Team looks to continue success in tonight’s game

The K-State volleyball team looks to solidify a third straight conference win tonight as it travels west to face the University of Colorado.

The Buffaloes (3-5, 0-2 Big 12 Conference) are not a strong presence in the league right now, sitting second to last in the standings after dropping both conference games. This does not say too much, however, because they lost to Oklahoma and Nebraska, two of the top three teams in the Big 12.

K-State (7-5, 2-0 Big 12 Conference) rounds out that group of three with its tie for a first-place ranking with Nebraska. The Wildcats are coming off two wins over conference teams, including last weekend's blowout against Texas Tech. Head coach Suzie Fritz praised her team's ability in its first conference match away from home.

"We were able to take it on the road, if you will, and play well on the road," Fritz said. "Offensively, we put some very positive numbers. We were very good at the net."

And that was what the Wildcats needed, because Fritz tasked the team with becoming better and starting off the long stretch of conference play on a high note.

"Our challenge that we kind of posed to the team going into it was that we wanted to continue to gain momentum, we wanted to continue to find ways to improve," Fritz said.

Now, it is Colorado's turn to bring the same level of play to the court. The school sits at or near the bottom for all statistics ranked in the Big 12, except for two categories — serving aces and digs — where it has a cozy spot in the middle of the pack. However, the team has put one player into nearly every category for individual performances, and it is Kerra Schroeder who occupies three of the six selections.

The sophomore outside hitter from California significantly affected her team last year, reportedly playing in every single point of every single match. This year, she leads a good number of the statistic categories for her team. Starting in her home position up front, Schroeder is recording a .182 hitting percentage after 3.55 successful attacks per game. She is also a boon to the Buffaloes when she is rotated into the back, with 2 digs per game and another team high of 10 service aces. These numbers put Schroeder into the top 10 of the conference for kills, service aces and points, all per game statistics.

Compare her to K-State's JuliAnne Chisholm, the senior outside hitter and team captain. Chisholm has 3.72 kills per game with almost the same hitting percentage, and she is also digging more balls and setting up more blocks. As a team, K-State is coming off a goal-setting hitting percentage from last weekend's match of nearly .300.

Fritz is confident K-State can take the numbers from last weekend and continue its success in the upcoming match.

"We continue to improve with each and every opportunity," Fritz said. "There's no indication that we can't."

First serve is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Coors Event Center in Boulder, Colo.