Wildcats Host #2 Longhorns Friday

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State kicks off the second half of Big 12 conference play with a match-up with #2 Texas on Friday night at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats and the Longhorns take flight at 6:30 p.m.

K-State (12-9, 3-5 Big 12) took the first set from #14 Baylor on Saturday night and was step-in-step with the Bears. Ultimately, BU took the match 3-1 at Bramlage Coliseum.

Senior Elena Baka donned a career-best 20 kills to lead the Cats and posted her eighth double-double of the season (13 digs). Setter Loren Hinkle collected her 100th career ace in the match and added 50 assists.

Middle blocker Sydney Bolding boasted a season-best nine blocks (one solo, eight assists) while libero Mackenzie Morris led both teams with 18 digs.

Texas (16-1, 8-1 Big 12) fell to #2 in this week's AVCA poll after losing to unranked Iowa State on Oct. 19. The Longhorns are coming off a straight-set victory over Texas Tech on Wednesday. UT is 6-1 on the road this season, including a 3-1 slate in Big 12 matches.

The Longhorns lead the all-time series 48-7 after taking the first match in the 2022 series, 3-0 at home. Head coach Suzie Fritz is 3-40 in her career against Texas and 28-129 versus ranked teams.

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 #22
K-STATE (12-9, 3-5 BIG 12) vs #2 TEXAS (16-2, 8-1 BIG 12)
Friday, Oct. 28 // 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 and Texas meet for the second time this season and the first time at Bramlage Coliseum.
The Wildcats are coming off a four-set loss to #14 Baylor on Saturday.
K-State hit .239 as a team with 60 kills while BU swung at a .229 hitting percentage with 67 kills.
It was the first loss for the Cats this season when leading in attack percentage.
The team collected a .438 pace in set four, the third-highest set hitting percentage of the season.
Baka led the Cats with 20 kills (.298), a career-high.
She donned her seventh double-double of the season (20 kills, 13 digs).
The senior leads the team with 220 kills.
Bolding topped K-State with a .500 clip (7 kills) and led both teams with nine blocks.
She has eight matches with a .400 or better hitting percentage (min 10 kills).
Morris led both squads with 18 digs.
She tallied a career-best 29 digs at Oklahoma (10/19).
Morris posted 17+ digs in nine of the last ten matches.
The junior also holds sole possession of third place in K-State history with 18 20-dig matches in her career (rally-scoring era).
Hinkle collected one ace, the 100^th of her career.
She added 50 assists in her third match with 50 or more.
Myers tops the Cats with 3.73 kills per set.
The freshman outside hitter was tapped as Big 12 Rookie of the Week on Oct. 4.
The Wildcats have not lost in straight sets at home this season.
K-State sits second in the Big 12 with a 2.64 per set average in blocks.
The Cats lead the conference with 1.76 average aces.
The eight three-set wins tie the most by the Wildcats since they collected eight during the 2018 season.

SCOUTING TEXAS

Texas (16-1, 8-1 Big 12) enters Friday at the top of the Big 12 standings.
The Longhorns' only loss of the season was to unranked Iowa State on Oct. 19.
The Longhorns swept TCU one week ago in Austin.
UT is 6-1 on the road this season.
Texas is 1-1 in five-set matches.
Logan Eggleston spearheads the Longhorn offense with 4.46 kills per set (241 total) and 5.25 points per set (283.5 total) which leads the Big 12 in both categories.
The senior also ranks third in the league with 0.44 average aces.
Eggleston was tabbed Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 6 and Oct. 18.
Madisen Skinner is next at 190 total kills (3.58 per set) and sits seventh in the conference.
The middle blocker donned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 4.
Asjia O'Neal leads the conference with a .479 pace while claiming fifth in the Big 12 with 1.21 blocks per set.
Zoe Fleck sits fourth in the league with 4.41 digs per set.
The libero is a three-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week (this season).
Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres leads the Big 12 with 11.30 average assists.
UT's offense has a team efficiency of .337, which ranks first in the Big 12.
Texas also ranks first in assists (13.54 per set) and kills (14.42 per set).

INSIDE THE SERIES

Texas leads the all-time series 48-7, which began on Oct. 9, 1981.
The Wildcats are 4-22 in Manhattan, banking the last win in 2003 (3-2).
UT took the first match this season, 3-0, on Oct. 12, in Austin.
Texas brought wins in the series a year ago, taking sweeps in Austin as the No. 2 ranked team.
K-State'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 3-40 in her career against Texas and 28-129 versus ranked teams.

DIG IT

With her 20 digs against Kansas (Sept. 24), 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.
On Oct. 19, Morris set a career-high with 29 digs at Oklahoma.
29 digs are the fourth-highest single-match dig total in the Big 12 this season.
Earlier this year she produced three straight 20-dig outings - the longest such stretch of her career.
Morris has carded at least 17 digs in nine of her last ten matches.
The junior was held to her lowest output against the Longhorns with six digs (10/12).
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 18 career matches with at least 20 digs, as she now has sole possession of third place in program history.
At 4.15 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).
She ranks second in the Big 12 with 4.53 digs per set for the season.

FEELIN ACE-Y

After recording at least five aces in the last three matches, K-State has racked up 141 service aces to rank first in the Big 12 and 46th in the NCAA.· The team's 1.76 average also leads the conference and tied for 41st nationally.
Sydney Bolding added an ace against Baylor to bring her total to 32 (leads K-State).
Her season total is tied for third in the conference while her average of 0.42 ranks fifth.
Bolding has eight 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 sixth in the league with 26 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 21 matches with the Wildcats.
Playing six rotations, Baka leads the team in total kills with 220, eclipsing the 200 mark on Oct. 19 (at Oklahoma).
She pairs this with 26 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.
She beat this in Saturday's match against Baylor, racking up 20 kills.
Baka has led K-State in kills eight times this season and finished as the team leader in digs twice.
She has a team-leading seven double-doubles on the season.
Her latest double-double was versus the Bears (20 kills, 13 digs).
Her 26 aces are fifth-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 1.91 kills per set with 1.31d blocks per set and 32 aces.
The senior's hitting .321 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 32 aces eclipse the most by a Wildcat middle blocker since 2018 (Zsofia Gyimes' 31).
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.
She updated the record against Baylor with nine blocks (one solo, eight assists).
The Pickens, South Carolina, product has eclipsed double-figure kills six times this season.
Bolding has hit .350 or better nine times, including a career-best .588 at Rice.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

K-State has won the opening set in 16 of 21 outings to begin the campaign, going 10-6 in those matches.
The Wildcats are 9-1 when hitting at a higher hitting percentage and when producing more kills than their opponents.
Additionally, the Cats are 8-2 when 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 10 away from her 400th career win at the helm of the Wildcats.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Elena Baka

Sydney Bolding

Loren Hinkle

Mackenzie Morris

Kansas State University Athletics