Wildcats Open Big 12 Play in Sunshine State Thursday

MATCH #9
K-STATE (8-0, 0-0 BIG 12) at UCF (8-2, 0-0 BIG 12)
Thursday, September 24 // 5 PM CT // The Venue (Orlando, Fla.)
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats // Tickets

MATCH #10
K-STATE (8-0, 0-0 BIG 12) vs. HOUSTON (7-4, 0-0 BIG 12)
Sunday, September 27 // 2:30 PM CT // Morgan Family Arena (Manhattan, Kan.)
Watch: ESPN+
Promotion: Fort Riley Day
Live Stats // Tickets // Promotions

FIRST SERVE

K-State (8-0) opens Big 12 play on the road as the Wildcats head to the Sunshine State to take on UCF (8-2) at The Venue in Orlando, Fla., with first serve scheduled for 5 p.m. CT.
Following the match against the Knights, the Wildcats will host Houston (7-4) on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at Morgan Family Arena.
Sunday's contest coincides with Fort Riley Day, as the Wildcats honor active-duty members, veterans, and their families.

FOLLOW THE CATS

Both matches will broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Brian Smoller and Liz Wegner-Busch will call all the action for Sunday's contest.
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).

K-STATE AT A GLANCE

K-State, which is receiving votes in the latest AVCA coaches poll, is off to its best start to a season since 2012, going 8-0 in non-conference play as the Big 12's last remaining undefeated team after taking down No. 20 Creighton and Omaha.
It is the second time in program history K-State enters conference play undefeated, joining the 2012 squad.
This season, K-State has dropped just five sets, posting an overall set-clip of 24-5.
Cadence Lundgren and Addison Massey earned spots on the Big 12 Starting Seven for their dominant performances last week.
Lundgren turned in the first 10-block performance since 2024, after totaling 10 in the Cats' four-set upset over Creighton, while Massey put down a season-high 20 kills.
Nine of K-State's 12 attackers contributed a kill last weekend, led by 36 from Massey (4.50/set).
The defense out-blocked opponents 2.13-1.88, while offensively, the Wildcats held a 13-9 advantage in service aces.
K-State improved to 24-12 in non-conference action under head coach Jason Mansfield, including a perfect 10-0 record in the last 10 matches.

SCOUTING UCF

The Knights concluded their non-conference play with an 8-2 record, which included six sweeps and an overall set clip of 26-8.
For the first time since 2022, the Black and Gold recorded four-consecutive sweeps.
Against Power Four opponents, UCF went 2-2, which was highlighted by a pair of sweeps over NC State and Virginia and a 2-1 mark against ACC opponents.
The Knights rank first in the Big 12 after non-conference play in hitting percentage (.334) and third nationally.
That clip is in large part due to the efforts of Sasha Cohen, Ella Chapman, and Natasha Casey, who boast the league's first-, second- and seventh-best hitting percentages.
Casey leads the conference in aces per set (0.88), also ranking second nationally.
As a team, UCF ranks third in the Big 12 in assists per set (13.09), kills per set (14.24) and opponent hitting percentage (.164).

INSIDE THE SERIES

Thursday marks the eighth overall meeting between the two squads and fifth in Big 12 play.
Last season, UCF prevailed in a five-set thriller in Manhattan to take a 4-3 lead in the all-time series.
K-State is 0-3 when playing in Orlando against UCF.

SCOUTING HOUSTON

Houston (7-4) enters Big 12 play after sweeping HCU in its non-conference finale.
Sophomore libero Mattie Casale led the backrow with 12 digs, while Noemi Despaigne recorded 12 kills her for third straight match with double-digit kills.
As a team, Houston is hitting at a .267 clip, averaging 13.78 kills per set while ranking third in the conference with 72 total service aces.
Junior outside hitter Sydney Jones, a transfer from Tennessee, ranks second in the conference in total kills (166) and is fourth in kills per set (4.37).
Casale ranks third in the league in total digs (152) and is seventh in digs per set (3.90).
Houston welcomed 13 newcomers in the offseason, eight of which are transfers.

INSIDE THE SERIES

The series is tied 5-5 after K-State cruised past Houston in three sets last season on the road.
K-State is 3-2 in the last five meetings, while Houston leads 2-1 in Big 12 contests.
The Wildcats are 3-1 when playing Houston in Manhattan.

A WIN WOULD…

Extend K-State's winning streak to nine, marking the longest streak since 2016.
Continue the team's best start to a season since 2012 (12-0).
Mark the first Big 12 opening win since 2019 (3-1, at TCU).
Stretch K-State's win streak to 10 over unranked opponents, dating back to 2025.

WILDCAT LEADERS
Points: Addison Massey (143.0)
Kills: Addison Massey (120)
Hitting Percentage: Ellah Derrer (.412)
Assists: Emerson Van Lannen (176)
Aces: Emerson Van Lannen (20)
Digs: Fuka Sekita (114)
Blocks: Cadence Lundgren (28)

STARTING SEVEN

Two Wildcats earned spots on the Big 12 Starting Seven for their strong performances in Week 4.
Middle blocker Cadence Lundgren led K-State at the net with 14 blocks on the week, including a career-best 10 blocks against Creighton.
She was the only Big 12 player to reach double-digit blocks on the week, averaging 1.75 blocks per set to rank third in the league while her 14 total blocks tied for second.
Addison Massey became the first Wildcat this season to reach the 20-kill mark, recording a collegiate-best 20 kills against the Bluejays to go with a team-high 15 digs for her first career double-double, while adding four blocks.
Over the weekend, she totaled a team-leading 36 kills, 18 digs and five blocks.

