the seventh Wildcat to play her entire career in the rally-scoring era to reach career dig No. 1,000.
Additionally, Morris is the fastest player in program history (rally-scoring era) to reach the milestone, doing so in just 63 matches.
Earlier this season, Morris set a career-high with 25 digs against UCF and produced three straight 20-dig outings from Sept. 16-24 - the longest such stretch of her career.
After 17 digs Wednesday against West Virginia, Morris has carded at least 15 digs in her last six matches.
Her 22 digs against Iowa State equaled the highest total in a three-set match in the Big 12 this season (Zoe Fleck, Texas).
The Dallas native now owns 17 career matches with at least 20 digs, as she now has sole possession of third place in program history.
At 4.13 digs per set, she is currently one of just two players in the rally-scoring era to average over 4.00 digs per set (Angie Lastra, 4.37).
Morris is one of just four active players in the Big 12 with at least 1,000 career digs (third among active Big 12 athletes).

ACES IN SPADES

After 3 aces against West Virginia Wednesday, K-State has racked up 119 service aces, ranking first in the Big 12 and tied for 32nd nationally.
Additionally, the team's 1.89 aces-per-set average is 21st nationally and best in the conference.
Sydney Bolding, with one ace against the Mountaineers, has taken over as the team leader with 27 aces.
Bolding has seven matches with multiple aces and has equaled her career high of four aces three times this season.
Elena Baka is second on the team and fourth in the league with 24 aces while Loren Hinkle is ninth at 17 aces.
Six times the Cats have eclipsed the 10-ace mark, including in back-to-back matches at the UCF Challenge with 11 against Syracuse and a season-high 12 vs. North Florida.
The 12 aces were the most in a three-set match since the 2007 season and were tied for fourth-most in the rally-scoring era.
It was the first time K-State produced back-to-back matches with at least 10 aces since 2007.
Last season, K-State finished with 10 or more aces just twice.
Additionally, the six matches with 10 or more aces are the most since a rally-scoring-record seven matches in 2007.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT

Senior transfer Elena Baka has had an immediate impact through 17 matches with the Wildcats.
Playing six rotations, Baka leads the team in total kills with 179 to go with 24 aces.
The Saint Mary's transfer set a career-high with 19 kills against UCF on the way to her second straight all-tournament team selection.
Baka has led K-State in kills six times this season and finished as the team leader in digs twice.
She has a team-leading six double-doubles on the season and has turned in a double-double in three of her last six matches.
Her 24 aces are fourth-most in the Big 12, as she has served up multiple aces eight times - including in each of K-State's first five contests.

BOLDING BREAKING OUT

Senior middle blocker Sydney Bolding is off to a fast start for K-State in 2022, hitting .329 and averaging 2.02 kills per set with 1.27 blocks per set and 27 aces.
Bolding three times has produced four aces this season, including in K-State's conference match against Iowa State and four coming in the first set alone against St. Thomas.
The four aces matched a career high, as she has seven matches with multiple aces this season (two such matches last season).
Her 27 aces are the most by a Wildcat middle blocker since Zsofia Gyimes' 31 in 2018.
The record for a K-State middle blocker in the rally-scoring era is 37 aces, done by Lauren Goehring (2001) and Kaitlynn Pelger (2013).
She was named to the Rambler Challenge All-Tournament Team, her second all-tournament team selection after also being voted to the K-State Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Bolding, who missed the first three weeks of the 2021 season due to injury, turned in a season-high eight blocks against Kansas City.
The Pickens, South Carolina, product has eclipsed double-figure kills six times this season and has hit .350 or better seven times, including a career-best .588 at Rice.

DEFENSIVE CATS

The Wildcats have limited their opponents to a combined .174 hitting percentage on the season - third-best in the Big 12 - and have held opponents under a .200 efficiency in nine of 17 contests.
KU's .278 team efficiency on Sept. 24 is the high mark for any K-State opponent this season.
In the season's opening weekend, K-State held its opponents to a combined .049 hitting percentage.
The Cats held Florida A&M to a -.041 team efficiency, as they forced the Rattlers into 21 errors while allowing only 18 kills.
Behind 17.5 blocks, the Wildcats held NC State to a .058 team efficiency, as the block total tied for fourth-most in program history during a four-set match during the rally-scoring era.
The 17.5 blocks also surpassed K-State's season high from last season, while five players turned in at least four blocks against the Wolfpack.
The Cats have turned in 10 or more blocks in eight of the last 11 matches, including four straight from Sept. 14-24.
The four-match span of 10+ block outings equal last season's longest stretch.

SAY HEY, SHAY

K-State freshman Shaylee Myers has made the most of her opportunities this season, hitting .304 while averaging a team-best 3.87 kills per set.
Nine times she has eclipsed double-figure kills, with a season-high 23 coming in a five-set win over Missouri on Sept. 7.
The 23 kills are the highest single-match total of any Wildcat this season.
Myers produced her first career double-double at Rice on Sept. 16, logging 17 kills and 10 digs.
She has led or tied for the team lead in kills six times, including four of the last eight matches.
Twelve times a Wildcat has reached 15 or more kills, with Myers owning five of those outings.

SEPTEMBER SWOON

K-State was an even .500 in the month of September (6-6) after suffering a fourth straight loss last Wednesday at Texas Tech.
During the season-long four-match skid, the Wildcats faced three teams either ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA coaches' poll.
In that stretch, K-State's offense hit .179 while opponents turned in a .251 team efficiency.
Over the season's first 11 contests (9-2), the Cats produced a .230 team efficiency while limiting teams to a .143 mark.
Sydney Bolding's .289 clip led the team over the last four matches while Shaylee Myers averaged 3.50 kills a set.
In the month of September, K-State hit .196 as a team while opponents were at .200.

NEW POSITION, WHO DIS?

K-State senior Loren Hinkle made the switch from defensive specialist to setter ahead of the 2022 season.
She earned the start in each of the Wildcats' first seven matches and has started 16 of the team's 17 contests, handing out 544 assists (9.71 per set).
Hinkle set a career high against KU with 57 assists, logging her third straight double-double with 10 digs.
She produced her first-career double-double against Mizzou on Sept. 7 with 41 assists and 10 digs.
Hinkle is now second on the team with four double-doubles this season.
In addition to setting career-high assist totals, Hinkle has also tallied 37 total blocks, including six against the Jayhawks - matching her career high.
The Shawnee, Kansas, native continues to be a force from the service line, as she has accumulated 97 career aces.
With four more aces, Hinkle will become just the sixth player in program history to join the 100-ace club during the rally-scoring era (since 2001).

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

K-State has won the opening set in 13 of 17 outings to begin the campaign, going 10-3 in those matches.
The Wildcats are unbeaten (9-0) when hitting at a higher hitting percentage and are 9-1 when producing more kills than their opponents.
Additionally, the Cats have won all nine matches in which they have limited their opponents to a hitting efficiency under .200.
With eight straight-set victories this season, K-State has more than doubled its total from last season (3) and are tied for the most since eight sweeps in 2018.
The Wildcats' 3-0 over Kansas City marked the 200th sweep under Fritz.
Fritz collected her 200th career home win against Missouri on Sept. 7.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Elena Baka

Sydney Bolding

Loren Hinkle

Mackenzie Morris

Shaylee Myers

Molly Ramsey

Haley Warner

Kansas State University Athletics