Wildcats Wrap Up Non-Con Slate at K-State Invitational

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State volleyball wraps up its non-conference slate this weekend at Morgan Family Arena, as the Wildcats host LIU and Rice for the annual K-State Invitational on Sept. 14-16.

K-State (5-2) and LIU (1-10) will open the preseason tournament on Thursday at 4 p.m. before a neutral match between LIU and Rice on Friday at 1 p.m. Rice (4-4) will take on the Wildcats in the tournament finale on Saturday with first serve scheduled for noon.

The three-day event will be streamed on the Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with the broadcast team of Brian Smoller and former Wildcat and two-time All-American Liz Wegner-Busch calling the action along with Sophie Smith on the sidelines.

Thursday's match marks the first meeting between K-State and LIU while the Wildcats will face the Owls for the seventh time in program history. K-State leads the all-time series 5-1 since the series opener in 1992.

The Wildcats moved to 5-2 on the year after going 1-1 at the Lippy Invitational last weekend in Nashville, Tenn. K-State defeated UT Martin in straight sets before dropping the tournament finale to Lipscomb in a five-set battle.

K-State totaled a season-high 14 blocks and 11 service aces against UT Martin. Senior outside hitter Liz Gregorski tallied a season-best five aces against the Skyhawks, becoming the 12^th Wildcat to record five-or more aces in a three-set match during the rally-scoring era.

Aliyah Carter and Sydney Bolding each earned all-tournament honors as Carter led the offense with 26 total kills (3.25 per set) with season-high 17 against Lipscomb, while Bolding registered 15 blocks (2.14 per set).

K-STATE AT A GLANCE

K-State volleyball wraps up its non-conference slate this weekend at Morgan Family Arena, as the Wildcats host LIU and Rice for the annual K-State Invitational on Sept. 14-16.
Thursday's match marks the first meeting between K-State and LIU while the Wildcats will face the Owls for the seventh time in program history.
K-State leads the all-time series against Rice 5-1 since the series opener in 1992.
The Wildcats moved to 5-2 on the year after going 1-1 at the Lippy Invitational last weekend in Nashville, Tenn. K-State defeated UT Martin in straight sets before dropping the tournament finale to Lipscomb in a five-set battle.
K-State totaled a season-high 14 blocks and 11 service aces against UT Martin.
Senior outside hitter Liz Gregorski tallied a season-best five aces against the Skyhawks, becoming the 12^th Wildcat to record five-or more aces in a three-set match during the rally-scoring era.
Aliyah Carter and Sydney Bolding each earned all-tournament honors.
Carter led the offense with 26 total kills (3.25 per set) with season-high 17 against Lipscomb, while Bolding registered 15 blocks (2.14 per set).
K-State is 1-1 when playing at home this season with a straight-set victory over Omaha in the home opener.
Head coach Jason Mansfield moved to 5-2 overall in his first season at the helm of the program.
K-State is in its 50^th season of Wildcat Volleyball, posting an overall 898-711-12 record.

SCOUTING LIU

The Sharks come to Manhattan 1-10 overall with a current four-match losing streak after dropping a five-set match against Delaware State on Tuesday.
Amable Martinez is in his first season as the Sharks head coach after a four-year stint at St. Francis Brooklyn.
In 12 seasons as a head coach, Martinez has compiled an overall record of 116-196 for a .372 winning percentage.
LIU finished 14-13 (.519) and 9-5 in the Northeast Conference in 2022
The Sharks were selected to finish second in the NEC preseason coaches poll with a pair first-place votes.
Key players that returned to the court for the Sharks included outside hitter Amaris Smith, middle blocker Rumur Rouille, outside Camelia Melendez and libero Alasha Colon for her junior campaign.
Smith is the reigning NEC Rookie of the Year as she tallied 222 kills, 141 digs and 25 total blocks in 26 matches during her freshman campaign.
Melendez has led the offense in preseason play with 107 kills (2.82 per set) while Selina Koc has paced the Sharks with 245 assists (6.28).
A native of Carolina, Puerto Rico, Colon has compile dan average of 5.83 digs per set and a reception percentage of .946.
The Sharks lone victory came on Sept. 5 with a straight-set win over Fairfield, 25-22, 25-22, 28-26.

INSIDE THE SERIES

Thursday's match marks the first meeting between the two programs.

