Wildcats Host Cyclones Wednesday

After a two-match road trip that included sweeps from both Baylor and Texas, the Kansas State volleyball team has returned home for a quick one-match homestand against Iowa State.

First serve for the match is set for Wednesdy at 7 p.m. from Ahearn Field House.

With the two losses in Texas, the Wildcats have extended their losing streak to six straight matches — all of which have been sweeps.

But after returning home, K-State head coach Suzie Fritz says she can draw some positives from the four-day road trip.

"It was a long week," Fritz said. "We learned a lot about ourselves. We had a some success and we had some failures. I think it was a combination of both."

Those positives include an impressive offensive performance in Austin, Texas on Friday. The Wildcats hit .233 against the No. 10 Longhorns, their best performance since they swept Texas A&M in College Station over three weeks ago. The performance was an encouraging sign for the Wildcats, a team looking desperately for a win.

"We felt pretty good about that Texas match," KSU sophomore Kathleen Ludwig said after practice on Monday. "You're going to feel good anytime you play hard and we look at it as a motivator and something to continue to grow on as we get back in Ahearn."

The strong offensive showing against the Longhorns came after a frustrating sweep to Baylor in Waco on Wednesday. The Wildcats hit just .095 on the night, as the Bears ran away with the match easily in three sets.

"We played much better on Friday," Cats' senior JuliAnne Chisholm said. "We played much more as a team. We were clearly a better team Friday night than we were on Wednesday night...

"It's a confidence builder knowing that we can play with a 10th-ranked team in the nation. We had every opportunity in several games to beat them and that means we are right there and we just need to push ourselves over the edge and get over that hump."

In order to get over that hump the Wildcats will need to find a way to get past a feisty Iowa State squad. The Cyclones (15-4, 8-3 Big 12) come into Manhattan as one of the top teams in the nation.

Iowa State has a dangerous attack, led by outside hitter Victoria Henson. The senior and Leavenworth native, averages 4.35 kills per set, ranking first in the Big 12 and 19th nationally.

However Chisholm, who hit for her highest percentage of the year against Texas at .385, is clearly confident that this team is getting closer to closing that gap and finally putting its losing streak to an end.

"We just have to improve," Chisholm said. "If we can just getting a little bit better in the little areas, the whole picture will look better."

Photo- K-State Sports Information

Column: Can Wildcats Turn Their Season Around?

When the Kansas State volleyball team returns home from Texas this Saturday, it will have entered what coachSuzie Fritz refers to as the last leg of the season.

The Wildcats face-off tonight 6:30 against a powerful Texas team, and in doing so enters the second round of Big 12 play.

But if the previous leg of the season was any indication, the Wildcats will most likely return to Manhattan on the heels of another loss. Not because they're facing Texas — a team that swept K-State just two weeks ago. No, the problems this volleyball team is facing go much deeper at this point.

They go back to Oct. 2, the last time the Wildcats actually won a set.

Since then, this team has been headed in a quick downward spiral, falling from the midst of a congested tie for second place in the league, to wondering what it felt like to win a match.

But that's OK.

It's time to regroup, reset, and hit the refresh button on the season. Luckily, in volleyball, you get a second chance in conference play, and this team needs it.

When they return home, the Wildcats need to take a breath, and start over.

In fact when looking at the season thus far, it's difficult to even put it into perspective whether or not the Wildcats have been getting better over time — a measuring stick by which Fritz often judges her teams.

At first glance, the obvious answer would be no. How could they be? They enter a hostile environment tonight in Austin riding a five-match losing streak, and haven't won a single set since Oct. 2 at A&M, their last victory.

But see, this team is young-extremely young. The Wildcats have just two upperclassmen, both seniors. The rest? Well, they are getting a taste of just how competitive the Big 12 is. That taste has come in the form of facing three Top-15 teams in the previous two weeks.

And so, as this final leg of the season begins tonight, it's pivotal the Wildcats learn to be resilient and learn to grow together.

They players say they have a short-term memory. Now it's time to show it.

It's perhaps the best lesson a young team can learn. And if they can do that, this season just may be salvaged.

While Fritz typically remains quiet on the mood of her team, she admitted before leaving for Texas earlier this week that she has grown slightly concerned.

"There's a sense of urgency that we can get it together," she said.

Well, the final leg of the season provides the perfect opportunity to "get it together."

