Thursday, October 15
Manhattan, Kan.
6:30 p.m.
Kansas State University
vs
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Kansas
Wildcats, #17 Jayhawks Meet Thursday in Dillons Sunflower Showdown
Oct 14, 2026 | Volleyball
FIRST SERVE
FOLLOW THE CATS
PROMOTIONS
K-STATE AT A GLANCE
SCOUTING #17 KANSAS
INSIDE THE SERIES
LAST FIVE MATCHES
11/4/23: KU 3, K-State 0
10/17/24: KU 3, K-State 2
11/24/24: KU 3, K-State 1
10/24/25: K-State 3, KU 2
11/15/25: KU 3, K-State 0
HOME COOKIN'
KANSAS ROOTS
A CLOSER LOOK
LAST TIME OUT
BEST STARTS
DOUBLE DOWN
WILDCAT LEADERS
Points: Addison Massey (259.5)
Kills: Addison Massey (231)
Hitting Percentage: Cadence Lundgren (.357)
Assists: Emerson Van Lannen (312)
Aces: Emerson Van Lannen (24)
Digs: Fuka Sekita (182)
Blocks: Cadence Lundgren (42)
A WIN WOULD…
AGAINST THE TOP 25
ROOKIE YEAR
CATS VS. THE BIG 12
MANSFIELD ERA
BIG 12 RANKINGS
AROUND THE BIG 12
UP NEXT
- K-State (9-5, 1-5 Big 12) returns to Morgan Family Arena Thursday night for the Dillons Sunflower Showdown against No. 17 Kansas (11-4, 4-1 Big 12).First service is set for 6:30 p.m. CT.
- Thursday's match is the first of two meetings between the programs this season with the second coming on Friday, Oct. 30 in Allen Fieldhouse.
FOLLOW THE CATS
- Thursday's contest can be seen 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).
PROMOTIONS
- Dillons Sunflower Showdown: Wear your K-State gear and pack Morgan Family Arena for the annual Dillons Sunflower Showdown against KU.
K-STATE AT A GLANCE
- K-State (9-5, 1-5) looks to jump back into the win column, entering Thursday's contest on a five-match losing skid. The Wildcats last won in the conference opener on September 24 at UCF.
- Freshman PIN Addison Massey continues to be one of the most dominant players in the Big 12 conference and NCAA, ranking fourth in the league in kills per set (4.36) and points per set (4.90), which is 21st overall in the nation.
- She has earned a spot on the Big 12 Starting Seven twice this season, while Cadence Lundgren joined Massey on the team on September 22.
- With 12 matches left of the regular season, five are against teams featured in the latest AVCA standings along with Baylor, which is receiving votes.
- The Wildcats are 12-21 against Top 25 opponents in the Mansfield era, including a 1-3 mark in 2026.
SCOUTING #17 KANSAS
- The No. 17 Jayhawks (11-4, 4-1 Big 12) is tied for third in the league standings alongside No. 8 Arizona State and Utah.
- As a team, KU leads the Big 12 in total aces (110) and aces per set (2.16), which is good for fourth overall in the nation, while posting the third-best hitting percentage (.285) in the league.
- Defensively, the Jayhawks limit opponents to a .183 hitting percentage, averaging 12.84 digs and 2.42 blocks per set.
- Reese Messer paces the offense and leads the Big 12 in assists per set (10.42), while freshman Taylor Stanley sits atop the league in points per set (5.71) and is second in kills per set (4.75).
- Stanley's 5.71 points per set rank second among all Division I players, only second to Olivia Babcock of Pittsburgh.
- Three players rank within the top-20 in blocks per set: Aisha Aiono (8th – 1.17), Reese Ptacek (17th – 1.04) and Stanley (19th – 0.96).
- After opening up the season 1-3, KU has won 10 of its last 11 games, that includes a 10-game winning streak from September 8 through October 1 with a program-record of 27 consecutive set victories.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- K-State leads the all-time series, 68-63-1, dating back to 1974.
- KU has won nine of the last 10 matches in the series overall, going back to 2021, and has been ranked in the AVCA Top 25 in the last six matchups.
- The Cats are 30-24 at home in the series but have dropped four of the last matches in Manhattan.
- K-State last won at home on October 23, 2019, in five sets.
LAST FIVE MATCHES
11/4/23: KU 3, K-State 0
10/17/24: KU 3, K-State 2
11/24/24: KU 3, K-State 1
10/24/25: K-State 3, KU 2
11/15/25: KU 3, K-State 0
HOME COOKIN'
- K-State posts a 4-3 record at home in 2026, that included a perfect 4-0 record in non-conference games.
- At home, K-State is out-hitting opponents .247-.237 and averaging 13.17 kills per set, led by 4.29 from Massey.
- Van Lannen has recorded 12 of the team's 40 service aces at home, while pacing the offense with 5.96 assists per set.
- Defensively, Sekita is averaging 3.38 digs per set with two reception errors through 122 attempts, while six Wildcats have over 10 blocks at home.
- The Wildcats are 430-228-5 all-time when playing at home.
- Under Mansfield and at Morgan Family Arena, the Cats are 26-20 overall at home, that includes a 16-15 record in Big 12 play.
- In 13 home matches last season, K-State registered four-match win streaks twice, including ranked wins over No. 20 Colorado and No. 21 Baylor.
KANSAS ROOTS
- Thursday's match features six players from the state of Kansas.
