🏐 MATCH PREVIEW: vs Kansas State
LAWRENCE, Kan. – After two matches on the road at TCU and No. 3 Baylor, Kansas returns to the Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena to host Kansas State Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. for the Dillons Sunflower Showdown.
The Jayhawks last played at No. 3 Baylor Wednesday, Nov. 13, falling to the Bears in three sets. Ashley Smith finished with a team-high 10 kills in the match and is the team leader in kills (193) and kills per set (2.47).
Sara Nielsen aided the KU offense with 22 assists against BU and has 713 assists this season. Nielsen is two assists shy of tying Ashley Bechard for 16th in program history for career assists.
Allie Nelson continues her climb through the Kansas record book for career digs and has 1,208 career digs after recording 11 against Baylor. Nelson ranks seventh in program history.
Kansas State last played No. 1 Texas on Wednesday Nov. 13 and dropped the three-set match to the Longhorns. Brynn Carlson led the KSU attack, finishing with nine kills.
Fans can watch the match on the Big 12 Now on ESPN+ or listen to the match on the Jayhawk Radio Network.
MATCH INFORMATION
| Date/Time: | Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. |
| Opponent | Kansas State |
| Location | Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena |
| Listen | Jayhawk Radio Network |
2018 vs KANSAS STATE
- Kansas dropped both matches against K-State during the 2018 season and forced the second meeting to five sets. Prior to the 2018 season, KU had won the previous seven meetings between the two schools.
2019 VS. KANSAS STATE
- Kansas traveled to Manhattan, Kansas for the first edition of the 2019 Dillons Sunflower Showdown Oct. 23. The Jayhawks and Wildcats battled through five sets with KSU winning the meeting. Ashley Smith led the KU attack with 14 kills, while Rachel Langs added 11. Sara Nielsen logged a career-high 46 assists, while Allie Nelson tallied a team-best 19 digs.
OPPONENT PREVIEW: KANSAS STATE
- Kansas State enters the match 8-16 overall and 3-9 in Big 12 play. The Wildcats have lost two-consecutive matches against No. 1 Texas and Iowa Sate. KSU’s last win was against TCU Nov. 2 in four sets.
- The Kansas State attack is led by Brynn Carlson and Anna Dixon. Carlson boasts a team-high 280 kills, while Dixon is the team leader with 2.98 kills per set. Aiding the offense is Sara Dixon, who has a team-best 862 assists and averages 8.71 assists per set.
- The KSU defense is led by Megan Vernon, who averages 1.00 blocks per set and has 92 total blocks this season. Peyton Williams is a close second, averaging 0.86 blocks per set and has 86 blocks this season. Dru Kuck is the team leader with 323 digs this season and averages 3.85 digs per set.
UP NEXT
- Kansas travels to Austin, Texas to play No. 1 Texas in Gregory Gym Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m.