Yes, K-State faces the same powerful teams that's handed the Cats five straight sweeps, but this team has showed signs of quick growth and resiliency earlier this year during a tough nonconference schedule.

Now it's time to do that yet again — when it matters most.

Cats Set for Two-Match Tour of Texas

Maybe the Kansas State volleyball team needs a trip like this. It's clear they need something — anything — to shake things up.

After losing four straight matches, all clean sweeps, the Wildcats will hit the road today in preparation for a two-match road trip to the Lone Star State.

K-State is scheduled to face Baylor on Wednesday with a 6:30 p.m. first serve. Following the mid-week match, it will then travel to Austin for a 6:30 p.m. tilt with No. 10 Texas on Friday before returning home.

In the midst of this type of slump, it's yet again a significant challenge for a team desperate for some light at the end of the tunnel.

"Winning has always been important for us," senior Lauren Mathewson said after practice on Tuesday. "A win would be great. I think though right now what we are focused on is playing well on our side of the net and putting an entire game together."

The slump has caused head coach Suzie Fritz to make a complete evaluation of the Wildcats serve receive — something the Wildcats have struggled with, as siding out during the four-match losing skid has been hard to come by.

Clearly it's a pressing issue the Wildcats will need to address when they hit the road this week. K-State currently ranks last in the Big 12 in service aces allowed with 72 this year. The Wildcats also rank near the bottom — eighth — in opponent hitting percentage at .189.

Both Baylor and Texas meanwhile rank in the top half of the conference in hitting percentage. Texas leads the conference with a .279. The Longhorns also rank first in the Big 12 in aces averaging 1.4 per set.

The alarming numbers has caused Fritz to make a full evaluation of her squad this week.

"We are looking at changes," Fritz said. "Personnel changes...everything. We are looking at evaluating everything from a 360 (degree perspective) to try and figure out if there is anything we can do to upgrade.

"We're losing matches because we can't side out."

This road trip will mark the first time for most of the players on the Wildcat roster to play two consecutive Big 12 games on the road without returning home. Texas chose to schedule the match on Friday rather than Saturday, due to a home football game at the Austin campus against Iowa State on Saturday.

However Fritz says the travel should not affect her young squad.

"It doesn't affect the girls," she said. "They play, they rest and they play again. That's just the way it is. Sometimes in the pre-season we have three matches in two days, so it's not that unusual.

"I'm not worried about fatigue, I'm not worried about recovery, I'm not worried about preparation, we have a day in between and that is a long time."

When the team heads to Austin on Thursday it will mark the official start of the second half of conference play. For Fritz, it's an opportunity to show the rest of the conference that this team has indeed improved over time.

And perhaps, a second round of matches will be just what this team needs.

"We need to be better in the second half," Fritz said. "We had a few missed opportunities in the first half and I think we can continue to grow and improve and I think we have the whole second half of the season to be able to prove that."

Cats Losing Streak Stretches to Four in Loss to Huskers

It's difficult for Kansas State to put a positive spin on this one. The Wildcats want to, but in the end it's yet another sweep.

In front of a packed Ahearn Field House, thanks partially to the traditional bandwagon of traveling red, the Wildcats fought as if they may sneak past No. 3 Nebraska, but the same miscues that have cost them in the past caught up with them again.

And so for the fourth consecutive match, the Wildcats found themselves cleanly swept 3-0.

The loss came by scores of 25-19, 25-21 and 25-18.

"They've got it in them," Fritz said after the match. "But they don't have it day-to-day. They don't have it yet point-to-point."

It was clear from the first point, a kill from K-State middle blocker Alex Muff that erupted the anxious purple crowd, that the Wildcats wanted this one.

In the end though, they were just too young and too beaten up from three straight sweeps, and Nebraska was far too seasoned to let one slip through its grasps.

"We were right there with them," said Muff, who led the team with nine kills. "It's just a matter of stringing points together."

The brutal stretch is over - the Wildcats have now suffered four consecutive sweeps in a row - three to top-15 teams - dating back to a 3-0 sweep to the Oklahoma on Oct 1.

Despite the sweep the Wildcats feel they have improved throughout the stretch, as Nebraska was clearly one of the best teams they have faced during the grind.

"We are definitely improving," Muff said. "We are coming together a lot more."

The Wildcats began the match with a renewed sense of energy after a 3-0 sweep in Ames on Wednesday, and took command of the first set early with a 14-12 lead midway through the set.

"We felt so much more like ourselves," sophomore Kathleen Ludwig said of the early energy. "We felt so much more together."

