Kansas State University Athletics
Friday, September 5
Manhattan, Kan.
12 p.m.
Kansas State University
4-0,0-0Big 12
3
vs
0
Nevada
1-4,0-0Mountain West
1
2
3
F
Nevada
19
15
13
0
Kansas St.
25
25
25
3
Wildcats Cruise to Historic Start with Sweep of Nevada
Sep 05, 2025 | Volleyball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State stretched its winning streak to four Friday afternoon, rolling to a straight-set victory over Nevada, 25-19, 25-15, 25-13, to claim the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Classic title at Morgan Family Arena.
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With a sweep over Nevada (1-4), K-State extended its season-opening dominance to 12 straight set victories, marking the longest set-win start in program history. The Wildcats (4-0) have yet to allow an opponent more than 21 points in a set this season, while holding opponents to an overall .088 hitting percentage.
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Alongside Colorado and Iowa State, K-State stands as one of only three Big 12 programs without a set loss in 2025. The victory also lifted the Wildcats to a 4-0 start for the second time under head coach Jason Mansfield, and the first since his inaugural season in 2023.
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Three Wildcats earned all-tournament honors, as middle blocker Jordyn Williams, outside hitter/opposite Shaylee Myers, and setter Ava LeGrand were each recognized for their standout performances.
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LeGrand, a senior from Papillion, Nebraska, was named Tournament MVP after orchestrating an offense that hit .330 on the week, handing out 66 assists. Myers led all players with 24 kills (4.00 per set) while hitting .315 and adding 12 digs, while Williams turned in eight blocks to go with 11 kills on a .500 hitting percentage.
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Additional standout performances came from Aniya Clinton with 24 kills on a .298 hitting efficiency, Brenna Schmidt with a team-high nine blocks, and Symone Sims, who paced the defense with 22 digs (3.67 per set).
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Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Classic Champion
Kansas State
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All-Tournament Team (Name, Position, Team)
Ava LeGrand, S, K-State – MVP
Shaylee Myers, OH/OPP, K-State
Jordyn Williams, MB, K-State
Courtney Bryant, OH, NC State
Rebecca Ring, OH, NC State
Haylee Brown, OH, Nevada
Audrey Jensen, S, Nevada
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FROM THE CATS
JASON MANSFIELD, K-STATE HEAD COACH
Overall comments…
"It's been wonderful to play at home and start the season here. Obviously, success is always the goal, but I'm really proud of the girls for locking in on each match. These four matches in nine days have gone by so fast, but every day we focused on preparing for the next opponent the best we could without looking too far ahead. Starting with Steve Astor, Kelly O'Connor, and Andrew Mabry, our staff did a phenomenal job scouting teams we didn't know much about early in the season and preparing the girls in that way. Ultimately, it's up to the players to be ready, and they've done that. It was also great to get some younger players into the match today – girls who have been working hard and playing well in practice. The trust within this group has been building over the last couple of years, and especially since the spring when a lot of them started playing together. To see that carry over into the season is really exciting."
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On the offense finding their momentum…
"When the offense is clicking for us, like it was today and a couple of times before, we have great hitters. We have a great setter in Ava [LeGrand] who can distribute the ball, and we want to be a balanced offense. Shaylee [Myers] had an unbelievable match today, and so did Aniya [Clinton]. We also want Brenna [Schmidt], Jordyn [Williams], Reagan [Fox], and the other girls to get involved. We want to be the type of team where you don't know who's going to get set. Passing the ball well is key to making that happen. The offense's performance today is something that will hopefully make matches go quicker in our favor."
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AVA LEGRAND, SENIOR SETTER
On the team's overall success…
"I'm not really too surprised. I'm more proud of everyone, especially with this being a noon game –it's been a fast morning, and we could have easily taken it for granted. I'm really proud of everyone, all the girls who went into the game, and everyone was prepared and dialed in. I think that's something really special about our team. We can count on everyone to do what's right and do their best."
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SHAYLEE MYERS, SENIOR OUTSIDE HITTER
On defying preseason standings…
"I think we're just trying to prove it to ourselves. I don't think any of us really hang on to what we're ranked, because we know who we are, and we know what we can be. Personally, I try not to let outside voices take over my focus. I'm trying to do this for the girls, for myself and for the program. Thinking about it that way, I feel it helps a lot, and I think it's a lot less about trying to prove others wrong, and just focusing more on ourselves. Now we're looking towards the future, we want this program to be the best it can be, and we want to help be that reason and start this culture."
