It's been a series of ups and downs for the K-State volleyball team this season.
    As the Wildcats enter the second half of conference play, head coach Suzie Fritz believes the team has improved, but there is still room to get better.
    "I'd give us probably a B-minus," said Fritz. "I think that we're better. I think that we haven't met our potential as a team, but I think we've found a way to win. You know, maybe we're slightly above average right now."
    After Wednesday night's match at Iowa State, the No. 13 Wildcats (17-4, 7-3 Big 12 Conference) are in sole possession of third place in the conference standings – the same position in which they were picked in the pre-season coaches poll.
    Fritz, whose 164 career wins are just four shy of the school's all-time record, said the team has responded well after being upset in Ames, Iowa.
    "[Today was] outstanding," she said after Thursday's practice. "I think we, collectively as a group, haven't felt like we've been meeting our potential for weeks. We've been playing well at times, but I don't think we've put together a collective effort for some time."
    Wednesday night's loss was the third five-game match for K-State this season. The Wildcats were also pushed to the limit in road matches against Kansas and Oklahoma, but both times the Wildcats were able to escape with a win. Fritz said the team's luck was going to eventually run out.
    "You hate that you have to take a loss to learn that lesson, but I thought we were more focused today," she said. "I thought we had more energy. We had more enthusiasm for getting better. We had a sense of urgency to try to make improvements so we don't repeat the same mistakes."
    The Wildcats will get the opportunity to show their improvements when they take on Baylor (14-6, 6-4 Big 12) Saturday night in Waco, Texas. K-State defeated the Bears 3-1 in a seesaw battle in Manhattan on Sept. 27. Fritz said it's easier for K-State to prepare for a team that it's already faced this season.
    "[The advantage] goes both ways," she said. "They know more about you and you know more about them. You know, for the second round, I think everybody's got very solid game plans going into every match. Your preparedness on both sides is going to be better."
    She also said Baylor is a tougher team to beat when they have home court advantage.
    "We've felt all along like this could be one of the most difficult weeks of our season, having two road matches at Iowa State and Baylor, who I think are both exceptionally talented volleyball teams. At their place, they've been extremely successful. We'll have to put a very good effort together."
    Baylor has gone 11-2 in the Ferrell Center this season, including a  4-1 mark in conference play.
    Saturday's match-up marks the 26th meeting between the Wildcats and Bears. K-State leads the all-time series 19-6 and owns an 8-4 record in the Ferrell Center. The teams only faced off once before the inception of the Big 12, with the Bears winning 3-0 in 1993. The Wildcats have dominated the series in recent years, as they have won 14 of the last 17 meetings.  

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