Wildcats Host Arizona, #8 Arizona State to Open Big 12 Play

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Winning seven of its eight non-conference matches, K-State opens its 30^th season of Big 12 play Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT against Arizona at Morgan Family Arena, before returning Sunday to host No. 8 Arizona State at 2 p.m.

The Wildcats, riding a three-match winning streak, are off to their best start under head coach Jason Mansfield. Senior Shaylee Myers earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors following her standout performance in North Carolina.

Arizona (6-4) and defending Big 12 champion Arizona State (9-2) will each make their first-ever trip to Manhattan. Both matches will air on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.

MATCH #9
K-STATE (7-1, 0-0 BIG 12) vs. ARIZONA (6-4, 0-0 BIG 12)
Friday, September 26 // 6:30 PM CT // Morgan Family Arena (Manhattan, Kansas)
Promotions: Pancake Day
Live Stats // ESPN+ // Tickets

MATCH #10
K-STATE (7-1, 0-0 BIG 12) vs. #8 ARIZONA STATE (9-2, 0-0 BIG 12)
Sunday, September 28 // 2 PM CT // Morgan Family Arena (Manhattan, Kansas)
Promotions: Varsity Willie Day
Live Stats // ESPN+ // Tickets

FOLLOW THE CATS

Both Big 12 matchups will broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Brian Smoller will be joined on Friday's broadcast by former Wildcat and All-Big 12 selection Kelsey Stringer (formerly Kelsey Chipman), while Liz Wegner-Busch will be on call for Sunday's match against the Sun Devils.
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 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.

A FRIDAY WIN WOULD…

Be the first Big 12 opening win under Mansfield, and program's first since 2019 (Sept. 28, 2019, at TCU).
Mark K-State's third straight win over Arizona.
Extend the Wildcats home winning streak to five.

K-STATE AT A GLANCE

K-State ended the non-conference portion of its schedule 7-1, having won its last three matches. The Cats' 7-1 overall record marks the best start in the Mansfield era.
After a career-best 27 kills in K-State's five-set victory over ranked North Carolina, senior outside hitter and opposite Shaylee Myers was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week.
K-State enters conference play with the fourth-best overall record in the Big 12 with a .875 winning percentage.
Myers has recorded 15 or more kills in five consecutive matches, as she reached double figures in kills for the seven of eight matches this season.
Against East Carolina, redshirt junior Aniya Clinton eclipsed the 20-kill mark for the first time this season – second of her career.
Senior Ava LeGrand leads the Wildcats with five career double-doubles after earning her second against ECU. The setter dished out a career-high 49 assists and career-best 22 digs to lead K-State to its third consecutive win.
Under Mansfield, the Wildcats are 7-13 against teams ranked in the AVCA Top 25 poll, including a program-record five Top 25 wins in 2023.
The Cats 283-245 all-time in Big 12play, including an 18-18 record under Mansfield, while the program boasts an overall conference record of 336-380.

SCOUTING ARIZONA

After starting the season 6-0 and setting the program's longest win streak at 17 games dating from Nov. 8, 2024 - Sept. 6, 2025, the Wildcats have dropped four straight.
Ariona has won just three sets in its last four outings, including falling in five against San Diego at the Husky Invitational in Seattle.
Senior outside hitter Jordan Wilson has been a key player in Arizona's offense and is leading the Cats with 163 kills and 4.53 kills/set following week 4.
In the Big 12, Wilson ranks third in the conference with 4.53 kills/set, fourth with 5.14 points/set, and fifth with 185 total points scored.
Outside hitter Carlie Cisneros is second on the team with 114 kills and 3.17 kills/set.
Arizona was picked to finish seventh in the conference in the Big 12 Preseason Poll.
The Wildcats received votes in AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll for the first time since 2019.

INSIDE THE SERIES

Arizona leads the all-time series 3-2, dating back to the first meeting in 1977.
In their last meeting, the Wildcats defeated Arizona in straight sets at McKale Center – 28-26, 25-17, 25-18 – the first match against UA in Tucson.
Friday's matchup marks the first meeting in Manhattan between the two squads.

Last 5 Matches
12/8/77 – Arizona 2, Kansas State 0
9/11/87 – Arizona 3, Kansas State 0
8/30/14 – Arizona 3, Kansas State 0
8/26/16 – Kansas State 3, Arizona 1
11/6/24 – Kansas State 3, Arizona 0

SCOUTING #8 ARIZONA STATE

Arizona State, the defending Big 12 Champion, closed out the Sun Devil Classic with three-straight sweeps to wrap up non-conference play. The Sun Devils are undefeated against unranked opponents in non-conference play during head coach JJ Van Niel's three seasons.
Heading into the conference slate this week, ASU has won 16-straight Big 12 matches – the fifth-longest conference win streak in the nation. The Sun Devils finished their first season in the Big 12 17-1, suffering their lone league loss at TCU.
ASU leads the league and ranks 14^th in the nation in blocks per set (2.84), earning double-digit blocks in five matches.
Middle blockers Ella Lomigora and Colby Neal are both ranked nationally in blocks per set (1.38) at No. 39 and 40, respectively. Lomigora leads the team in total blocks with 51.
Bailey Miller leads the team in kills with 125 (3.38 kills/set) while Faith Frame leads in digs with 129 (3.49 digs/set).
ASU was picked third in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll, while outside hitter Noemie Glover and Frame were each selected to the preseason team.

