
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State plays host to TCU at Bramlage Coliseum for a Saturday-night showdown in Manhattan, Kansas. The Big 12 teams face off at 6:30 p.m.
The Wildcats (11-7, 2-3 Big 12) are coming off a straight-set defeat at #1 Texas on Wednesday night.
In the match, junior middle blocker Kayde Fernholz led the Cats for the first time this season with eight kills at a .333 clip. Senior setter Loren Hinkle was one dig shy of her second double-double for the season (24 assists, nine digs).
TCU (8-9, 3-3 Big 12), took a hard 0-3 loss on Wednesday at Kansas. TCU is 0-4 on the road for the year and enters Saturday one place ahead of K-State in the Big 12 conference standings.
The Wildcats lead the all-time series 13-7, which began when TCU joined the Big 12 in 2012. The Cats are 8-2 at home against the Horned Frogs while head coach Suzie Fritz is 13-7 in her career against TCU.
Saturday's match will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Fans can also listen to Rob Voelker on News Radio KMAN (93.3FM) with online audio available at K-StateSports.com/watch and the K-State Sports app.
MATCH #19
K-STATE (11-7, 2-3 BIG 12) vs TCU (8-9, 3-3 BIG 12)
Saturday, Oct. 15 // 6:30 p.m. // Bramlage Coliseum // Manhattan, Kansas
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // ESPN app
Radio: News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM) // Rob Voelker
Listen: K-StateSports.com/watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats
K-STATE AT A GLANCE
- K-State hosts TCU at Bramlage Coliseum for a Saturday-night showdown in Manhattan, Kansas.
- The Wildcats are coming off a straight-set defeat at No. 1 Texas on Wednesday night.
- Against the Longhorns, Kayde Fernholz led the Wildcats for the first time this season with eight kills (.333).
- Sydney Bolding produced the highest hitting percentage for the Cats at .417 (six kills).
- At UT, Loren Hinkle was one dig short of her second double-double (24 assists, nine digs).
- Bolding and Molly Ramsey each tallied a service ace.
- K-State tallied season-lows in kills (29) and blocks (4) against Texas.
- Morris has turned in at least 15 digs in five of the last six matches and holds sole possession of third place in K-State history with 17 20-dig matches in her career (rally-scoring era).
- The three-set loss was just the second of the season (also at Texas Tech on Sept. 28).
- The Wildcats have not lost in straight sets at home this season.
- Fernholz led both teams with six blocks Sunday, earning at least five blocks in five of her last seven matches.
- K-State sits fourth in the Big 12 with 174.5 blocks and third with a 2.64 per set average.
- The eight three-set wins tie the most by the Wildcats since eight during the 2018 season.
- Against Iowa State, Myers averaged 4.50 kills per set and was tabbed Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Oct. 04.
- It marked the first honor of Myers' career and the first conference weekly award by any Wildcat this season.
SCOUTING TCU
- TCU (8-9, 3-3 Big 12) enters Saturday one place ahead of K-State in the Big 12 standings
- The Horned Frogs were swept by KU on Wednesday in Lawrence.
- TCU is 0-4 on the road and also dropped to #1 Texas (Oct. 5) and #14 Baylor (Sept. 21).
- TCU's three conference wins were all at home against Iowa State (3-1), West Virginia (3-2), and Texas Tech (3-1).
- Audrey Nalls spearheads the Horned Frogs' offense with 3.65 kills per set (237) and 4.02 points per set (261.5).
- The senior also leads the team with four double-doubles this season.
- Nalls and Julia Adams rank sixth and eighth in the Big 12 with 3.65 and 3.52 kills per set.
- Callie Williams' 8.58 assists per set tops the TCU offense while coming in at seventh in the Big 12.
- Williams leads the Horned Frogs with 15 service aces and 144 digs.
- Sarah Sylvester posts a 1.14 block average to sit sixth in the conference and lead the Horned Frogs.
- TCU ranks eighth in the conference with a team .211 hitting percentage (861 kills).
- Their opponent's hitting percentage is the highest in the Big 12 at .227.
- TCU has collected 13.05 kills per set, ranking fourth in the conference.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- K-State leads the all-time series 13-7, which began when TCU joined the Big 12 in 2012.
- The Wildcats are 8-2 at home against the Horned Frogs, with the last victory coming in 2020 (3-2).
- The two teams split the series in 2021 where TCU took a 3-1 home win (10/21/21).
- K-State's last win against the Horned Frogs came last season on a road sweep (10/22/21).
- TCU's last win in Manhattan, Kansas, was in 2018 (3-1).
- Head coach Suzie Fritz is 13-7 in her career against TCU.
