MATCH #11
K-STATE (9-1, 1-1 BIG 12) vs. #18 BYU (9-1, 1-0 BIG 12)
Thursday, October 1 // 6:30 PM CT // Morgan Family Arena (Manhattan, Kan.)
Watch: ESPN+
Promotion: Morgan After Dark
Live Stats // Tickets // Promotions
MATCH #12
K-STATE (9-1, 1-1 BIG 12) vs. #23 UTAH (10-3, 2-0 BIG 12)
Saturday, October 1 // 6:30 PM CT // Morgan Family Arena (Manhattan, Kan.)
Watch: ESPN+
Promotion: Barbie Night
Live Stats // Tickets // Promotions
FIRST SERVE
K-State hosts a pair of Top-25 opponents this week, as the Wildcats will take on No. 18 BYU on Thursday, followed by a matchup against No. 23 Utah on Saturday.
Both matches are scheduled 6:30 p.m. CT.
The Wildcats (9-1, 1-1 Big 12), who are receiving votes in the latest AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll, are coming off a 1-1 weekend that included a reverse sweep of UCF.
K-State enters the second week of Big 12 play ranked sixth in the league standings, while BYU is fifth and Utah second.
FOLLOW THE CATS
Both matches will broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app, with Brian Smoller and Kelsey Stringer calling Thursday’s action, while Liz Wegner-Busch will return for Saturday’s match.
Live stat links can be found on the K-State volleyball schedule page on kstatesports.com, while fans can find live game updates all season long on the Wildcats social media pages (@KStateVB).
PROMOTIONS
Morgan After Dark (10/1): Catch the Cats in action in this crucial Big 12 matchup. The first 2,300 fans to arrive will receive free glow necklaces to help light up Morgan Family Arena.
Barbie Night (10/3): Wear your favorite shade of pink to match the Cats during a conference match against Utah.
Youth Team Game(10/3): Registration for this match is fully booked. Fans are encouraged to register for remaining available matches.
Postmatch Autographs (10/3): Stick around following the conclusion of the match to meet your 2026 Volleyball team in an autograph session. Fans are limited to one item per person.
K-STATE AT A GLANCE
K-State enters the week with an overall 9-1 record after opening Big 12 play 1-1.
The Wildcats are one of two teams from the Big 12 and of five nationally to just one loss on the year, while four teams remain undefeated across the country.
K-State suffered its first defeat of the season Sunday against Houston, ending a nine-game winning streak.
The team’s 9-0 start to the season finished as the second-best start to a season in school history.
The Wildcats out-blocked Houston, 8.0-7.0, with five total blocks from Ellah Derrer and four by Skylar Brady.
Addison Massey produced a team-high 18 kills while Avery Stones was next with seven kills. The duo combined for 62 swings.
Emerson Van Lannen dished out a team-high 24 assists, pacing an offense that hit .246 (48 kills, 122 attempts).
K-State boasts a 9-1 record in Set 4.
Massey turned in her sixth consecutive match with double-digit kills and has registered 10 or more in all but one this season.
Fuka Sekita recorded the 500th NCAA career dig, totaling 139 this season.
SCOUTING #18 BYU
BYU (9-1, 1-0 Big 12) picked up its first Top 25 victory of the season in a five-set win over No. 17 Baylor last week and moved up four spots from No. 22 to No. 18 in this week’s AVCA poll.
The Cougars were out-hit by the Bears, .393 to .313, but had four hitters in double figures for the first time in 2026: Claire Little Chambers (21 kills, hitting .450), Elli Mortensen (17, .361), Brooke Hardy (11, .529) and Sophia Callahan (10).
Posting seven more aces than Baylor with a season-high nine, BYU also benefited from 14 service errors by the Bears.
Mortensen posted her first career double-double in the match with a career-high 14 digs. Hardy set a pair of career highs of her own with 11 kills and six service aces.
Her six from the service line set the Cougars’ rally-scoring era single-game freshman record and are also third-most in a five-set match all-time.
A week into Big 12 play, the Cougars rank seventh nationally and second in conference in hitting percentage with a .305 season clip.
BYU also ranks No. 27 in the country in blocks per set (2.67), a mark that is good for fourth in the league.
Kelli Jo Burgess continues to pace the nation in blocks per set individually, with 1.8. Her 63 total blocks this year also lead the Big 12.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Thursday’s contest marks the ninth meeting between the two squads, with BYU leads the all-time series 5-3.
The series is tied 2-2 in matches played in Manhattan, with both of K-State’s wins coming in sweep fashion in 2023.
Last season, the Cougars swept the Wildcats in Manhattan, their first road victory since 2011.
SCOUTING #23 UTAH
The Utes made their first appearance of 2026 in the AVCA Rankings at No. 23 (9/28) after beating No. 21 Colorado and No. 17 Baylor last weekend.
Utah’s 10-3 record under head coach Alyssa De’Errico is the best start under a first-year head coach in program history.
The Utes currently rank in the top 25 (11th) in blocks/set- 2.84 and are ranked within the top 10 in kills/set- 14.50 (4th) and assists/set- 13.30 (10th).
Middle blocker Princess Atamah and libero Sierra Grizzle made the Big 12’s Starting Seven (Sept. 29) for their standout performances against No. 21 Colorado and No. 17 Baylor last weekend.
Atamah led the Big 12 in total blocks (14) and blocks/set (2.00) while Grizzle was second in the conference in digs/set (4.43).
