K-State Volleyball Picked Fourth In Big 12 By Coaches

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Texas, the defending national championship, was picked to repeat as Big 12 conference champion yesterday while Kansas State was selected to finish fourth in the preseason coaches’ poll. The Wildcats received 41 points in the poll, just two ahead of fifth- place Oklahoma (39 points) and ten behind third-place Kansas (51).

The Big 12 was loaded (as it usually is) with talent last year as five teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament. K-State was the only team not to move on, falling to Northern Iowa 3-0 while Texas, Iowa State, Oklahoma, and KU advanced. The Volleycats finished the season unranked, but were #25 in the rankings before the final poll was released. They finished 8-8 in conference play in 2012, landing them in fifth place after being picked third in last year’s preseason poll. Their overall record was 21-9, with only one loss outside of league play.

Four starters return for K-State along with 10 letterwinners overall. The team has qualified for the NCAA tournament for the ninth year in 12 seasons with Suzie Fritz as head coach. In 2011 Fritz took the team to the Sweet Sixteen with victories over Wichita State and Nebraska before falling to Pepperdine.