Jayhawk Volleyball to Face No. 21 Baylor Saturday

Nov. 12, 2009

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Kansas vs. Baylor Game Notes Get Acrobat Reader

Kansas volleyball will look to split its series with Baylor as KU (14-11, 6-9 Big 12) welcomes the 21st-ranked Bears (21-6, 10-6 Big 12) Saturday, Nov. 14 for an 11 a.m. match. KU, which fell to BU earlier this season in Waco, is entering a tough stretch of schedule as Baylor is its first of three-straight ranked opponents.

Fans that bring a non-perishable food item donation to Just Food will be admitted for $3. Fans can also be admitted for $3 by showing their KU-Nebraska football ticket stub. KU’s concession partner, Centerplate, will be offering buy one, get one free hot dogs at the concession stand during the match.

Free live stats as well as video feed (for a fee) will be available on the KU Athletics website at www.KUAthletics.com.

About Kansas

Kansas is coming off its first conference home victory in four matches as it improved to 14-11 overall and 6-9 in the Big 12. Sophomore Allison Mayfield paces Kansas with 3.65 kps and is even better in Big 12 action averaging 3.94 kps to rank fifth in the league. Senior Brittany Williams has also been productive for the KU offense in league matches hitting a team-best .277. Her conference average of 2.06 kps is third behind junior Karina Garlington’s 3.23 kps. Sophomore Nicole Tate continues to drive the offense as her 11.0 aps rank third in the Big 12. In the back court, junior Melissa Manda is tops on the team with 3.95 dps. In the last five outings, Manda has received defensive support from senior Melissa Grieb. Grieb leads the Jayhawks averaging 4.94 dps over the last five matches.

Scouting Baylor

Baylor has won three of its last four contests, including a sweep at then-No. 23 Texas A&M on Nov. 7. The Bears are 21-6 overall and 10-6 in Big 12 matches, including 4-3 in road contests, heading into this weekend’s matchup. As a team, Baylor ranks second in the conference in both hitting percentage (.251) and blocks (2.67 bps). Anna Breyfogle is a key player at the net as she is second in the league with a .358 attack percentage and leads the Big 12 with 1.47 bps. Taylor Barnes is also at the top of the conference rankings leading all Big 12 players with 0.45 aces per set. Allison King ranks fourth in the league averaging 4.58 dps. Katie Sanders is an offensive force leading the Bears with 3.12 kps on the season.

In his sixth season as head coach at Baylor, Jim Barnes is 98-87. He is 261-185 overall in his 14th season of coaching.

Series Information

Baylor leads KU 19-11 in the all-time series history after winning earlier this season in Waco, but KU has an 8-6 advantage at home. The Jayhawks are 6-1 in the last seven matches in Lawrence and won the last meeting in the Horejsi Family Athletics Center, 3-1, in 2008 on KU’s senior night.

Jayhawks Eclipse 2008 Win Total

With Kansas’ victory over K-State on Wednesday, the team eclipsed its number of victories from a year ago and has collected its most victories since 2005. KU finished 15-15 in 2005, also its last trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Sellout

Kansas sold out all 1,300 seats of the Horejsi Family Athletics Center Wednesday night versus Kansas State in the Jayhawks’ second sellout of the 2009 season. KU sold out its match with Creighton earlier in the season on Sept. 4. Kansas has sold out its home match versus the Wildcats in each of the last five seasons. The team has also had at least two sellouts each season since 2005.

Success in Mid-Week Matches

When it comes to KU’s schedule, the team seems to favor mid-week contests over its Saturday matches. Since the start of conference play, the Jayhawks have gone 6-3 in mid-week matches compared to just 1-6 in contests played on Saturdays.

Martincich Eyeing Record Books

Senior Katie Martincich could become the second Jayhawk this season to record her 1,000th career dig. Martincich, who came to KU as a setter but has since evolved into a defensive specialist, currently has 996 digs for her career. With just four more, she could become the 11th Jayhawk in KU history to reach the 1,000 mark. The 5-10 defensive specialist is also on pace to land a spot in the career sets played list as she needs six more sets to crack into the top 10.

Up Next

KU will take on two top 10 teams next week beginning with No. 8 Iowa State on Wednesday, Nov. 18. That match is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in Ames. The Jayhawks then host No. 9 Nebraska on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 6:30 p.m.