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SET-BY-SET
Set 1 – K-State 25, Nevada 19
Set 2 – K-State 25, Nevada 15
Set 3 – K-State 25, Nevada 13
INSIDE THE BOX
BEYOND THE BOX
UP NEXT
K-State will open its road slate of the 2025 schedule Thursday, September 11 at the Thunderdome Classic in Santa Barbara, California, hosted by UC Santa Barbara. The Cats face the Gauchos (Sept. 11) and Northern Colorado (Sept. 12).
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With a sweep over Nevada (1-4), K-State extended its season-opening dominance to 12 straight set victories, marking the longest set-win start in program history. The Wildcats (4-0) have yet to allow an opponent more than 21 points in a set this season, while holding opponents to an overall .088 hitting percentage.
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Alongside Colorado and Iowa State, K-State stands as one of only three Big 12 programs without a set loss in 2025. The victory also lifted the Wildcats to a 4-0 start for the second time under head coach Jason Mansfield, and the first since his inaugural season in 2023.
Â
Three Wildcats earned all-tournament honors, as middle blocker Jordyn Williams, outside hitter/opposite Shaylee Myers, and setter Ava LeGrand were each recognized for their standout performances.
Â
LeGrand, a senior from Papillion, Nebraska, was named Tournament MVP after orchestrating an offense that hit .330 on the week, handing out 66 assists. Myers led all players with 24 kills (4.00 per set) while hitting .315 and adding 12 digs, while Williams turned in eight blocks to go with 11 kills on a .500 hitting percentage.
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Additional standout performances came from Aniya Clinton with 24 kills on a .298 hitting efficiency, Brenna Schmidt with a team-high nine blocks, and Symone Sims, who paced the defense with 22 digs (3.67 per set).
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Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Classic Champion
Kansas State
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All-Tournament Team (Name, Position, Team)
Ava LeGrand, S, K-State – MVP
Shaylee Myers, OH/OPP, K-State
Jordyn Williams, MB, K-State
Courtney Bryant, OH, NC State
Rebecca Ring, OH, NC State
Haylee Brown, OH, Nevada
Audrey Jensen, S, Nevada
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FROM THE CATS
JASON MANSFIELD, K-STATE HEAD COACH
Overall comments…
"It's been wonderful to play at home and start the season here. Obviously, success is always the goal, but I'm really proud of the girls for locking in on each match. These four matches in nine days have gone by so fast, but every day we focused on preparing for the next opponent the best we could without looking too far ahead. Starting with Steve Astor, Kelly O'Connor, and Andrew Mabry, our staff did a phenomenal job scouting teams we didn't know much about early in the season and preparing the girls in that way. Ultimately, it's up to the players to be ready, and they've done that. It was also great to get some younger players into the match today – girls who have been working hard and playing well in practice. The trust within this group has been building over the last couple of years, and especially since the spring when a lot of them started playing together. To see that carry over into the season is really exciting."
Â
On the offense finding their momentum…
"When the offense is clicking for us, like it was today and a couple of times before, we have great hitters. We have a great setter in Ava [LeGrand] who can distribute the ball, and we want to be a balanced offense. Shaylee [Myers] had an unbelievable match today, and so did Aniya [Clinton]. We also want Brenna [Schmidt], Jordyn [Williams], Reagan [Fox], and the other girls to get involved. We want to be the type of team where you don't know who's going to get set. Passing the ball well is key to making that happen. The offense's performance today is something that will hopefully make matches go quicker in our favor."
Â
AVA LEGRAND, SENIOR SETTER
On the team's overall success…
"I'm not really too surprised. I'm more proud of everyone, especially with this being a noon game –it's been a fast morning, and we could have easily taken it for granted. I'm really proud of everyone, all the girls who went into the game, and everyone was prepared and dialed in. I think that's something really special about our team. We can count on everyone to do what's right and do their best."
Â
SHAYLEE MYERS, SENIOR OUTSIDE HITTER
On defying preseason standings…
"I think we're just trying to prove it to ourselves. I don't think any of us really hang on to what we're ranked, because we know who we are, and we know what we can be. Personally, I try not to let outside voices take over my focus. I'm trying to do this for the girls, for myself and for the program. Thinking about it that way, I feel it helps a lot, and I think it's a lot less about trying to prove others wrong, and just focusing more on ourselves. Now we're looking towards the future, we want this program to be the best it can be, and we want to help be that reason and start this culture."