But just as they have so much during this four-match losing streak, the Wildcats allowed Nebraska to string together a devastating run.

This time, it was a seven-point swing that took the life right out of the Wildcats.

"We are losing games with our inability to side-out," Fritz said. "We will give three, four and five and as we keep trying to tell them we have got to find our way out of it."

With the momentum swing and Ahearn suddenly silent, Nebraska rolled taking the set 25-19 and the early 1-0 lead.

Another run by Nebraska in the second set slowed the Wildcats' attack down yet again. After K-State took a 12-11 lead early, the Huskers used an 8-2 run to cruise to a 19-14 lead, and forced K-State into back-to-back timeouts.

In the third set the Huskers took an early lead and never looked back, winning in convincing fashion 25-18.

The Wildcats will look to end their losing streak on the road this week as they travel to Texas for a two-match road trip. The trip begins with a Wednesday tilt in Waco against Baylor, followed by a Friday match against Texas in Austin.

"We played better," Fritz said. "Does playing better and not winning give you confidence? That has yet to be determined. Winning cures a lot of things and right now, wins are hard to come by."

Photo- K-State Sports Information

'Frustrated' Cats Set to Host Huskers

Kansas State volleyball coach Suzie Fritz typically tries to avoid looking ahead too much. Her focus, she says, is on her squad and their side of the net.

But Thursday, in the midst of their most difficult stretch of the season, she admitted it was hard to shy away from discussing just how difficult this stretch has been.

"I actually looked at it for the first time," Fritz said Thursday afternoon. "It seems like it's, 'when is it going to end?' We're frustrated."

But for the Cats, it doesn't get any easier. Saturday K-State will welcome first-place and No. 10-ranked Nebraska to Ahearn Field House — marking the second Top-15 opponent in a row. First serve is 7 p.m.

It's a stretch that has included three consecutive sweeps, coming at the hands of Oklahoma, Texas and most recently Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, on Wednesday night.

The last set the Wildcats won came on Oct. 2 in a sweep at Texas A&M.

"What's happening to us is we get in it and we will give up a stretch of maybe three or four consecutive points," Fritz said. "Against a Top-15 or Top-20 team, you don't have the luxury of giving up three or four because they wont let you make that up, they wont give them back."

So with yet another difficult team on hand, the Wildcats held a players-only meeting before practice on Thursday afternoon.

"It was just kind of a mid-season thing," Sophomore Kathleen Ludwig said. "We just wanted to get together and talk about our goals and how we are going to achieve them and how we are going to improve not only in practice but on the road."

The Wildcats are coming off yet another disappointing performance after dropping to No. 13 Iowa State in straight sets.
Fritz said she saw some positives in the match, including that fact that her team didn't "check out" despite falling behind early each set.

"We're not bad," Fritz said. "But we can't keep it together for quite long enough and the level at which we are required to play, and the level of teams we are required to play, are quite frankly, not a great combination of factors. But it's reality."

However, after the players-only meeting on Thursday, the Wildcats came out and caught Fritz's eye with the energy level in practice.

"It was excellent," Fritz said.

Ludwig agreed, attributing the energy level and productiveness to what the Cats discussed during the team meeting.

"It was one of our best in a while," Ludwig said. "We came in after that meeting and wanted to work and wanted to get better."

Will the lively practice spark a turnaround in the season come Saturday? Well, that remains to be seen. Nebraska enters the match as one of the top teams in the nation, as usual.

The Huskers are the only remaining undefeated team in Big 12 play with an 8-0 conference record, and have held opponents to the lowest hitting percentage in the Big 12 at .143.

It's not a good sign for a struggling Wildcats offense which has slumped to 10th in the Big 12 with a .169 hitting percentage.

But Fritz isn't concerned with stats. For now, she just looks at it as another opportunity for her team to get better and get out of this slump.

"We don't have any control over the schedule," Fritz said. "What we have control over is trying to use it as opportunities and trying to use it as opportunities to get better, so that when we have opportunities to win, we are prepared for them."

Wildcats Looking to Put a Halt to "October Grind"

For the Wildcat volleyball players, this stretch of the season has become known as the “October Grind.” Perhaps that is a perfect way to describe it.



The Wildcats are indeed in the middle of a brutal stretch, one that right now consists of two consecutive sweeps at home, courtesy of a tough Oklahoma team and a No. 11 ranked Texas squad. What’s worse is they both came inside what was once a comfortable Ahearn Field House.

