K-State Hosts TCU on Saturday

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State plays host to TCU at Bramlage Coliseum for a Saturday-night showdown in Manhattan, Kansas. The Big 12 teams face off at 6:30 p.m.

The Wildcats (11-7, 2-3 Big 12) are coming off a straight-set defeat at #1 Texas on Wednesday night.

In the match, junior middle blocker Kayde Fernholz led the Cats for the first time this season with eight kills at a .333 clip. Senior setter Loren Hinkle was one dig shy of her second double-double for the season (24 assists, nine digs).

TCU (8-9, 3-3 Big 12), took a hard 0-3 loss on Wednesday at Kansas. TCU is 0-4 on the road for the year and enters Saturday one place ahead of K-State in the Big 12 conference standings.

The Wildcats lead the all-time series 13-7, which began when TCU joined the Big 12 in 2012. The Cats are 8-2 at home against the Horned Frogs while head coach Suzie Fritz is 13-7 in her career against TCU.

Saturday's match will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Fans can also listen to Rob Voelker on News Radio KMAN (93.3FM) with online audio available at K-StateSports.com/watch and the K-State Sports app.

MATCH #19
K-STATE (11-7, 2-3 BIG 12) vs TCU (8-9, 3-3 BIG 12)
Saturday, Oct. 15 // 6:30 p.m. // Bramlage Coliseum // Manhattan, Kansas
Watch: Big 12 Now 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 hosts TCU at Bramlage Coliseum for a Saturday-night showdown in Manhattan, Kansas.
The Wildcats are coming off a straight-set defeat at No. 1 Texas on Wednesday night.
Against the Longhorns, Kayde Fernholz led the Wildcats for the first time this season with eight kills (.333).
Sydney Bolding produced the highest hitting percentage for the Cats at .417 (six kills).
At UT, Loren Hinkle was one dig short of her second double-double (24 assists, nine digs).
Bolding and Molly Ramsey each tallied a service ace.
K-State tallied season-lows in kills (29) and blocks (4) against Texas.
Morris has turned in at least 15 digs in five of the last six matches and holds sole possession of third place in K-State history with 17 20-dig matches in her career (rally-scoring era).
The three-set loss was just the second of the season (also at Texas Tech on Sept. 28).
The Wildcats have not lost in straight sets at home this season.
Fernholz led both teams with six blocks Sunday, earning at least five blocks in five of her last seven matches.
K-State sits fourth in the Big 12 with 174.5 blocks and third with a 2.64 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 TCU

TCU (8-9, 3-3 Big 12) enters Saturday one place ahead of K-State in the Big 12 standings
The Horned Frogs were swept by KU on Wednesday in Lawrence.
TCU is 0-4 on the road and also dropped to #1 Texas (Oct. 5) and #14 Baylor (Sept. 21).
TCU's three conference wins were all at home against Iowa State (3-1), West Virginia (3-2), and Texas Tech (3-1).
Audrey Nalls spearheads the Horned Frogs' offense with 3.65 kills per set (237) and 4.02 points per set (261.5).
The senior also leads the team with four double-doubles this season.
Nalls and Julia Adams rank sixth and eighth in the Big 12 with 3.65 and 3.52 kills per set.
Callie Williams' 8.58 assists per set tops the TCU offense while coming in at seventh in the Big 12.
Williams leads the Horned Frogs with 15 service aces and 144 digs.
Sarah Sylvester posts a 1.14 block average to sit sixth in the conference and lead the Horned Frogs.
TCU ranks eighth in the conference with a team .211 hitting percentage (861 kills).
Their opponent's hitting percentage is the highest in the Big 12 at .227.
TCU has collected 13.05 kills per set, ranking fourth in the conference.

INSIDE THE SERIES

K-State leads the all-time series 13-7, which began when TCU joined the Big 12 in 2012.
The Wildcats are 8-2 at home against the Horned Frogs, with the last victory coming in 2020 (3-2).
The two teams split the series in 2021 where TCU took a 3-1 home win (10/21/21).
K-State's last win against the Horned Frogs came last season on a road sweep (10/22/21).
TCU's last win in Manhattan, Kansas, was in 2018 (3-1).
Head coach Suzie Fritz is 13-7 in her career against TCU.

MORRIS' MILESTONE

With her 20 digs Saturday 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 has now produced three straight 20-dig outings - the longest such stretch of her career.
Morris has carded at least 15 digs in six of her last seven matches.
The junior was held to her lowest output against the Longhorns with six digs.
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 4.52 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).

ACE ACE BABY

After 2 aces against Texas Wednesday, K-State has racked up 121 service aces, ranking first in the Big 12 and tied for 38th nationally.
Additionally, the team's 1.83 aces-per-set average is 34th nationally and best in the conference.
Sydney Bolding, with one ace against the Longhorns, has taken over as the team leader with 28 aces.
Bolding has seven matches with multiple aces and has equaled her career high of four aces three times this season.
The senior has at least one ace in the last five matches to help her sit fourth in the Big 12 ranks with a 0.44 average.
Elena Baka is second on the team and sixth 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.

BAKA BREAKS THROUGH

Senior transfer Elena Baka has had an immediate impact through 18 matches with the Wildcats.
Playing six rotations, Baka leads the team in total kills with 182 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 sixth-most in the Big 12, as she has served up multiple aces eight times - including in each of K-State's first five contests.

BOLD BOLDING

Senior middle blocker Sydney Bolding is off to a fast start for K-State in 2022, averaging 2.02 kills per set with 1.27 blocks per set and 28 aces.
The senior's hitting .332 hitting percentage tops the Wildcats for the season.
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 28 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 eight times, including a career-best .588 at Rice.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

K-State has won the opening set in 13 of 18 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.
The Wildcats' 3-0 over Kansas City marked the 200th sweep under head coach Suzie Fritz.
Fritz collected her 200th career home win against Missouri on Sept. 7 and is 13 away from her 400th career win at the helm of the Wildcats.

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Players Mentioned

Sydney Bolding

Mackenzie Morris

Molly Ramsey

Kansas State University Athletics