Wildcats Open 2025 Season Friday at K-State Invitational

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State volleyball opens the 2025 season Friday night at the K- State Invitational, as the Wildcats welcome UMBC and Delaware to Morgan Family Arena for the three-day event.

K-State, who opens the season at home for the first time under third-year head coach Jason Mansfield, will begin its campaign Friday against the Retrievers at 6:30 p.m. The weekend concludes Sunday at 1 p.m. against Delaware.

The team retains eight letterwinners from the 2024 squad, including blocks leader Brenna Schmidt, who tied 10^th in the league last season with a 1.04 blocks per set average. Other key returners include Symone Sims, Jordyn Williams, Aniya Clinton and Shaylee Myers. Clinton was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team, marking the fifth consecutive year a Wildcat garnered the preseason honor.

Both matches will broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with Brian Smoller and Liz Wegner-Busch calling all the action, along with sideline reporter Sophie Smith. Live stat links can be found on the volleyball schedule page on kstatesports.com, while fans can find live game updates all season long on the Wildcats social media pages (@KStateVB).

Most K-State and Big 12 athletic events, home and away – including men's basketball, women's basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball, and select football games – are available on ESPN+, the direct-to-consumer sports streaming service. Fans can sign up for ESPN+ at plus.espn.com, with monthly, annual, and bundle options available. No minimum contract is required, cancel anytime.

Single-match tickets are available for all regular-season matches and can be purchased at the K-State Athletics ticket office at 1-800-221-CATS and www.kstatesports.com/tickets, starting at just $10 when purchased in advance.

Following the K-State Invitational, the Cats will continue their non-conference schedule with The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Classic at Morgan Family Arena with matches against NC State (Sept. 3) and Nevada (Sept. 5).

MATCH #1
K-STATE (0-0, 0-0 BIG 12) vs. UMBC (0-0, 0-0 America East)
Friday, August 29 // 6:30 PM CT // Morgan Family Arena
Live Stats // ESPN+ // Tickets

MATCH #2
K-STATE (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. DELAWARE (0-0, 0-0 C-USA)
Sunday, August 31 // 1 PM CT // Morgan Family Arena
Live Stats // ESPN+ // Tickets

FIRST SERVE

Kansas State volleyball opens the 2025 season Friday night at the K- State Invitational, as the Wildcats welcome UMBC and Delaware to Morgan Family Arena for the three-day event.
K-State, who opens the season at home for the first time under third-year head coach Jason Mansfield, will begin its campaign Friday against the Retrievers at 6:30 p.m. The weekend concludes Sunday at 1 p.m. against Delaware.

FOLLOW THE CATS

Both matches will broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with Brian Smoller and Liz Wegner-Busch calling all the action, along with sideline reporter Sophie Smith.
Live stat links can be found on the volleyball schedule page on kstatesports.com, while fans can find live game updates all season long on the Wildcats social media pages (@KStateVB).

K-STATE AT A GLANCE

K-State is geared up for its 52nd season of volleyball, as the Wildcats begin the season Friday at the annual K-State Invitational.
Over three days, the Cats will take on UMBC and Delaware at Morgan Family Arena - marking the first time K-State will begin its season at home since 2022 and first under head coach Jason Mansfield.
The Wildcats were picked eighth in the league's annual preseason poll, collecting 95 points.
K-State retains eight letterwinners from last year's postseason squad, including everyday starter Brenna Schmidt.
Other key returners include Aniya Clinton, Shaylee Myers, Ava LeGrand, Symone Sims and Jordyn Williams.
A total of 11 returners are joined by six newcomers, which are comprised of six freshman in Caleigh Ponn, Alex Klukvin, Avery Stones, Sydney McDermott, Cadence Lundgren and Lauren Latham.
K-State faced Oklahoma in its lone exhibition contest of the preseason on Saturday, with the Wildcats falling in a five-set thriller.
In the match, Myers and Legrand each recorded a double-double while Clinton totaled 11 kills.
Myers led with 18 kills at a .229 clip to go with 10 digs, while LeGrand handed out 25 assists with 12 digs.
In addition to Myers and LeGrand, Ponn and Sims each eclipsed the 10-dig mark.