SCOUTING RICE

Rice enters the tournament 4-4 overall after suffering a straight set loss to No. 6 and defending national champion Texas on Monday night.
The Owls are receiving votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 poll with 30 points, just seven spots out of the top 25.
Veteran coach Genny Volpe is in her 20th season at the helm of the Owls volleyball program.
The Texas A&M alum has compiled an overall 380-202 (.653) record at Rice with two 27-win seasons in 2019 and 2022.
The Owls finished 27-4 overall in 2022 with a second round appearance in the NCAA Tournament, falling to No. 17 Baylor in five sets.
Rice was crowned the Conference USA Tournament Champions last season as the Owls snapped Western Kentucky's three-year run as tournament champions.
The Owls were predicted to finish second in the West Division of the American Athletic Conference standings, just two points behind SMU with 78.
Graduate student right side hitter Emilia Weske, senior outside Danyle Courtly, senior libero Nia McCardell and senior outside Sahara Maruska were all named to the American Preseason Team.
McCardell was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Week after opening weekend as she helped guide the Owls to a sweep of then ranked No. 22 USC.
The 2022 Conference USA Libero of the Year is second in the AAC with 5.04 digs per set.
Rice averages 11.7 kills per set with the Owls hitting .173 while limiting opponents to hit .149
Danyle Courtley averages a team-best 3.42 kills per set with a .276 attack percentage.
Senior setter Izzy Rawlings has dished out 173 assists (7.52 per set) this season to guide the 5-1 offense.

INSIDE THE SERIES

K-State leads the all-time series 5-1 since the series opener in 1992.
The Wildcats led off the series with a 5-0 win streak, including a sweep in Houston in 1996
Kansas State dropped a five-set decision at the Adidas Invitational II last season against the Owls, 25-20, 26-24, 21-25, 18-25, 13-15.
Three different players registered a double-double in the match, including Loren Hinkle and Shaylee Myers.

A NEW HOME

K-State proudly announced the unveiling of Morgan Family Arena for the 2023 season.
Defeated Omaha in straight sets (25-21, 25-23, 25-23) opening day on Sept. 1, 2023 in front of capacity crowd of 3,044.
Wildcats are 1-1 when playing at home this season
Morgan Family Arena will host 13 regular season games for the Wildcats along with a neutral game between Rice and LIU at the K-State Invitational
The all-volleyball inclusive arena is the third home of Wildcat volleyball joining the Bramlage Coliseum and Ahearn Field House
K-State is 405-209-5 all-time when playing at home

THE MANSFIELD ERA

Jason Mansfield is in his first season at the helm of the Kansas State volleyball program.
The Sunnyvale, Calif., native is 5-2 (.714) overall as a first-year coach
Mansfield became the second coach in K-state history to start his career 4-0, joining Jim Moore
Mansfield was appointed as the ninth head coach on Dec. 27, 2022.
Compiled over 480 victories as an assistant coach with stints at Stanford, Illinois, and Washington
The 2004 Stanford squad won the national championship, while the Cardinal advanced to the Final Four six times in 14 total NCAA Tournament appearances with Mansfield on staff.

HONOR ROLL

Sydney Bolding and Aliyah Carter were named to the all-tournament team following the conclusion of the Lippy Invitational, marking their second all-tournament honors this season as they received recognition at the Rose City Showdown in Portland.
Izzi Szulczewski joined Bolding and Carter on the Rose City Showdown All-Tournament Team, earning her first all-tournament recognition as a Wildcat.
Carter and Bolding both were named to the 2023 Preseason All-Big 12 Team
The preseason selection marked the third for Carter as she was named a unanimous selection in 2021 and 2022.

THE WEEKEND REVIEW

The Wildcats moved to 5-2 on the year after going 1-1 at the Lippy Invitational last weekend in Nashville, Tenn.
K-State defeated UT Martin in straight sets (25-14, 25-12, 25-13) before dropping the tournament finale to Lipscomb in a five-set battle (17-25, 18-25, 25-19, 25-17, 15-17).
K-State totaled a season-high 14 blocks and 11 service aces against UT Martin.
Senior outside hitter Liz Gregorski tallied a season-best five aces against the Skyhawks, becoming the 12^th Wildcat to record five-or more aces in a three-set match during the rally-scoring era.
Aliyah Carter and Sydney Bolding each earned all-tournament honors.
Carter led the offense with 26 total kills (3.25 per set) with season-high 17 against Lipscomb, while Bolding registered 15 blocks (2.14 per set).