Nine of Utah’s 10 wins came in sweep fashion, including a sweep over No. 21 Colorado on the road.
Utah ranks first in the Big 12 in kills (638 total, 14.50/set), while they are second in opponent hitting percentage (.163), assists (585 total, 13.30/set), and blocks (125 total, 2.84/set).
Utah returned 13 players from last season’s team that stamped the program’s ticket to its 20th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, while welcoming five newcomers (2 freshmen, three transfers)..
Outside hitter Kamryn Gibadlo is coming off a standout season where she garnered First Team All-Big 12, First Team AVCA All-Region, and AVCA All-America Honorable Mention honors.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Saturday is the fourth meeting between the Wildcats and Utes in the series history.
Utah leads the all-times series 2-1, while K-State picked up its first win, 3-1, last season in Salt Lake.
The series is tied 1-1 in Big 12 action.
A WIN WOULD…
Mark the team’s 13th Top 25 win in the Mansfield era, and program’s 58th overall against nationally ranked squads.
Improve K-State to 8-5 when playing a nationally ranked team at home.
Push the Wildcats to a 27-18 record when playing at Morgan Family Arena.
WILDCAT LEADERS
Points: Addison Massey (185.5)
Kills: Addison Massey (160)
Hitting Percentage: Ellah Derrer (.398)
Assists: Emerson Van Lannen (213)
Aces: Emerson Van Lannen (22)
Digs: Fuka Sekita (139)
Blocks: Cadence Lundgren (33)
HOME COOKIN’
K-State posts a 4-1 record at home in 2026, that included a perfect 4-0 record in non-conference games.
At home, K-State is out-hitting opponents .269-.186 and averaging 13.59 kills per set, led by 3.94 from Addison Massey.
Emerson Van Lannen has recorded 11 of the team’s 29 service aces at home, while pacing the offense with 5.82 assists per set.
Defensively, Fuka Sekita is averaging 3.94 digs per set with only one reception error through 90 attempts, while three Wildcats have totaled 10 or more digs through five home matches: Ellah Derrer (14), Cadence Lundgren (12), and Reagan Fox (10).
The Wildcats are 430-226-5 all-time when playing at home.
Under Mansfield and at Morgan Family Arena, the Cats are 26-18 overall at home, that includes a 16-13 record in Big 12 play.
In 13 home matches last season, K-State registered four-match win streaks twice, including ranked wins over No. 20 Colorado and No. 21 Baylor.
AGAINST THE TOP 25
K-State topped No. 20 Creighton on the road in week 4 for its 12th victory against a Top 25 opponent in the Mansfield era, while it is the program’s 57th overall.
The Wildcats boast an overall mark of 12-17 in the Mansfield era against Top 25 teams.
K-State has recorded seven sweeps over ranked opponents under Mansfield.
In 2023, K-State set a program record for Top 25 wins in a single season, before achieving the feat against last season.
Overall, K-State is 57-243 against nationally ranked opponents, that includes a 2-4 record against No. 18 teams and 6-7 record against No. 23 teams.
CHECKING IN
K-State enters Thursday’s contest with 26 points in the latest AVCA rankings, seven spots outside of the Top 25.
For the second time under Mansfield and first since 2024, K-State received votes in the preseason AVCA Coaches Top-25 Poll, checking in with 10 points.
In 2025, the Wildcats received votes in six AVCA Coaches’ Polls, including over consecutive weeks (November 10-December 22).
The Wildcats were last ranked in the coaches’ poll in 2020.
GOING THE DISTANCE
K-State registered its first five-set match of the season at UCF, defeating the Knights to complete the reverse sweep.
In 2025, K-State went to five sets in eight of 28 matches, going 6-2 in five-setters.
The Wildcats went 6-0 in five-set matches last season on the road and twice came back from 1-2 deficits.
K-State’s six five-set wins were the highest single-season total since the 2020 season (6).
Since 2018, K-State has played 73 five-set matches, going 39-34 in the stretch.
500 DIGS LATER
Libero Fuka Sekita recorded her 500th NCAA career dig Sunday against Houston (364 at UTEP).
Her 139 digs this season rank 12th overall in the league, while she is averaging 3.66 per set.
CATS VS. THE BIG 12
The Wildcats are 29-27 against Big 12 opponents in the Mansfield era.
K-State tied sixth in the final Big 12 standings in 2025, with an league record of 10-8, finishing in a four-way tie with BYU, TCU, and Arizona, while ranking eighth overall.
The Cats 294-254 all-time in Big 12 play, while the program boasts an overall conference record of 347-389.
BIG 12 RANKINGS
K-State is one of only two programs from the Big 12 with just one loss on the season.
The Wildcats boast the league’s sixth-best opponent hitting percentage, limiting teams to a .187 efficiency, while the team also ranks seventh in aces per set (1.61).
Three Wildcats rank within the top-15 in multiple categories.
Addison Massey is fourth in points per set (4.88), fifth in kills per set (4.21), and ninth in attacks per set (9.76).
Emerson Van Lanne is third in the league in both total aces (22) and aces per set (0.58), while Fuka Sekita sits 12th in total digs (139).
UP NEXT
The Cats will take on Iowa State Friday, October 9 at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, with first serve scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Following the match against the Cyclones, K-State will head to Boulder, Colorado, to face the Colorado Buffaloes, on Sunday, Oct. 11, at 2 p.m