MORRIS' MILESTONE
- With her 20 digs Saturday against Kansas, K-State junior libero Mackenzie Morris joined the 1,000-digs club.
- She became the seventh Wildcat to play her entire career in the rally-scoring era to reach career dig No. 1,000.
- Additionally, Morris is the fastest player in program history (rally-scoring era) to reach the milestone, doing so in just 63 matches.
- Earlier this season, Morris set a career-high with 25 digs against UCF and has now produced three straight 20-dig outings - the longest such stretch of her career.
- Morris has carded at least 15 digs in six of her last seven matches.
- The junior was held to her lowest output against the Longhorns with six digs.
- Her 22 digs against Iowa State equaled the highest total in a three-set match in the Big 12 this season (Zoe Fleck, Texas).
- The Dallas native now owns 17 career matches with at least 20 digs, as she now has sole possession of third place in program history.
- At 4.52 digs per set, she is currently one of just two players in the rally-scoring era to average over 4.00 digs per set (Angie Lastra, 4.37).
- Morris is one of just four active players in the Big 12 with at least 1,000 career digs (third among active Big 12 athletes).
ACE ACE BABY
- After 2 aces against Texas Wednesday, K-State has racked up 121 service aces, ranking first in the Big 12 and tied for 38th nationally.
- Additionally, the team's 1.83 aces-per-set average is 34th nationally and best in the conference.
- Sydney Bolding, with one ace against the Longhorns, has taken over as the team leader with 28 aces.
- Bolding has seven matches with multiple aces and has equaled her career high of four aces three times this season.
- The senior has at least one ace in the last five matches to help her sit fourth in the Big 12 ranks with a 0.44 average.
- Elena Baka is second on the team and sixth in the league with 24 aces while Loren Hinkle is ninth at 17 aces.
- Six times the Cats have eclipsed the 10-ace mark, including in back-to-back matches at the UCF Challenge with 11 against Syracuse and a season-high 12 vs. North Florida.
- The 12 aces were the most in a three-set match since the 2007 season and were tied for fourth-most in the rally-scoring era.
- It was the first time K-State produced back-to-back matches with at least 10 aces since 2007.
- Last season, K-State finished with 10 or more aces just twice.
- Additionally, the six matches with 10 or more aces are the most since a rally- scoring-record seven matches in 2007.
BAKA BREAKS THROUGH
- Senior transfer Elena Baka has had an immediate impact through 18 matches with the Wildcats.
- Playing six rotations, Baka leads the team in total kills with 182 to go with 24 aces.
- The Saint Mary's transfer set a career- high with 19 kills against UCF on
the way to her second straight all- tournament team selection. - Baka has led K-State in kills six times this season and finished as the team leader in digs twice.
- She has a team-leading six double- doubles on the season and has turned in a double-double in three of her last six matches.
- Her 24 aces are sixth-most in the Big 12, as she has served up multiple aces eight times - including in each of K-State's first five contests.
BOLD BOLDING
- Senior middle blocker Sydney Bolding is off to a fast start for K-State in 2022, averaging 2.02 kills per set with 1.27 blocks per set and 28 aces.
- The senior's hitting .332 hitting percentage tops the Wildcats for the season.
- Bolding three times has produced four aces this season, including in K-State's conference match against Iowa State and four coming in the first set alone against St. Thomas.
- The four aces matched a career high,
as she has seven matches with multiple aces this season (two such matches last season). - Her 28 aces are the most by a Wildcat middle blocker since Zsofia Gyimes' 31 in 2018.
- The record for a K-State middle blocker in the rally-scoring era is 37 aces, done by Lauren Goehring (2001) and Kaitlynn Pelger (2013).
- She was named to the Rambler Challenge All-Tournament Team, her second all-tournament team selection after also being voted to the K-State Invitational All-Tournament Team.
- Bolding, who missed the first three weeks of the 2021 season due to injury, turned in a season-high eight blocks against Kansas City.
- The Pickens, South Carolina, product has eclipsed double-figure kills six times this season and has hit .350 or better eight times, including a career-best .588 at Rice.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- K-State has won the opening set in 13 of 18 outings to begin the campaign, going 10-3 in those matches.
- The Wildcats are unbeaten (9-0) when hitting at a higher hitting percentage and are 9-1 when producing more kills than their opponents.
- Additionally, the Cats have won all nine matches in which they have limited their opponents to a hitting efficiency under .200.
- The Wildcats' 3-0 over Kansas City marked the 200th sweep under head coach Suzie Fritz.
- Fritz collected her 200th career home win against Missouri on Sept. 7 and is 13 away from her 400th career win at the helm of the Wildcats.