SCOUTING THE FIELD

In the season's opening weekend, K-State will take on UMBC and Delaware in a three-day event at the K-State Invitational.
UMBC, who capped the 2024 season 8-16 overall with a 6-4 mark in conference play, enters its fourth season under head coach Kasey Crider.
The Retrievers were picked to finish tied for second in a preseason poll of America East coaches, the Conference announced earlier this month. In addition, sophomore outside hitter Hannah Dobbs was voted to the preseason All-Conference team.
Dobbs was named to both the America East All-Conference Second Team and the America East All-Rookie Team as a freshman last year.
She tallied a season-high 22 kills and 15 digs against Bryant on November 10.
She is coming off a rookie campaign where she tallied 247 kills (2.98 per set) at a .132 clip and totaled 77 digs, 22 blocks and 263.5 points.
Five players joined the roster ahead of the 2025 season, including transfer Jalynn Brown, an outside hitter from South Florida, and libero Ella McAllister, who transferred from Lipscomb.
Delaware finished the 2024 campaign with a 20-7 mark and 15-3 record in the CAA to claim the title.
The Blue Hens enter their first season in Conference USA and fourth under head coach Kim Lambert, who boasts a record of 61-23 at Delaware.
Delaware is coming off its best stretch in over a decade, having gone 44-12 overall and 30-6 in CAA play with three-straight conference championship matches.
Delaware's junior outside hitter Anna Logan Gillens was named to Conference USA's Preseason All-Conference Team, while the Blue Hens were picked third in the preseason poll.
Last season, Gillens recorded 3.23 kills per set and had 18 double-digit kill matches, including eight matches with 15 or more kills.
In conference-only matches, she ranked sixth in the CAA at 3.51 kills per set.
On Oct. 26, she had a career-best 26 kills and a .283 hitting percentage in a win against Hofstra.

INSIDE THE SERIES

Friday marks the second meeting between the Wildcats and Retrievers, with K-State claiming the inaugural match 3-0 last season at the Purdue Classic.
K-State hit at an incredible .459 clip with 43 kills and only four attack errors, while the defense limited the Retrievers to a .011 efficiency.
Sunday will mark the first meeting in school history between K-State and Delaware.

RETURN AISLE

K-State retains eight letterwinners, including blocks leader Brenna Schmidt.
Additional returners include Makinsey Jones, Reagan Fox, Aniya Clinton, Symone Sims, Ava LeGrand, Shaylee Myers and Jordyn Williams.
Schmidt, Sims, Williams, and Clinton each had 10 or more starts for the Wildcats.
Schmidt, who started in 25 of 27 matches last season, led the team with 104 total blocks and ranked 10^th in the league with 1.04 blocks per set.
Sims led the squad with 22 total aces (0.21 per set) and finished third in total digs (259).
Williams tied third on the team with 44 total blocks while Clinton was third with 187 total kills (2.23 per set).

NEW CATS

In addition to the 11 returners, K-State welcomes in six newcomers to the 2025 roster in Caleigh Ponn, Alex Klukvin, Avery Stones, Sydney McDermott, Cadence Lundgren and Lauren Latham.
Ponn and Klukvin each saw time in last Saturday's exhibition at Oklahoma, as Ponn compiled 13 digs and four assists.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Last season, the Wildcats went 7-5 when winning the first set and 4-0 when leading 2-0.
The Wildcats went 8-3 when splitting the first two sets and 12-1 when leading the match 2-1.
K-State hit over .200 in 12 matches last season, including a season-high .459 against UMBC (Sept. 1).
Last season, K-State was 7-2 when holding opponents under .200.
The Cats finished 9-11 when leading opponents in digs.
K-State led the Big 12 in digs per set (16.75) and ranked third overall with 1,776 total digs.
K-State's 13.88 kills per set in 2024 was good for fifth in the conference.

HOME SWEET HOME

K-State is starting off the season at home for the first time since 2022 and first under head coach Jason Mansfield.
The Cats are 14-12 when playing at Morgan Family Arena, since its opening in 2023.
Last season, K-State finished 5-8.
Five players averaged over two kills a set at home, including veterans Aniya Clinton (2.56) and Shaylee Myers (2.09).
As a team, K-State hit a .185 efficiency led by Jordyn Williams .308 hitting percentage.