But still, the road doesn’t get any easier. Tomorrow, the Wildcats continue the “October Grind” as they travel to Ames, Iowa to take on No. 13 Iowa State.

First serve is set for 7 p.m. from Hilton Coliseum, and the game will be broadcast on Metro Sports.

In preparation for the mid-week match, head coach Suzie Fritz has been preaching to her team that they need to be resilient in order get through this stretch.

“The word says it all,” Fritz said after practice on Monday. “I said after the match (on Saturday) that was a quality that we appreciated and embraced about this team early on. Somehow, over the course of the last few weeks we have lost that. We have lost our confidence a little bit, we have lost our resilience, we’ve lost our fight, however you want to describe it, it all means the same thing.”

The Wildcats’ chance to regroup in Ames wont be easy, but perhaps there is a sign of hope as the Cyclones recently dropped a match at Kansas on Saturday, marking their first loss to an unranked opponent in 54 matches.

The Wildcats defeated Kansas in four sets earlier this season.

Iowa State however, has only dropped one match inside the friendly confines of Hilton Coliseum, and that was to a No. 4 ranked Nebraska squad. Meanwhile, the Wildcats last win in Ames came in 2007.

The Cyclones are powered by outside hitter Victoria Henson. The 5-foot-11 senior leads the team with 4.2 kills per set ranking first in the Big 12.

For the young Wildcats it’s yet another difficult task.

“The more quickly we can get on track, the better we will be,” senior outside hitter JuliAnne Chisholm said. “When it takes a long time that is when we aren’t resilient. That’s when you see the big roller coaster ride.”

But through this stretch, sophomore outside hitter Kathleen Ludwig has been a bright spot for the Wildcats. The lefty recorded her first double-double of the season in a Wildcat sweep at Texas A&M October 7, recording 10 kills and 10 digs. She has also recorded at least five kills in 14 of the Wildcats last 15 matches.

“I’ve just had some really good film sessions with Suzie [Fritz],” Ludwig said. “I’ve worked a lot on rhythm with Caitlyn Donahue and our team and I’m just trying to be confident out there and have a short-term memory.”

Through the past few matches, Fritz has noticed Ludwig’s improvements.

“Ludwig has turned the corner,” Fritz said. “She is playing with a lot of confidence. She has had several good productive matches in a row and she is playing with a lot of positive energy. She is stepping up a little bit.”

Furthermore, the Wildcats are receiving a lot of offensive power through freshman middle blocker Kaitlynn Pelger. The Olathe South product has caught fire recently, averaging 3.43 kills per set and an impressive .415 hitting percentage during the last seven matches.

However with the tough match awaiting them, this Wildcat team is only concerned with finding that sense of resilience. If it can be found, this “October Grind” could soon come to a much-needed halt.

“It’s tough,” Ludwig said. “But I think we have the right personality and the right coaches to keep our minds in it and we just keep working hard everyday.”

-Photo K-State Sports Info.

The End of a Rivalry

To fully tell the final chapter of this story, you cannot start on gameday. It means too much. It’s too complicated, too compelling and quite simply, there are too many angles.

The stage is too perfect, the emotions too intense.

See, it’s been this way ever since Nebraska announced this summer that they would dart to the Big Ten conference at the conclusion of this season.

For some it’s just too difficult to grasp. What does a conference without Nebraska look like? What does it feel like?

Nobody quite knows.

And so this final chapter begins the night before Kansas State and Nebraska meet on the field for the final time as conference brothers—ending a 95-year football history.

It’s an unseasonably warm October night, and more people have gathered in the historic Aggieville bar district in the small town Manhattan, Kansas than usual for a Wednesday. It’s louder, more lively, and everyone seems to have one thing on their mind.

What will happen tomorrow?

Wednesday October 6 11:30 p.m.
For Cole Manbeck this week has been moving too slowly. It’s been 12 days now since the Wildcats have played a game, and this week has been unlike any other he has experienced in two years as a sports writer for The Manhattan Mercury.

He’s tired. Perhaps, because the night before he didn’t sleep—though tonight he expects he will. For him, and so many who associate closely with the Kansas State football program, a week such as this can do that.

In fact it’s been longer than one week. The Wildcat football team had a bye before this Thursday night ESPN matchup, and thus Manbeck, and the entire town of Manhattan has had ample time to sit and digest this game.