DOUBLE-TROUBLE

Two Wildcats have registered double-doubles this season with Izzi Szulczewski and Aliyah Carter
Szulczewski, a native of Beaverton, Ore., has generated a pair of doubled-double performances this season with a season-high 41 assists in the season opener.
Preseason All-Big 12 honoree Aliyah Carter brought her career total to 18 on Sunday after tallying a season-best 17 kills with 14 digs against Lipscomb.
Carter is 17 double-doubles away from joining the Wildcats double-double club
Former Wildcat Kim Zschau holds the program's career double-double record with 69 across 457 sets during 1995-98.

BRICK WALL

K-State is averaging a league fourth-best 2.94 blocks per set, ranking 14^th nationally.
The team's 70.5 total ranks sixth overall in the Big 12.
The Wildcats collected a season-best 14.0 blocks in a sweep of UT Martin on Friday.
Sydney Bolding leads the Big 12 and is third in the nation in blocks per set (1.74).
Her eight-block performance is the third most in any three-set match of any Big 12 team this season.
Kadye Fernholz is on pace to joining the program's 400-block club as she earned her 300^th career block against UT Martin.
Fernholz has registered 100-plus blocks the past two seasons while Bolding led the Cats last season with 141.0.
With her 15 blocks at the Lippy Invitational, Bolding is now 40 blocks away from her 300^th career stop at K-State.

MILESTONE WATCH

Kadye Fernholz recorded her 300^th career block at K-State in the Cats' sweep over UT Martin.
Sydney Bolding is 40 blocks from 300.
Loren Hinkle registered her 900^th career dig and is 98 away from joining the 1,000 digs club.
Aliyah Carter joined the 1,000-kills club in the season opener at Portland State
Carter ranks seventh in total kills (1,068) in the rally-scoring era and 16^th overall in K-State history
Mackenzie Morris recorded her 1,300^th career dig in the Cats sweep over Cal State Fullerton, becoming fifth player to reach the milestone while ranking fifth overall in the category.
Morris is 14 service aces from joining the 100-aces club.

AROUND THE BIG 12

BYU and UCF lead the Big 12 standings at 8-1 after the Cougars recorded their first loss to Washington State.
Iowa State and Kansas each have a loss to sit third and fourth while Cincinnati rounds out the top five at 6-2 overall.
Five programs from the Big 12 are ranked in the AVCA standings with No. 6 Texas, No. 12 BYU, No. 18 Baylor, No. 20 Kansas and No. 23 Iowa State while UCF is receiving votes.
Baylor's Kyndal Stowers (Offensive & Rookie) and TCU's Sarah Sylvester (Defensive) collected Big 12 volleyball honors for the th.ird week of the season.
Stowers is the first player to win the Offensive and Rookie awards in the same week since 2021 and is the first Baylor student-athlete to achieve the feat since Yossiana Pressley in 2017.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS

Texas was voted the Big 12 volleyball favorite for a league-record 13^th year in a row.
The Longhorns have been picked atop the poll each season since 2011 and have been the unanimous choice for the past three years.
The preseason poll is determined by Big 12 head coaches who are not allowed to rank their own team.
BYU was picked second in its debut season in the Conference, while Baylor was selected third, marking the seventh consecutive season the Bears have been in the top three.
TCU was tabbed fourth followed by Kansas, Houston, Iowa State, K-State, UCF, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Cincinnati, and West Virginia.
This season's league schedule includes each team playing 18 matches over 10 weeks with six series matches and six single matches. Each team will play every Conference opponent at least once during the season.

UP NEXT

K-State continues its home slate on Sept. 21-22 when the Wildcats open Big 12 action against TCU.
Both matches between the Horned Frogs and Wildcats are scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start.
The Big 12 contests will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
Thursday's match features Two Dollar Night, Youth Team Game, and Wildcat 4-Pack while the series finale on Friday will hold a Wildcat Weekend promotion.

Wildcats Wrap Up Non-Con Slate at K-State Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sydney Bolding

Aliyah Carter

Kadye Fernholz

Liz Gregorski

Loren Hinkle

Mackenzie Morris

Shaylee Myers

Izzi Szulczewski

Kansas State University Athletics

Wildcats Wrap Up Non-Con Slate at K-State Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sydney Bolding

Aliyah Carter

Kadye Fernholz

Liz Gregorski

Loren Hinkle

Mackenzie Morris

Shaylee Myers

Izzi Szulczewski

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