K-State Travels to Lawrence for Dillons Sunflower Showdown

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State will face Kansas for the second time this season as the two teams battle in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

K-State (12-10, 3-6 Big 12) looks to rebound after dropping back-to-back conference matches at Bramlage Coliseum last week. After winning the first set in each contest, the Wildcats fell in four sets to #14 Baylor and repeated the feat against #2 Texas.

KU (15-7, 5-5 Big 12) also lost two consecutive matches in the past week of play. The Jayhawks fell in five sets at TCU and gave up a five-setter at home versus Oklahoma.

The Wildcats own a 67-57-1 edge in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown, including a 30-21 record at home. Head coach Suzie Fritz is

Wednesday'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 #23
K-STATE (12-10, 3-6 BIG 12) at Kansas (15-7, 5-5 BIG 12)
Wednesday, Nov. 12 // 6:30 p.m. // Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena // Lawrence, 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 Kansas meet for the second time this season and the first time in Lawrence.
The Wildcats are coming off two four-set losses at home to #14 Baylor and #2 Texas.
K-State hit .152 as a team (42 kills), the fourth-lowest output of the year.
Senior Loren Hinkle posted a career-best four kills in addition to her fifth double-double (34 assists,10 digs).
She added two to her career ace total to stand at 102 (98 matches).
Junior Kayde Fernholz led the Cats for the second match, clinching nine kills (.241).
Libero Mackenzie Morris notched 17 digs, earning 17+ in ten of the last 11 matches.
Middle hitter Sydney Bolding led K-State with a .417 clip, donning eight matches with a .400 or better hitting percentage (min 10 attacks).
K-State sits third in the Big 12 with a 2.58 per set average in blocks.
The Cats lead the conference with 1.73 average aces.
The team's 13.81 digs per set ranks second in the league.
The eight three-set wins tie the most by the Wildcats since they collected eight during the 2018 season.

SCOUTING KANSAS

Kansas (15-7, 5-5) enters the match sitting in fifth place of the Big 12 standings, losing back-to-back matches at TCU (2-3) and versus Oklahoma (2-3) last week.
KU has not lost more than two consecutive matches this season.
The Jayhawks are 5-5 at home overall and 2-3 in home conference play.
KU leads the Big 12 in blocks per set (2.65), propelled by Lauren Dooley and Rachel Langs with 1.13 and 1.10 average blocks.
Kansas ranks third in average points (16.68) and hitting percentage (.264) in the league.
The Jayhawks' offense is fueled by Ayah Elnady and Caroline Bien with a combined 457 kills.
Setter Camryn Turner sits in the top ten of the Big 12 in assists per set (sixth) and digs per set (tenth).

INSIDE THE SERIES

Saturday's contest will mark the 126th all-time meeting between K-State and Kansas.
K-State owns 67-57-1 edge in the series which dates back to 1974, as the teams have met every season since the inception of the Wildcats' volleyball program.
K-State is 31-18 when playing at its in-state rival, splitting both matches in Lawrence in 2020.
The Jayhawks have claimed five of the last six meetings and 12 of the last 16, spanning back to 2014.
Additionally, Kansas is 16-5 in the rivalry since the 2012 season.
The Cats last picked up an away win over Kansas in 2020, winning in five sets (Oct. 30).
Five of the last eight matches have gone to five sets, while there have been seven five-setters in the series since 2016.
There has not been a straight-set victory for either side since the 2016 season (11 matches).
The last three Wildcat victories in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown have come in five sets.
Head coach Suzie Fritz is 23-20 in her career against KU.

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 ten of her last eleven 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 fourth in the Big 12 with 4.51 digs per set for the season.

FEELIN ACE-Y

After recording at least five aces in three of the last four matches, K-State has racked up 145 service aces to rank first in the Big 12 and tied for 54th in the NCAA.
The team's 1.76 average also leads the conference and 41st nationally.
Sydney Bolding leads K-State with 32 aces, sitting fourth in the conference and fifth with her average (0.40).
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 fifth 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 FLAKA

Senior transfer Elena Baka has had an immediate impact through 22 matches with the Wildcats.
Playing six rotations, Baka leads the team in total kills with 227, 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 last week against Baylor, racking up 20 kills (.298).
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, with the latest coming against 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.

GOING BOLDING

Senior middle blocker Sydney Bolding is off to a fast start for K-State in 2022, averaging 1.90 kills per set with 1.28 blocks per set and 32 aces.
The senior's hitting .324 hitting percentage tops the Wildcats for the season and ranks tenth in the Big 12.
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 turned in a season-high nine blocks Baylor (one solo, eight assists).
The Pickens, South Carolina, product has eclipsed double-figure kills six times this season.
Bolding has hit .350 or better 11 times, including a career-best .588 at Rice.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

K-State has won the opening set in 17 of 22 outings to begin the campaign, going 10-7 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.

Kansas State University Athletics

K-State Travels to Lawrence for Dillons Sunflower Showdown

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