“I think this game take on a whole different level,” he said while sitting at Tubby’s sports bar in Aggieville.

Tonight, like so many others, he has gathered with friends to discuss the game.

It’s much of the same for Scott Fritchen, the assistant editor at Powercat Illustrated, a popular K-State sports website and magazine. Standing at the well lit bar at the front of the patio, Fritchen, discussed the game with his close friends.

“It’s so hyped,” he says holding a whiskey and Coke. “Nebraska has pretty much taken over their lives this past week, which is what Nebraska week is all about.”

It’s certainly taken over the lives of those who joined Manbeck at his table in near the back of the bar’s patio. Sitting at the circular metal table, slowly filling up with drinks, discussion of tomorrow dominates the conversation.

“How do you go away from all of that tradition?” Chris Hansen, another senior at K-State said.

“I wasn’t surprised [Nebraska left],” Nathan Lane, a senior at K-State added.

Lane told the group he plans on attending half of his scheduled classes before driving to the stadium and setting up a group tailgate.

His first class of the day begins at 8:05 in the morning.
“I’ve been completely unproductive [this week],” he said. “My mind has been consumed with the game.”

For an hour-and-a-half, discussion surrounding the game swirled around the circle of close friends and throughout most of the bar.

One thing was clear—the group was ambitious. Their Wildcats could surely pull off the improbable upset. They were at home, undefeated and this game was just too important for not only Manbeck and those at Tubby’s that night but the entire K-State family.

“This is more than just winning the Big 12 North [division],” Manbeck said. “This is sending Nebraska out of the [Big 12] conference with a loss.”

Then, as 1:00 a.m. slowly arrived, Manbeck, Lane and Hansen stood up from the table and left the patio, each heading home for what they knew would be a long, but oh so important Thursday.

Thursday October 7th 2010 — Kickoff
For two seasons, Manbeck has made the transition from watching K-State football teams from the stands and on television, to watching from within the mostly soundproof Dev Nelson Press Box as a sports writer. During those two years he’s noticed the significant change.

This explains why prior to kick off on Thursday night, Manbeck could be found standing on the balcony at the top of the press box building. It’s open air, and one can see the entire expanse of Bill Snyder Family Stadium, as 51,015 people made their way inside to watch the final chapter of this story unfold.

“I go up on the roof and I take in the environment,” he said. “That sort of gets me going for the game. A lot of media members lose touch with the game—for me I’m never going to let that happen.”

As the game grew closer, and the festivities drew to a close, Manbeck gazed down into the purple crowd, and then slowly walked back down to take his seat in the press box for the game.

The moment he and so many others who invest so much with this football program had been waiting for had finally arrived.

If only they knew what would occur in those next three hours and eleven minutes.

Thursday 9:30 p.m.
Most of the 51,015 fans had left the stadium by now, but Lane could be found sitting in the now deflated K-State student section. Fellow students were dotted throughout the bleachers with him, some standing, some talking amongst each other, but almost all of them shared the same stunned expression.

“I don’t really know why we stayed,” Lane said. “I guess I just wanted to stay there to support K-State. Part of me was so shocked at what was happening. I thought maybe if I stayed, maybe I would awake from this terrible dream.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t help at all.”

On either side of the stadium brightly lit scoreboards told the story of exactly what they were feeling.

Nebraska 48 Kansas State 13.

Thursday 11:00 p.m.
Silence filled the table at Tubby’s sports bar. This time, Lane and Hansen chose to sit inside the bar on the second level and they gaze down at the main level as it slowly filled up with people.

Red shirts entered the bar in waves and as they did the mood at the table only declined.

“We tried to find the bar with the least amount of red, because all we wanted to be with was purple.” Lane said.

Highlights of the game that had just finished just under three miles away, were displayed on the myriad of flat-panel televisions that encircled the bar.

Eventually, all they could do was sit, and digest an outcome that neither of them could have seen coming just 24 hours earlier.

“It was just depressing,” Lane said. “I wanted to talk about the game, but [at the same time] I didn’t want to talk about the game.”

The Aftermath
It’s too soon for many to comprehend just what a conference without Nebraska will look like. But for now, the final chapter of this story is over.

Will there be an epilogue? Perhaps. K-State head coach Bill Snyder, now in his 19th year with the program after he returned to the sidelines in 2009, said there is a small chance the two teams could meet in the future—but many see as an outside chance.

The game is over and this story, for the time being is complete. Nebraska and Kansas State have met 95 times on the football field, 83 consecutively, and for now this story is taking a pause.


