Kansas Wraps Up Season Against In-State Rival

Nov. 24, 2006

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Kansas volleyball plays its season finale Saturday afternoon against Sunflower State rival Kansas State. The Jayhawks (10-18, 3-16 Big 12 Conference) and Wildcats (11-18, 3-16) will face off at 2 p.m. at Ahearn Field House in Manhattan, Kan. Live stats, a recap and box score for the match can be found here.

About the Jayhawks
The Jayhawks (10-18, 3-16) are averaging 15.60 kills and 14.47 assists per game, which rank sixth and fifth in the Big 12, respectively. Senior outside hitter Jana Correa paces a balanced KU offense with 3.84 kills per game — good for ninth in the league — and has recorded 14 or more kills in 16 matches this year. This season, Correa became the ninth Jayhawk in school history to record 1,000 kills for her career and currently ranks sixth on the KU all-time list. Junior right side hitter Emily Brown (3.41 kpg/2.75 dpg), a threat in all six rotations, and sophomore middle blocker Savannah Noyes (3.23 kpg) round out the top KU hitters. Redshirt freshman setter Katie Martincich averages 11.73 assists per game, which ranks eighth in the league. KU’s defense features senior libero Jamie Mathewson (3.65 dpg) and five Jayhawks who average 2.18 or more digs per game. KU also gets a boost from rookie middle blocker Brittany Williams (2.30 kpg), who replaced injured Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Natalie Uhart.

Scouting the Wildcats
Kansas State (11-18, 3-16) defeated Texas Tech, 3-1, Wednesday night to move into a tie for 10th place with Kansas in the league standings. Despite a 10-match losing streak that extended from Sept. 9 to Oct. 4 and a five-match skid from Oct. 21 to Nov. 4, K-State has won two of its last four Big 12 contests. The Wildcats have been paced by senior outside hitter Sandy Werner and sophomore middle blocker Megan Kroeker. Werner leads K-State with 3.44 kills per game while Kroeker adds 2.77 kpg on a team-best .301 hitting efficiency and 1.36 blocks per game, good for sixth in the league. Providing solid back row defense this season has been junior libero Angie Lastra, who ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 4.18 digs per game. Lastra has 178 kills (3.79 kpg) on a .160 hitting percentage with 130 digs (2.77 dpg) and six double-doubles since moving from libero to the outside hitter position full-time on Oct. 11 (at Kansas). Junior setter Stacey Spiegelberg dishes 12.41 assists per game, which ranks seventh in the league.

The KU-K-State Series
The Wildcats lead the all-time series against KU, 52-34. The Jayhawks have won the last two meetings — four-game wins in Lawrence on Oct. 11 and in Manhattan on Nov. 5, 2005, for their first victory over KSU since 1994. KU head coach Ray Bechard is 2-15 against K-State while Wildcat coach Suzie Fritz is 9-2 against the Jayhawks.

Five Seniors to Play Career Finale
Saturday’s match at Kansas State marks the season finale of five Jayhawk seniors — Jana Correa, Megan Hill, Jamie Mathewson, Linsey Morningstar and Dani Wittman. Leading the group is Correa, who will finish her career among the top 10 offensive leaders in Kansas program history. As a class, the seniors have helped Kansas to three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, totaled 66 wins and taken the Jayhawks to two of their best seasons in program history.

Match Notes in PDF Format
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