MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State will open its Big 12 schedule this week, as the Wildcats host Houston on Wednesday and UCF on Friday at Morgan Family Arena with both matches scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
K-State (2-7, 0-0 Big 12) looks to rebound after a 0-2 showing at the K-State Invitational last weekend to finish its non-conference slate. The Wildcats dropped a pair of three-set matches to UC Santa Barbara and Oklahoma.
Houston finished its non-conference play 5-5, while the Knights (7-2) opened the 2024 schedule with a five-match winning streak. The series between the Cougars and Wildcats is tied 4-4, while the series against UCF is locked at 2-2.
Both matches will air on ESPN+ and the ESPN app, with Brian Smoller and Liz Wegner-Busch on the call.
Single match tickets are available through the K-State Athletics ticket office at 1-800-221-CATS andwww.kstatesports.com/tickets, starting at just $10 when purchased in advance.
MATCH #10
K-STATE (2-7, 0-0 BIG 12) vs. HOUSTON (5-5, 0-0 BIG 12)
Wednesday, Sept. 25 // 6:30 PM CT // Morgan Family Arena
Live Stats // Tickets // ESPN+
MATCH #11
K-STATE (2-7, 0-0 BIG 12) vs. UCF (7-2, 0-0 BIG 12)
Friday, Sept. 27 // 6:30 PM CT // Morgan Family Arena
Live Stats // Tickets // ESPN+
K-STATE AT A GLANCE
- K-State wraps up its six-match homestand this weekend, as the Wildcats open their Big 12 slate with matches against Houston (Sept. 25) and UCF (Sept. 27).
- K-State (2-7, 0-0 Big 12) looks to rebound after a 0-2 showing at the K-State Invitational last weekend to finish its non-conference slate. The Wildcats dropped a pair of three-set matches to UC Santa Barbara and Oklahoma.
- Aniya Clinton was named to the K-State Invitational All-Tournament Team, after leading the Cats' offense with 17 kills during week four.
- K-State senior Aliyah Carter became the rally-scoring career kills leader Sunday, surpassing former Wildcat Kaitlynn Pelger with her 1,512th kill in the first set. She now ranks fourth all-time in K-State history with 1,518.
SCOUTING HOUSTON
- Houston is coming off a sweep over Tennessee State, and finished 5-5 in non-conference play, while the Cougars are 1-1 on the road.
- UH was selected eighth in the Big 12 preseason poll with libero Kate Georgiades unanimously earned a spot on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team.
- Georgiades, a 2023 First Team All-Big 12 selection and reigning Big 12 Libero of the Year, is fifth in the league with 4.29 digs per set.
- Offensively, UH is hitting .220 with two players averaging over three points a set.
- Angela Grieve posts 3.14 kills/set at a .204 clip followed by Katie Corelli at 2.87, while Annie Cookie has a team-best .484 hitting percentage with aces.
- The Cougars have totaled 62.0 blocks, that includes 32.0 from 6-foot-1 middle blocker Barakat Rahmon.
- David Rehr is in his sixth season at the helm of the Cougars' volleyball program, leading Houston to an overall record of 108-49 and two appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- Houston tied the all-time series 4-4 last season with a four-set victory in Houston – 19-25, 29-27, 25-18, 25-11 – snapping K-State's four-match winning streak.
- K-State is 3-2 in matches longer than four-sets and earned a sweep in Manhattan in 2007.
- The Cats are 0-1 against the Cougars in the Mansfield era.
SCOUTING UCF
- UCF enters Big 12 play with an overall 7-2 record. The Knights opened the 2024 schedule with a five-match winning streak under 11th-year head coach Jenny Maurer.
- Maurer has led the Knights to an overall 24-14 record in two seasons at UCF.
- The Knights were picked 11th in the Big 12 preseason coaches' poll.
- UCF is hitting .242 as a team, averaging 13.01 kills per set led by Avah Armour.
- The 6-foot-5 outside hitter leads the Knights with 3.56 points and 3.17 kills a set at a .202 efficiency.
- In a 5-1 offense, Abby Schomers paces the offense that it is hitting .242 with 10.08 assists per set.
- Defensively, the Knights are averaging 14.33 digs led by Chloe Scheer (4.53 digs/set), while Sasha Cohen is averaging 0.89 blocks.
- UCF finished ninth in the final 2023 Big 12 standings, with an 8-10 league record.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- Friday's match marks the fifth meeting between the Wildcats and Knights, and the first in Manhattan since 2014.
- The series is tied 2-2 after UCF picked up a five-set thriller – 25-16, 18-25, 26-24, 16-25, 15-7 – in the first Big 12 matchup between the two schools.
- K-State is 1-2 in five set matches, and owns the only sweep in the series.
KILLER CARTER
- Carter needed just one kill to surpass former Wildcat Kaitlynn Pelger and become the program's kills leader during the rally scoring era.
- The Dubuque, Iowa product achieved the record with her 1,512th kill in the first set.
- She now ranks fourth all-time in K-State history with 1,518.
- Carter's 10 kills against UCSB marked her 19th consecutive match with 10-plus kills.
- With two 20-kill matches following opening weekend, Carter continues her dominance as the rally-scoring 20-kill match leader with 19 and is fourth all-time in school history.
- She also stands alone as the rally-scoring era kills average leader with an average of 3.81.
HOME COOKIN'
- K-State finished 1-3 during its non-conference slate at home, that includes a lone four-set victory over Lipscomb.
- Under Mansfield, K-State is 10-7 overall at home.
- In four home matches this season, the Wildcats are hitting .145 while opponents have produced a .217 team efficiency.
- Carter averages a team-leading 3.57 kills per set with a .111 hitting percentage.
- Brown is hitting a team-best .253 at home with 2.86 kills.
- The Cats have served up 15 aces at home, with Larkin accounting for four of them followed by Gregorski and Szulczewski with three.
- K-State is 414-215-5 all-time when playing at home.
HONOR ROLL
- Clinton earned K-State Invitational All-Tournament honors, finishing with a team-best 17 kills (2.83 per set) and hit at a .343 clip.
- Brown and Carter were each named to the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Classic All-Tournament Team last weekend, as the duo each totaled 33 kills (4.13 per set) to lead the Cats' offense.
- Larkin was tabbed to the Creighton Classi All-Tournament Team, as the product of Maize, Kansas, totaled a team-leading 26 digs (3.71 per set) with three service aces and nine assists.
- Szulczewski received all-tournament recognition at the Stacey Clark Classic held by Purdue. The Wildcats starting setter averaged10.83 assists per set during opening weekend and led the 5-1 offense to a .234 hitting percentage, while adding eight kills, 12 digs, and nine blocks.
- Szulczewski and Carter were named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team, while Carter becomes the first player in school history to earn four Big 12 preseason honors.
AROUND THE BIG 12
- Arizona (11-0) is the last remaining undefeated team in the Big 12 Conference, followed by Arizona State (11-1), Utah (10-1) and KU (10-1) with one loss.
- Five schools were ranked in the AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll following week one action – No. 9 KU, No. 14 Arizona State, No. 17 BYU, No. 19 Baylor, and No. 22 TCU.
- Kansas' Camryn Turner (offensive), Iowa State's Brooke Stonestreet (defensive) and Arizona's Avery Scoggins (rookie) collected Big 12 weekly volleyball accolades for the final full week of non-conference play.