“There is a lot of sadness because the last decade or so, things have become so competitive between the teams.” Fritchen said. “The fact that Bill Snyder is back really gives K-Staters a lot hope because they remember those fond memories, and really gives them something to latch onto and with Nebraska being such a big week, the fact that they are leaving the conference really leaves a void in what K-Staters look forward to in the future.”

-Photos by Cody Bansemer

Renovations Transform Ahearn Into Top Volleyball Venue

Sitting on the stone steps at the south end of Ahearn Field House, with the sound of fans blowing at maximum speed in the distant background, Kansas State volleyball coach Suzie Fritz can't help but smile.

A hot August practice has just wrapped up, and she quickly escaped to perhaps the coolest place in the old limestone arena.
It's a small area that just captures a small breeze from outside. It's also just behind the brand new purple bleachers installed earlier that day. Sitting there, the 10th-year head coach can't keep her eyes off the structure, but eventually a question regarding the new bleachers is asked, and she sighs.

"It feels like my birthday," she says.

That day, the Wildcats had yet to play a match in the newly remodeled Ahearn Field House, and were focused on their trip to Hawaii to compete in their first tournament of the season. But still, Fritz and her players knew that this renovation was something special.

And she was right.

Just one month into the season, K-State fans have consistently packed into the new Ahearn Field House, one that not only feature new bleachers, but a gigantic new banner that hovers over the north bleachers, complete with a huge purple and white Powercat logo.

In all, it was a $70,000 project.

But the atmosphere within the "Purple Pit" had made the investment well worth it.

After 16 matches, the Wildcats rank 11th nationally in average attendance, drawing an average 2,137 fans per match. That average also ranks the Wildcats third in the Big 12, just behind Texas, which averages 2,165 fans per match.

"I think our fans mean a lot to us, period," Fritz said. "The volleyball fans have traditionally been very loyal to volleyball, extremely supportive of volleyball and they keep coming back win or lose. They keep fighting for us. They are worth an enormous amount of points for us."

But it's not just the improved facilities that have drawn fans into Ahearn Field House this season.
Senior libero Lauren Mathewson, a marketing student who interned with the K-State Athletic Department this summer, compiled a video that encouraged the volleyball fans to not only show their loyalty to the program by attending the matches, but to become more engaged in the matches as well.

The video, written and directed by Mathewson herself, features each of the volleyball team members, and was posted on the K-State Athletics Department Facebook page. It's also shown at each of the home matches by the K-State marketing booth.

"We wanted to educate (the fans) on the basic skills of volleyball, so they were more into the game, and knew what was going on."

She didn't however expect it to have quite as much of an impact as it did. Thus far, the Wildcats have drawn 14,961 fans to Ahearn Field House.

"Our fans have just blown me away," Mathewson said. "They are amazing. The support us through wins, losses and anything and they always have our back."

Through six conference matches that loyal fan base has helped the Wildcats get off to an impressive start to the Big 12 season.
This weekend the Wildcats will again look to pack Ahearn when they play host to No. 11 Texas. The Longhorns (9-5, 4-2 Big 12) come to Manhattan after sweeping Colorado in Austin on Wednesday.

First serve on Saturday is set for 7 p.m.

Photo - K-State Sports Information

Sooners Sweep Wildcats at Home

After returning home from perhaps its best match of the season — a sweep last Saturday at Texas A&M — the Kansas State volleyball team stumbled, and dropped a straight-set match to Oklahoma on Wednesday night 22-25, 23-25 and 21-25.

While they handled the Wildcats, it wasn't a match that the Sooners necessarily ran away with.

Yes, Oklahoma walked out of Ahearn Field House with the win, but by all measure, this was still a close match.

"That's just the game of volleyball," K-State sophomore outside hitter Kathleen Ludwig said.
With the loss, the Wildcats (9-8, 3-3 Big 12) fell out of a heavily-congested second-place spot in the Big 12 standings and now find themselves tied with the Aggies in third place.

It was a frustrating night, one in which the Wildcats tried, but just couldn't string together quite enough rallies to separate from the stingy Oklahoma squad.

The Wildcats saw a match with seven lead changes and 22 tied scores slip out of their hands in three quick sets.

"I felt like we were in it," K-State coach Suzie Fritz said. "But we weren't playing well. So, I kept thinking that things could turn for us, if we could just get a little bit of a break...