- Three Wildcats from the 2026 roster are from Kansas with Alex Klukvin (Olathe), Camdyn Stucky (Wichita) and Tatum Tindall (Manhattan).
- KU's Kansas representatives include Reese Messer (Olathe), Heidi Devers (Olathe), and Taylor Stanley (Overland Park).
A CLOSER LOOK
- Though K-State is 1-5 in Big 12 play, three of those have been against teams that are within the top 35 of RPI.
- The Cats are undefeated (7-0) against teams over the 100 RPI mark.
LAST TIME OUT
- K-State suffered a pair of road losses in week seven at Iowa State and No. 23 Colorado.
- The Wildcats fell to the Cyclones in straight sets – 20-25, 15-25, 18-25 – before ending a seven-set losing streak against the Buffs.
- The Cats jumped out to a 2-0 lead in Boulder but ultimately dropped a hard-fought match in their second five-set match of the season – 25-21, 28-26, 22-25, 22-25, 10-15.
BEST STARTS
- K-State had the second-best start in program history in 2026, going 9-0.
- In 2012, the Wildcats opened the season 12-0 and finished 21-9 overall with a first-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
DOUBLE DOWN
- Freshman PIN Skylar Brady recorded her first collegiate double-double at #23 Colorado (Oct. 11).
- She put down 14 kills with a career-high 12 digs to become the fifth player to post a double-double in 2026.
- Addison Massey leads the way with two double-doubles in 2026, while Emerson Van Lannen, Brady, and Sekita each have one.
WILDCAT LEADERS
Points: Addison Massey (259.5)
Kills: Addison Massey (231)
Hitting Percentage: Cadence Lundgren (.357)
Assists: Emerson Van Lannen (312)
Aces: Emerson Van Lannen (24)
Digs: Fuka Sekita (182)
Blocks: Cadence Lundgren (42)
A WIN WOULD…
- Push K-State back into the win column, ending a five-match losing streak.
- Mark the team's 13th Top-25 win under Mansfield.
- Give the Wildcats their first win in October.
AGAINST THE TOP 25
- K-State topped No. 20 Creighton on the road in week 4 for its 12th victory against a Top 25 opponent in the Mansfield era, while it is the program's 57th overall.
- The Wildcats boast an overall mark of 12-21 in the Mansfield era against Top 25 teams, including a 1-3 record in 2026.
- K-State has recorded seven sweeps over ranked opponents under Mansfield.
- In 2023, K-State set a program record for Top 25 wins in a single season, before achieving the feat against last season.
- Overall, K-State is 57-246 against nationally ranked opponents, that includes an 0-8 record against No.17 teams.
ROOKIE YEAR
- Freshman Addison Massey is the only player to reach the 20-kill mark this season, achieving the feat four times that includes a career-best 25 at No. 23 Colorado (Oct. 11).
- She has led the offense in kills this season in all but one match.
- On the season, Massey ranks fourth in the Big 12 in both kills per set (4.36) and points per set (4.90), while her points per set average ranks 21st overall nationally.
- She is the only player on the 2026 roster to have two career double-doubles.
CATS VS. THE BIG 12
- K-State is off to a 1-5 start in Big 12 play, dropping the last five contests.
- The Wildcats are 29-31 against Big 12 opponents in the Mansfield era.
- K-State tied sixth in the final Big 12 standings in 2025, with a league record of 10-8, finishing in a four-way tie with BYU, TCU, and Arizona, while ranking eighth overall.
- The Cats 294-258 all-time in Big 12 play, while the program boasts an overall conference record of 347-393.
MANSFIELD ERA
- In four seasons, head coach Jason Mansfield boasts a career mark of 53-43 (.552) and owns a 29-31 record in Big 12 action, including 12 wins over Top 25 opponents.
- Mansfield has overseen nine K-State All-Big 12 selections, six All-Region honorees, two All-Americans, one Big 12 All-Rookie Team selection, and the 2025 AVCA Region Player of the Year in Shaylee Myers.
- Mansfield's 2023 and 2025 squads set program records with five top-25 wins.
BIG 12 RANKINGS
- The Wildcats rank fifth in the Big 12 Conference in aces per set (1.55), led by Van Lannen (5th – 0.45 aces per set; 4th – 24 total aces).
- Massey is fourth in points per set (4.90) and kills per set (4.36), while her 231 total kills are good for seventh.
- Cadence Lundgren is 21st in the league in blocks per set (0.95).
AROUND THE BIG 12
- BYU leads the Big 12 standings as the only undefeated team in league action, winning its last 10 matches – the longest win streak in the Big 12.
- TCU and Iowa State follow with 5-1 marks in conference action, while Arizona State, Utah and KU are tied with 4-1 records.
- The Big 12 has five teams in the AVCA/TARAFLEX Division I Women's Volleyball Poll. It is the eighth consecutive week the league has had five or more teams ranked.
- Arizona State leads the Big 12 at No. 8, followed by TCU at No. 10, BYU at No. 14, Kansas at No. 17, and Colorado at No. 25. Baylor and Utah received votes.
- The league has six teams inside the top 25 of the RPI rankings, led by TCU at No. 11.
UP NEXT
- Following the Dillons Sunflower Showdown, K-State will take on Cincinnati (8-7, 1-4 Big 12) on October 22 at Fifth Third Arena in Ohio.
- The Cats will return to Morgan Family Arena on October 25 to host Texas Tech (8-9, 0-5 Big 12).
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Players Mentioned
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MB
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PIN
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OH/OPP
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PIN/MB
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