Volleyball looks to keep win streak against Missouri alive

The K-State volleyball team looks to sweep the Missouri Tigers on the road tonight in Columbia, Mo.

The Wildcats (8-12, 2-8 Big 12 Conference) fell at home on Saturday to No. 22 Baylor in a 3-1 decision, but they look to keep their current five-match winning streak alive against the Tigers.

"We're excited [for Missouri]." said redshirt freshman outside hitter Kathleen Ludwig. "I think it's just like any other team. They're going to be tough. Everyone's out to get everyone at this point in the second half of the season."

K-State has the edge all-time, with a 40-30 record against Missouri (13-9, 5-6 Big 12), but the Tigers own an 8-1 home record this season.

"I don't really look at that kind of stuff," said head coach Suzie Fritz. "Most teams are generally better at home than on the road. I'm not surprised that they're having a lot of success at home."

Leading the Tigers on offense is junior outside hitter Paola Ampudia, who is leading the team with 246 kills and 3.37 kills per set. Second on the team in kills is junior outside hitter Julianna Klein, who averages 3.22 kills per set.

Missouri's defense is led by junior libero Caitlyn Vann, who averages 4.35 digs per set. Junior middle blocker Catie Wilson, leads the team with 62 total blocks on the year.

The Wildcats will counter on offense with junior outside hitter JuliAnne Chisholm, who is averaging 3.01 kills per set. Senior middle blocker Kelsey Chipman is second on the team, with 202 kills this year.

On defense, K-State is led by junior libero Lauren Mathewson, who is leading the team with 4.28 digs per set. Chipman has a team high 87 blocks on the year.

"We're ready to go," Ludwig said. "We've obviously seen them before. We're going to compete with them. We're going to fight down there."

First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Hearnes Center in Columbia.