MILESTONE WATCH

Fuka Sekita owns 478 digs (364 (UTEP) and is 22 away from 500.
Emerson Van Lannen is two service aces short of her 50^th career ace.

LAST ONE STANDING

K-State is the last remaining undefeated team in the Big 12.
As of September 23, the Wildcats are one of seven Division I programs that are undefeated in 2012.
It is the second time in program history K-State enters conference play with a perfect record, and first since 2012.

CATS VS. THE BIG 12

K-State tied sixth in the final Big 12 standings in 2025, with an league record of 10-8.
The finished in a four-way tie with BYU, TCU, and Arizona, while ranking eighth overall.
The Cats 293-253 all-time in Big 12 play, including a 28-26 record under Mansfield, while the program boasts an overall conference record of 346-388.

ROOKIE YEAR

Freshman Addison Massey became the first Wildcat this season to reach the 20-kill mark, recording a collegiate-best 20 kills against the Bluejays to go with a team-high 15 digs for her first career double-double, while adding four blocks.
Massey's 4.50 kills per set tied for seventh in the Big 12 and 4.94 points per set ranked eighth.
She currently ranks fourth in the league in points per set (4.93) and seventh in kills per set (4.14).

SERVE IT UP

Emerson Van Lannen ranks second in the Big 12 and 11^th nationally in aces per set (0.69), while her 20 total aces are good for third in the league.
She finished second in the team in service aces in 2025 with 28, while leading the Cats with a 0.30 average.
As a team, K-State is fifth in the Big 12 in aces per set (1.79) and 11^th in total aces (52).

IMMEDIATE IMPACT

With a roster that features eight newcomers, a first-year Wildcat and true freshman leads the team in kills (120), kills per set (4.14), points (143) and points per set (4.93).
Massey has led the team in kills in seven of eight matches – all with 10 or more kills performances – that includes a season-high 20 at #20 Creighton (Sept. 18).
In eight matches, transfer Fuka Sekita has led the team in digs in seven of those, including a record-breaking 24 (Sept. 4).
Three of the Cats' top five kill producers are freshman – Massey (1), Skylar Brady (2), Ellah Derrer (5).
Derrer also has a team-leading .412 hitting percentage, while freshman Reese Resmer is second in blocks per set (1.14).

BIG 12 RANKINGS

K-State is the last undefeated team in the Big 12, after Colorado suffered its first loss in Week 4.
The Wildcats boast the league's fifth-best opponent hitting percentage, limiting teams to a .172 efficiency.
The team also ranks fifth in aces per set (1.79) and sixth in digs per set (13.48).

BIG 12 NOTES – WEEK 5

The Big 12 has six teams in the AVCA/TARAFLEX Division I Women's Volleyball Poll for the fifth consecutive week, the second most among all conferences.
Arizona State leads the Big 12 at No. 9, followed by TCU at No. 11, Baylor at No. 17, Kansas at No. 19, Colorado at No. 21 and BYU at No. 22. K-State received votes.
Kansas' Taylor Stanley (offensive and rookie), BYU's Kelli Jo Burgess (defensive) and Baylor's Isabela Haggard (setter) were recognized as the Big 12 Volleyball weekly award winners for Week 4 of the 2026 season.
Kansas' Reese Messer, K-State's Cadence Lundgren and Addison Massey and TCU's Evan Hendrix joined Stanley, Burgess and Haggard on the Big 12 Volleyball Starting Seven for Week Four, which honors strong performances across the league.
K-State is one of seven Division I teams that remain undefeated.

UP NEXT

Following Sunday's contest against Houston, K-State will stay in Manhattan to host BYU (Oct. 1) and Utah (Oct. 3) at Morgan Family Arena.

Schedule

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Skylar Brady

Ellah Derrer

Cadence Lundgren

Addison Massey

Reese Resmer

Fuka Sekita

Emerson Van Lannen

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Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Volleyball versus Houston on Sep 27, 2026 at 2:30 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Volleyball versus BYU on Oct 1, 2026 at 6:30 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Volleyball versus Utah on Oct 3, 2026 at 6:30 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Volleyball at Iowa State on Oct 9, 2026 at 6:30 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Volleyball at Colorado on Oct 11, 2026 at 2 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Volleyball versus Kansas on Oct 15, 2026 at 6:30 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Volleyball at Cincinnati on Oct 22, 2026 at 5:30 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Volleyball versus Texas Tech on Oct 25, 2026 at 1 p.m.

Results

Completed Event: Volleyball at UCF on September 24, 2026 , Win , 3, to, 2

Completed Event: Volleyball at Omaha on September 19, 2026 , Win , 3, to, 1

Completed Event: Volleyball at #20 Creighton on September 18, 2026 , Win , 3, to, 1

Completed Event: Volleyball at Nevada on September 13, 2026 , Win , 3, to, 1

Completed Event: Volleyball versus Weber State on September 11, 2026 , Win , 3, to, 1

Completed Event: Volleyball versus Drake on September 6, 2026 , Win , 3, to, 0

Completed Event: Volleyball versus CSUN vs. Drake on September 5, 2026 , , Drake, 3-2

Completed Event: Volleyball versus CSUN on September 4, 2026 , Win , 3, to, 0