THE MANSFIELD ERA

Jason Mansfield enters his third season at the helm of the Kansas State volleyball program.
In its initial season under Mansfield, K-State achieved a record-breaking five top-25 wins with victories over No. 3 Texas, No. 8 BYU (twice), No. 18 Baylor, and No. 25 Iowa State.
K-State handed Texas – the 2022 and 2023 NCAA National Champion – its only loss in conference play in its final season in the Big 12.
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 Cardinals advanced to the Final Four six times in 14 total NCAA Tournament appearances with Mansfield on staff.

HONOR ROLL

K-State redshirt junior Aniya Clinton was selected to the 2025 Preseason All-Big 12 Volleyball Team, the conference office announced Wednesday.
Clinton, a 6-foot-2 outside hitter and opposite, was one of 18 to earn a spot on the conference's preseason squad.
A product of Midland, Texas, Clinton enters her third season as a Wildcat with 448 kills (2.59 per set), a .204 hitting percentage, and 87 total blocks (0.50 per set).
Last season, she appeared in 23 matches and 81 sets, ranking third on the team with 187 kills (2.31 per set) and adding 29 blocks. She recorded double-digit kills in eight matches, highlighted by a career-high 25 kills at UCF on November 20.
In 2023, Clinton was named to the All-Big 12 Rookie Team and earned multiple Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors.

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN

The 26-match schedule is highlighted by 13 home matches at Morgan Family Arena.
K-State will play 18 Big 12 matches, splitting equal time on the road and at home.
In Big 12 contests, the Wildcats will also host Arizona State (September 28), Iowa State (October 8), Texas Tech (October 10), Cincinnati (November 6), Colorado (November 8), Baylor (November 12), and UCF (November 26).
The 2025 edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown features a home-and-home series starting at Kansas on Friday, October 24 before finishing at Morgan Family Arena on Saturday, November 15.
Eight of K-State's 2025 opponents competed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Overall, the Wildcats will play 10 matches against foes that competed in the postseason.
Five members of the Big 12 were featured in the AVCA Final Coaches Poll in 2024 – Kansas, Arizona State, Baylor, Utah, and TCU.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS

BYU was announced as the favorite in the 2025 Big 12 volleyball preseason poll, while Claire Little Chambers (Preseason Player of the Year) and Suli Davis (Preseason Freshman of the Year) swept the Conference's preseason honors for the Cougars.
The poll and awards were determined by Big 12 head coaches who could not vote for their team.
The 18-member team consists of student-athletes from 11 schools. BYU and Kansas tied for the most with three selections each.
The Big 12 finished the 2024 season with five ranked teams, tied for the most in Big 12 history (2009, 2023).
The Conference had six teams selected to the 2024 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship, the second consecutive year at least six teams made the field, and the third time in the last four seasons that the league had at least six teams in the tournament.
The Big 12 set a Conference record with six teams named in the American Volleyball Coaches Association's (AVCA)/TARAFLEX Preseason Division I Women's Volleyball Poll. The six teams surpass the previous high of five teams that the Conference had named to the preseason polls in 1999 and 2000.
Arizona State, the reigning Big 12 champion, leads the league at No. 13 to begin the season followed by Kansas (No. 14), BYU (No. 19), Baylor (No. 20), Utah (No. 23), and TCU (No. 25) while Arizona and Houston received votes.

Wildcats Open 2025 Season Friday at K-State Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Aniya Clinton

Reagan Fox

Makinsey Jones

Alex Klukvin

Lauren Latham

Ava LeGrand

Cadence Lundgren

Sydney McDermott

Shaylee Myers

Caleigh Ponn

Brenna Schmidt

Symone Sims

Avery Stones

Jordyn Williams

Kansas State University Athletics

Wildcats Open 2025 Season Friday at K-State Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Aniya Clinton

Reagan Fox

Makinsey Jones

Alex Klukvin

Lauren Latham

Ava LeGrand

Cadence Lundgren

Sydney McDermott

Shaylee Myers

Caleigh Ponn

Brenna Schmidt

Symone Sims

Avery Stones

Jordyn Williams

Related Videos