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
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