INSIDE THE SERIES

Last season, two Wildcats recorded double-doubles in K-State's four-set loss against then-No. 11 ASU at Desert Financial Arena (22-25, 25-21, 20-25, 23-25).

With the win, ASU tied to the all-time series 1-1, while taking a 1-0 lead in Big 12 matches.

Match Results
9/5/08 – Kansas State 3, Arizona State
11/8/24 – Arizona State 3, Kansas State 1

LAST TIME OUT

K-State won in five sets Friday night, 25-20, 21-25, 15-25, 25-22, 15-10, featuring 37 tie scores and 14 lead changes. Set 4 had 15 tie scores and 10 lead changes.
Cats hit .225 (66 kills, 28 errors) against the Pirates .235 (54 kills, 19 errors).
The Wildcats held a 7-6 edge in service aces, led by three from Emerson Van Lannen and Myers.
Three Wildcats eclipsed the 10-kill mark led by Myers (23), followed by Clinton (20) and Reagan Fox (10).
ECU out-blocked K-State, 13.0-8.0, while the Wildcats held a 65-61 edge in dig production.
Four different players registered a block for K-State, with three recording multiple – Williams (5), LeGrand (4), Myers (3).
LeGrand turned in her second double-double of the season with 49 assists and 22 digs – setting career-bests in both categories – while Sims added 21 digs.
Saturday marked the first meeting between the two squads in program history.

HOME SWEET HOME

K-State began its home schedule 4-0 for the first time since 2022.
In four home matches this season, the Wildcats are hitting an incredible .340 paced by LeGrand with 11.42 assists per set.
The defense is opponents to a .088 team efficiency, led by Schmidt and Williams, who average over one block a set, while Sims notches 3.17 digs/set.
Myers is averaging 4.92 kills per set at home at a .381 clip, while Williams is hitting a team-best .524 with 2.08 kills/set.
Clinton adds 3.83 kills per set, and is second with
The Cats have served up 39 aces at home, with Sims accounting for seven of them and four coming from LeGrand.
Opponents racked up just 21 service aces at Morgan Family Arena against the Wildcats.
The Cats are 18-12 when playing at Morgan Family Arena, since its opening in 2023, while they are 422-220-5 overall. K-State boasts a 65.6 home winning percentage.
K-State started off the season at home for the first time since 2022 and first under head coach Jason Mansfield.

MYERS MAYHEM

Myers led the Wildcats to a 2-0 week, recording a Conference-leading 5.00 kills per set for the week.
The outside hitter helped K-State take down then-No. 25 North Carolina as she became the sixth player in K-State's rally-scoring era to record 27 kills in a single match.
She added another 23 kills against East Carolina to give her double-digit kills in seven of the Wildcats' eight matches this season.
For the week, Myers totaled 57.5 points on 50 kills, five aces, four blocks, nine digs, and a .349 hitting efficiency on 106 swings.
The senior leads the Big 12 and sits at No. 6 nationally in both kills per set (4.96) and points per set (5.54) for the 2025 season.
It is the Lincoln, Nebraska native's first Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week award and second Conference weekly accolade of her career. She was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week on Oct. 4, 2022.

SENIOR STACKED

K-State's four seniors are leading the team in nearly every major statistical category.
Myers paces the offense with 139 total kills, 4.96 kills per set, 155.0 points, and 5.54 points per set.
LeGrand averages 10.07 assists per set and leads the team in service aces (11).
Middle blocker duo Brenna Schmidt and Jordyn Williams have combined for 55 total blocks. Schmidt leads with 30 blocks (1.20 per set), followed by Williams with 25 (1.09 per set).

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 28 sets, tallying 47 digs (1.68 digs/set), with three service aces.
Cadence Lundgren, a middle blocker from Bozeman, Montana, is one of three Wildcats to average over one block a set. The freshman has 11 total blocks, including two solo to go with five kills.
Redshirt freshman Emerson Van Lannen is third on the team in service aces, recording a season-high three against East Carolina (Sept. 20).

Wildcats Host Arizona, #8 Arizona State to Open Big 12 Play

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Aniya Clinton

Reagan Fox

Ava LeGrand

Cadence Lundgren

Shaylee Myers

Caleigh Ponn

Brenna Schmidt

Emerson Van Lannen

Jordyn Williams

Kansas State University Athletics

Wildcats Host Arizona, #8 Arizona State to Open Big 12 Play

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Aniya Clinton

Reagan Fox

Ava LeGrand

Cadence Lundgren

Shaylee Myers

Caleigh Ponn

Brenna Schmidt

Emerson Van Lannen

Jordyn Williams

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