After a tough loss against the University of Nebraska in a 3-0 sweep, the University of Arizona volleyball team remains on the road to take on Kansas State University this Friday, Sept. 26, at 4:30 p.m. in Morgan Family Arena in Manhattan, Kansas.
Arizona has lost its last four games. Meanwhile, Kansas State is on a three-game winning streak. Coming into this conference opener with a home court advantage, Kansas State will be a tough opponent for Arizona to take on.
History vs. Kansas State
The two teams first met in 1977 in Utah, where Arizona won 2-0. Arizona proceeded to win the next two games in 1987 and 2014. Kansas State was able to get one back in 2016 in Hawaii with a 3-1 sweep. The last time the teams met up was last season in McKale Center, where Kansas State took down Arizona in a 3-0 win. With their last win against Kansas State being over 10 years ago, it will be a challenge to see if Arizona has what it takes to stop Kansas State from continuing their winning streak.
Kansas State this season
Kansas State is 4-0 in home games this season and 1-1 in away games. Their last game was against East Carolina University, where Kansas State came out 3-2. Senior outside hitter Shaylee Myers and redshirt junior Aniya Clinton had 23 and 20 kills each, helping to lead the game offensively.
K-State added six new players to its roster this year: Alex Klukvin, Lauren Latham, Cadence Lundgren, Sydney McDermott, Caleigh Ponn and Avery Stones. The freshmen are delivering promising contributions to the team, with No. 6 Stones worth watching after her high school accomplishments, including being named First Team 6A All-State, First Team Premier Region and CUSD Offensive Player of the Year.
International Canadian player Sydney McDermott joins K-State after earning two LOSSA Championship titles in high school and being voted MVP at the national tournament.
Arizona this season
Heading into Friday’s game, Arizona’s 6-4 with a four-game losing streak. The team started the season off strong, competing at the Wildcat Classic and Boise State Tournament and tallying six straight wins; the first three games being 3-0 sweeps for Arizona. Since their 0-3 loss to the University of Washington, Arizona hasn’t been able to find its footing on the court.
Senior outside hitter Jordan Wilson is currently leading Arizona’s offense with 163 total kills this season. Sophomore Carlie Cisneros is following closely behind with 114 kills.
Notably, Arizona has shown its offensive strength, averaging over 14 kills per set with an efficient 27.5 hitting percentage. Defensively, Arizona is averaging 13.5 digs per set and nearly two blocks per set, which has been helping to keep rallies alive this season and put pressure on the nets.
However, Kansas State has also shown strong defensive efforts. In order to come out on top against K-State, Arizona will have to avoid unnecessary attack errors.
As the first look into conference play for both teams, it will highlight whether their previous matches have prepared them for the intensity of Big 12 games for the rest of the season.
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