K-State Treks to Utah for Big 12 Matchups

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Fresh off a historic five-set upset over their in-state rivals, the Kansas State Wildcats close out their five-match road trip in Utah this week, starting with a midweek matchup at Utah on Wednesday at 8 p.m. CT at Huntsman Center.

Following the match against the Utes (10-10, 2-7 Big 12), K-State will head to Provo to take on No. 17 BYU (17-4, 5-4 Big 12) at Smith Fieldhouse on Friday at 7 p.m. CT.

Wednesday's match marks the first meeting between Utah and K-State in Salt Lake City, while BYU holds a 2-1 edge in matches played in Provo.

K-State (4-5, 11-6 Big 12) overcame a 2-1 deficit to pull off a five-set victory over No. 14 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse, snapping an eight-match losing streak with its first win over the Jayhawks since 2020.

Symone Sims was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts against the Jayhawks, leading a defense with a career-high 26 digs.

Both matches can be seen on ESPN+ and the ESPN app, while live stat links can be found on the K-State volleyball schedule page HERE.

MATCH #18
K-STATE (11-6, 4-5 BIG 12) at UTAH (10-10, 2-7 BIG 12)
Wednesday, October 29 // 8 PM CT // Huntsman Center (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Live Stats // ESPNU

MATCH #19
K-STATE (11-6, 4-5 BIG 12) at #17 BYU (17-4, 5-4 BIG 12)
Friday, October 31 // 7 PM CT // Smith Fieldhouse (Provo, Utah)
Live Stats // ESPNU

FOLLOW THE CATS

Both matches will broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Live stat links can be found on the K-State volleyball schedule page on kstatesports.com, while fans can find live game updates all season long on the Wildcats social media pages (@KStateVB).
Single-match tickets for all home matches can be purchased by contacting the K-State Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 221-CATS, visiting kstatesports.com/tickets or at the Morgan Family Arena ticket booth.

K-STATE AT A GLANCE

K-State enters Week 10 action with an overall record of 11-6 and 4-5 mark in Big 12 play, including a 6-3 record in matches on the road.
The Wildcats are coming off five-set upset over No. 14 Kansas in the first-ever volleyball match held at Allen Fieldhouse, 14-25, 25-17, 18-25, 25-23, 15-18.
The first marked its first win over the Jayhawks since 2020, snapping the Wildcats eight-match losing streak.
Led by 26 digs from Symone Sims, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, K-State recorded season-highs in total digs (93) and total blocks (11.0).
Senior middle blocker Jordyn Williams Williams led the match with eight blocks (one solo, seven assists) to go along with nine kills, hitting at a match-leading .381 efficiency.
Aniya Clinton, Shaylee Myers and Ava LeGrand each registered double-doubles in the upset.
Clinton tallied a match-high 16 kills along with 14 digs, while Myers added 15 kills and 16 digs. LeGrand, who has recorded eight double-doubles in the last 10 matches, dished out 33 assists with 15 digs.
The victory marked the program's first over a top-15 team since 2023, where the Wildcats swept No. 3 Texas – the eventual National Champion.

SCOUTING UTAH

Utah (10-10, 2-7 Big 12) is coming off a five-set victory over West Virginia, as the Utes picked up their second conference victory of the season.
The Utes are in their 36^th season under head coach Beth Launiere, the winningest head volleyball coach in program history, who boasts a 684-435 career record.
The Utes are 5-4 when playing at home, while they are 2-3 in their last five outings.
Kamryn Gibadlo's 4.11 kills per set leads the way for the offense that is hitting .204, while opponents hit at a .208 efficiency.
In addition to Gibadlo, three other players are averaging over two kills a set.
Two players are recording over two digs a set, led by Gibadlo (2.42) and Key-Powell (2.29). At the net, Emrie Moea'i is ninth in the Big 12 in total blocks (85.0), tallying 1.10 per set which ranks 13^th.
Last season, Utah spent six weeks ranked in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. Utah returned nine players from its 2024 roster, while adding nine newcomers (six freshmen, three transfers).

INSIDE THE SERIES

Wednesday's contest marks just the third meeting between the Wildcats and Utes, while it is the first held in Salt Lake City.
Utah leads the series 2-0 after picking up a 3-1 decision last season in Manhattan.
Shaylee Myers accounted for 17 kills against Utah in the last meeting and Aniya Clinton added 12, while Sims recorded 10 digs.

Series Results
12-5-14 Utah 3, Kansas State 0
10-24-24 Utah 3, Kansas State 1

SCOUTING #17 BYU

The second leg of the Wildcats' trip to Utah is to Provo, where they will face 17^th-ranked BYU (17-4, 5-4 Big 12).
Last week, the Cougars dropped a five-set match at then-No. 19 Baylor before bouncing back with a four-set victory over then-No. 10 TCU. Freshman Suli Davis, the Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year, led BYU with 41 kills (4.56 kills/set) followed by Brielle Kemavor added 29 (3.22 kills/set) on a .418 clip to go along with 15 total blocks.
Heather Olmstead has guided the Cougars to an overall 274-50 record in her 10 seasons at the helm of the organization, which includes 10 consecutive runs in the NCAA Tournament.
BYU is the Big 12 leader in hitting percentage (.273) and assists per set (13.21), while ranking second the league in five additional categories. The Cougars' 14.14 kills per set ranks 15^th in the nation.
Kemavor is fifth in the conference in total blocks (93.0) and seventh in blocks per set (1.19).
Davis, who has garnered Rookie of the Week honors three times this season, paces the offense. She totals 339 kills (4.35 kills per set) at a .283 clip, followed by Claire Little Chamers' 299 total kills (3.88 kills per set).
Alex Bower dishes out a league-high 10.76 assists per set – good for seventh in the nation – while her 44 total blocks ranks second on the team.
Three players average over two digs a set led by Emma Barbero at 3.03 (215 total).

