Kansas Volleyball Travels to Colorado for Televised Match

Nov. 3, 2009

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Kansas at Colorado Game Notes

Following a three-match homestand, the Kansas volleyball team (12-10, 4-8 Big 12) will hit the road for the first time in two weeks when it travels to Colorado (6-16, 1-12 Big 12) on Wednesday, Nov. 4. First serve is scheduled for 8:07 p.m. CST and will be televised regionally on FSN Rocky Mountain. Drew Gooden will be calling the action, while former Colorado volleyball coach Pii Aiu will be the color analyst and Alanna Rizzo is the sideline reporter.

Free live stats will be available on the KU Athletics website at www.KUAthletics.com.

Quick Hits

» KU is 2-0 in its last two conference road matches.

» The Jayhawks are 6-3 in matches following a loss this season.

» Kansas has hit over .200 in each of its last five matches and is averaging a .258 attack percentage in its last three contests.

» The Jayhawks are coming off their third 60-plus kill game of the season after collecting 62 versus Texas A&M. KU had a season-best 76 kills vs. Oklahoma on 9/23 and 60 vs. Creighton on 9/5.

» Following back-to-back sweeps at Kansas State and Texas Tech, Kansas recorded its first consecutive Big 12 Conference road sweeps in program history.

About Kansas

Kansas is 12-10 overall and 4-8 in the Big 12 following a four-set loss to then-No. 25 Texas A&M on Saturday. Junior Karina Garlington continues to pace the Jayhawk offense with the league’s fifth-best average of 3.48 kps. Since the start of conference play however, sophomore Allison Mayfield has been the team’s go-to hitter as she averages 3.62 kps, fifth in the league. Also stepping up play during Big 12 action has been senior middle blocker Brittany Williams, whose .353 attack percentage ranks third among conference players. Working behind the scenes to guide the KU offense, which is sixth in Big 12-only contests in attack percentage, assists and kills, is sophomore setter Nicole Tate. Her season average of 11.12 aps is third-best in the league and also ranks 24th nationally. Defensively, the Jayhawks are led by junior libero Melissa Manda’s 4.16 dps. Since the start of conference play, Manda is even better at 4.48 dps.

Series Information

Colorado leads Kansas 34-13 in the all-time series history, including a 19-3 record in Boulder. The Jayhawks are 10-12 versus the Buffaloes under head coach Ray Bechard and have won three of the last four meetings. KU’s three victories at CU occurred in 2007, 2005 and 2002. 2007 and 2002 are also the only seasons Kansas has swept the series with Colorado.

Things are Twice as Nice for Tate

Not only has setter Nicole Tate been the guiding force behind the KU offense, but the sophomore has also been an important piece to the Jayhawks’ defense. Tate leads Kansas with 10 double-doubles so far this season and is coming off her third-straight DD following Saturday’s match versus Texas A&M. The St. Louis, Mo., native is currently ranked 24th in the nation averaging 11.12 aps, while her 2.55 dps is second-best on the team.

Homecoming

Karina Garlington will be making a trip back home when the team travels to Colorado as KU’s junior outside hitter is a native of Denver, Colo. Garlington plays well against her home state averaging 3.86 kps in five matches versus the Buffs.

Televised Matches

The Jayhawks’ match at Colorado on Wednesday is KU’s second televised contest this season. Kansas also made an appearance on TV in its match at Nebraska on Oct. 7, which was aired on Nebraska Education Television (NET).

Up Next

The Jayhawks are next in action on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Oklahoma. Match time has been rescheduled for a 2 p.m. start. From there, Kansas returns to Lawrence to host in-state rival Kansas State on Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m.