Â
SET-BY-SET
Set 1 – K-State 25, Nevada 19
- After back-and-forth action, the Wildcats settled into a rhythm and utilized a 4-0 scoring run to take a six-point lead, 15-9, to set the tone of set one.
- K-State hit at a .462 efficiency with 13 kills and one error on 26 attempts, while the defense out-blocked Nevada, 4.0-0.0.
- Myers led all players with five kills (.625), while LeGrand paced the offense with 10 assists.
- Nevada produced a .310 hitting percentage, led by nine combined kills from Brown and Herr.
Set 2 – K-State 25, Nevada 15
- The Wildcats hit .357 with 15 kills (5 errors, 28 swings), while the defense held the Wolf Pack to a .000 hitting efficiency (8 kills, 8 errors).
- Clinton led both squads in Set 2, registering seven kills with two blocks, followed by Myers with four kills.
- Five different Wildcats recorded a block in the set, as K-State held a 3.0-1.0 advantage in block production.
Set 3 – K-State 25, Nevada 13
- Myers capped Set 3 swinging .545 with six kills, while LeGrand paced an offense that hit .500 (17 kills, 2 errors) with 11 assists.
- Defensively, the Cats held Nevada to a .095 hitting percentage (5 kills, 3 errors) with a pair of blocks from Schmidt and LeGrand.
INSIDE THE BOX
- K-State swept past Nevada – 25-19, 25-15, 25-13.
- Two Wildcats eclipsed the 10-kill mark: Shaylee Myers (15) and Aniya Clinton (10).
- Myers hit at an incredible .652 efficiency with 15 kills on 23 swings with no errors.
- Ava LeGrand passed an offense that hit .440 (45 kills,8 errors), as she dished out 33 assists with no set errors. She added five digs, three kills and two blocks.
- K-State out-blocked Nevada 9.0-1.0, led by five blocks from Jordyn Williams (1 solo, 4 assists) and followed by Reagan Fox and Brenna Schmidt each with three block assists.
- The defense held Nevada to a .145 hitting percentage with a 30-23 advantage in dig production, as four different players turned in five or more digs, led by Symone Sims accounting for eight.
- Five Wildcats recorded a service ace in the win.
BEYOND THE BOX
- With the sweep over Nevada, K-State has won 12 consecutive sets to start of the season – marking the longest set-win start in program history.
- Myers turned in her 27th career 10-plus kill match, followed by Clinton with her 24th.
- Ponn earned her first collegiate start as a libero, while true freshmen Lauren Latham, Avery Stones and Cadence Lundgren made their collegiate debut.
- K-State has not allowed an opponent to score over 21 points in a set this season.
- K-State, Colorado and Iowa State are the only three programs from the Big 12 Conference's 15-team league without a set-loss in 2025.
- Friday's victory marked the first meeting between K-State and Nevada in the program's history.
- K-State improves to a 4-0 start to the year for the second time under Mansfield – first since his inaugural year in 2023.
- Eight teams remain undefeated in the Big 12, with six boasting perfect 4-0 records.
- At home, K-State 18-12 under Mansfield and 422-220-5 overall.
- The K-State record for most consecutive sets won is 23 set in 2012, that ran from August 25-September 13.
UP NEXT
K-State will open its road slate of the 2025 schedule Thursday, September 11 at the Thunderdome Classic in Santa Barbara, California, hosted by UC Santa Barbara. The Cats face the Gauchos (Sept. 11) and Northern Colorado (Sept. 12).
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– k-statesports.com –
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How to follow the Cats: For complete information on the K-State Volleyball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
– k-statesports.com –
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How to follow the Cats: For complete information on the K-State Volleyball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
Team Stats
Nevada
KState
Kills
26
45
Errors
15
8
Attempts
76
84
Hitting %
.145
.440
Points
29.0
59.0
Assists
26
40
Aces
2
5
Blocks
1
9
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
1
Blocks
5
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
OH/OPP
/ Volleyball
OH/OPP
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOH/OPP
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
OH/OPP
/ VolleyballMB
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