INSIDE THE SERIES

BYU holds a 4-3 edge in the all-time series, that includes a 2-1 lead in matches played in Provo.
Under head coach Jason Mansfield, K-State is 2-1 against the Cougars after recording back-to-back sweeps in 2023.
Last season, the Wildcats dropped a 3-1 decision in the season finale vs. BYU.

Last 5 Matches
9/5/09: Kansas State 3, BYU 2
9/3/11: BYU 3, Kansas State 0
10/26/23: Kansas State 3, BYU 0
10/27/23: Kansas State 3, BYU 0
11/29/24: BYU 3, Kansas State 1

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Libero Symone Sims anchored a K-State defense that limited No. 14 Kansas to just a .104 hitting percentage – the Jayhawks' lowest mark of the season – to fuel the Wildcats' historic upset victory.
The junior from Frisco, Texas, anchored a back row with a career-high 26 digs as part of the Wildcats' season-best 93, the most by any Big 12 team this year.
Sims also chipped in eight assists and two service aces to round out her standout performance.

LAST TIME OUT

Wildcats upset KU in five-sets, 14-25, 25-17, 18-25, 25-23, 15-8, Friday night.
K-State hit .137 (51 kills, 27 errors) while KU was limited to a .104 hitting percentage with 48 kills and 29 errors.
In total, the match had 19 tie scores with nine lead changes.
Clinton led the match with 16 kills (.156), followed by Myers with 15. Williams added nine.
Sims produced a match-leading 26 digs with a perfect 1.000 reception percentage.
LeGrand dished out 33 assists to go along with six kills and five blocks.
K-State had seven service aces led by Clinton with three.
Five different Wildcats tallied a block, led by Williams with a match-high eight blocks (1 solo, 7 assists),
The Cats out-dug the Jayhawks 93-78 and with an 11.0-10.0 edge in blocks.

GOING THE DISTANCE

K-State collected its fifth five-set match victory Friday night against the Jayhawks.
The Cats are 5-1 overall in five-set matches, including a 3-1 mark in Big 12 matches.

VS. RANKED OPPONENTS

K-State is 2-3 against teams ranked in the AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll with victories over then-No. 25 North Carolina and -No. 14 KU, while they are 1-2 against teams receiving votes.
Myers is averaging an impressive 4.24 kills per set against ranked teams followed by Clinton (3.38). Defensively, Sims tallies 4.71 digs per set while Schmidt and Williams each average a block a set.
As a team, K-State leads opponents in service aces (30-21).
Overall, K-State boasts a 8-16 mark against Top 25 opponents under Mansfield.
In 2023, K-State set a program record for Top 25 wins in a single season, that included 12 consecutive set wins with sweeps over #8 BYU (twice) and #3 Texas.
K-State was last ranked in 2020.

DOUBLE DOWN

Ava LeGrand, Aniya Clinton and Shaylee Myers have each recorded a double-double this season for K-State, with all three registering double-doubles at KU (Oct. 24).
LeGrand leads the way with nine in 2025, followed by Clinton with five and Myers two.
The trio combine for 20 double-doubles in their respective careers.

SENIOR STACKED

K-State's four seniors are leading the team in nearly every major statistical category.
Myers paces the offense with 311 total kills, 4.71 kills per set, 340.0 points, and 5.15 points per set.
LeGrand leads the team and is third in the league with 9.89 assists per set (653 total), as well as service aces (18).
Schmidt leads the way in blocks per set (1.16), followed by Williams (1.02 blocks/set), who leads overall in total blocks (62.0) and hitting percentage (.364).

SHINING IN PURPLE

Five of K-State's six true freshman made their collegiate debuts during the Wildcats' non-conference schedule.
Defensive specialist/libero Caleigh Ponn has appeared in all but three sets in her true freshman season, while middle blocker Cadence Lundgren has played in 36 of 61.
Ponn is fourth on the team in total digs (126) and digs per set (2.00), while she has notched 10 or more digs in five matches this season.
Lundgren has made seven match starts and totaled 29.0 blocks this season (0.82 blocks/set), that includes four solo blocks.
Redshirt freshman Emerson Van Lannen is tied first in service aces (18), recording a season-high three in three matches this season (Last: at #20 Baylor, Oct. 15.)

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

The Wildcats are undefeated when leading in kills (11-0) and attack percentage (8-0), and are 9-0 when hitting above .200 with four victories hitting north of .300. ..........
Additionally, the Cats are 7-1 when they have limited their opponents to a hitting efficiency under .200. In four of those wins, opponents hit under .100.
Conversely, K-State is 4-5 when opponents post a team efficiency above .200.
K-State has out-blocked opponents in nine matches (7-2), totaling a season-high 11.0 at KU (Oct. 24).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Aniya Clinton

Ava LeGrand

Cadence Lundgren

Shaylee Myers

Caleigh Ponn

Symone Sims

Emerson Van Lannen

Jordyn Williams

Kansas State University Athletics