Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE
Welcome to the (first of many) Volleycats Weekly Wrap, your (new) hebdomadal source of information for updates on the K-State volleyball team.
The Volleycats came a little down to earth this Saturday after a 16-1 start to the season that saw several ranked teams fall at the hands of K-State’s spikers. They notched the 16th win this past Wednesday by defeating Iowa State in straight sets, 25-15, 27-25, 25-17. This marked the third win over a ranked team the Volleycats were able to notch on their belts. Additionally, in taking down the #22 Cyclones, K-State earned its first sweep over Iowa State since 2007. Concordia, KS product and senior leader Alex Muff recorded a .500 hit average with eight kills and shut down the Cyclones with seven blocks (can’t help but send a shout-out to a fellow Concordia alum).
The win brought K-State to 16-1 on the season and 3-1 in conference, setting up a showdown between Big XII heavyweights on Saturday when the #9 ranked Texas Longhorns visited Ahearn Field House. Unfortunately, anticipation for the clash was tempered as Texas took three sets en route to shutting down the Wildcats. The team kept the second set close before eventually succumbing 28-30, but the series was an overall domination on the part of the Longhorns. The count at the end of the day read 17-25, 28-30, 15-25. The team will have the opportunity to redeem itself November 2, when it travels to Austin for the second half of the home-and-home series.
The Wildcats maintained their #14 ranking in this week’s NCAA poll, which is what should happen when you beat a top 25 team but lose to a top ten team. They also stand at #9 in the RPI thanks to an impressive strength of schedule. K-State only has one game scheduled this week, and travels to Fort Worth to take on Big XII newcomer Texas Christian University on Saturday. The Horned Frogs were also swept 3-0 by Texas last week, and stand at 13-5 overall with a 2-3 conference record. The game should provide an excellent opportunity for K-State to get back on track with a win over a talented, though not overwhelming conference foe.