"I was feeling optimistic. I felt like we could still work our way back into the match."
But the Wildcats never did fully pull away from the Sooners Wednesday night in a match televised by FSN-Kansas?City.

After falling to the Sooners in a close 25-22 first set, Fritz's squad started to find some of the momentum it desperately needed before heading into intermission.

The Cats strung together a 6-1 run early in the set to take an 11-6 lead, highlighted by kills from Ludwig, Alex Muff and Kaitlynn Pelger.

But just as they did all match, the Sooners had an immediate answer.

"(Oklahoma) is good," Fritz said. "We didn't give them our best. They're very frustrating and very unassuming. They dig balls and turn balls and we just couldn't gain any momentum. They don't let you get in any kind of rhythm."

After the K-State run in the second set, OU stormed back with a 7-2 run of its own, eventually closing the gap and tying the game at 16, forcing K-State into a timeout.

After the timeout, the Sooners and Cats traded leads three times before OU sealed the win with a kill by Morgan Reynolds.
"We were just struggling to play how we play and be who we are," Ludwig said.

In what seemed to be a carbon copy of the first two sets, the Sooners tamed the Wildcats just enough to secure the sweep with a 25-21 win in the third set.

"We were right there," KSU freshman middle blocker Kaitlynn Pelger said. "Just the frustration, I think, got us."
However, the Wildcats don't have long to analyze what happened Wednesday. K-State has a quick turnaround before hosting a

No. 11-ranked Texas on Saturday. First set for the weekend showdown is scheduled for 7 p.m.

"We definitely made a point to just let it go," Ludwig said after the match. "We can't hang on to wins or losses, so we are just back to the board and back to thinking about tomorrow and that is all you can do."

Photo- The Manhattan Mercury

Mathewson Leads K-State Into Match With Sooners

Senior libero Lauren Mathewson is in her fourth year with the Kansas State volleyball program. And throughout her career, she's made herself known as one of the best defensive players in the Big 12, perhaps even the best defender in history of the K-State program.



But in the midst of the Wildcats' 3-0 sweep of Texas A&M in College Station on Saturday, she felt something peculiar.

"I've never felt like more a part of a team than I did that game in my four years here," she said after practice on Monday. "It was an awesome experience."

That night, the Wildcats made some noise within the Big 12 conference. The win secured them a spot in the crowded five-way tie for second place in the conference, and sent them home with an immense amount of pride and confidence.

Now, shifting their focus to this week, the Wildcats are preparing for an even larger opportunity sitting in front of them. It begins Wednesday night when K-State begins a two-match home stand with a 7 p.m. tilt against an Oklahoma team sharing that second-place spot with the Wildcats.

Saturday, K-State hosts Texas, also currently tied for second place.

But head coach Suzie Fritz doesn't look too far into the future. She's not concerned about the Big 12 implications of this week — as always, her focus is narrow.

"Honestly we are focused on Oklahoma and only Oklahoma," Fritz said. "I am aware of the fact that we have two in a row at home, but we haven't really looked forward. I don't think we have the luxury of that."

It's clear, however, if the Wildcats continue to play like they did against the Aggies on Saturday, the rest will take care of itself.

The Wildcats played perhaps their best match of the season against Texas A&M, led by another un-freshman-like performance by freshman middle blocker Kaitlynn Pelger. The Olathe South native recorded another dominant performance, tallying 12 kills and hitting .370 on the night.

It was a night that has become typical for the breakout freshman, as it was her fourth consecutive match recording double-digit
kills and a hitting percentage over .350.

There's no sign of her slowing down, and she said she hopes to keep the hot hand for this week's home stand.

"We have a really big opportunity," Pelger said. "If we play like we did on Saturday, we should get two."
Oklahoma (11-5 3-2 Big 12) enters the match after defeating Baylor on the road in four sets. Junior outside hitter Suzy

Boulavsky, who last week recorded 17 kills against Baylor, and is averaging 3.4 kills per set, which leads the Sooners on offense.
Oklahoma has also fared well in road games this season, compiling a 5-1 record away from Norman.

It's still early in the Big 12 season, and while the implications of this week are apparent, the Wildcats are focused on what has made them successful thus far, concentrating on their side of the net.

"In the league right now, it's anybody's game," Kathleen Ludwig said. "I think that we are focused on doing what we do on our side and playing well over time and not underestimating or overestimating anyone. We are just trying to go and play how we play and we are excited to do it at home."