Sports fans across Big 12 country are familiar with the famous rivalries.
    There’s the “Border War” between Kansas and Missouri, the “Bedlam Series,” in which Oklahoma takes on Oklahoma State, and the nationally known “Red River Shootout” featuring the Sooners and the Texas Longhorns.
    For many K-State faithful, the biggest games of the year come when the Wildcats take on the Kansas Jayhawks in the historic “Sunflower Showdown.” However, according to head volleyball coach Suzie Fritz, “Sunflower Showdown” is nothing more than a name.
    “It’s not a match, necessarily, that we check off every year as a have-to-win,” said Fritz. “I think we feel a sense of urgency to try to win all of them. It’s just a match that we try to prepare for the best we possibly can like we do for everybody else.”
    The No. 17 Wildcats (13-2, 3-1 Big 12 Conference) will try to capitalize on their preparations when they take on the Jayhawks (7-6, 1-3 Big 12) at 7 tonight in the Horejsi Family Athletics Center.
    Fritz, whose 160 career wins are just eight shy of the school’s all-time mark, said the team has been building confidence since the start of the 2008 campaign.
    “I think any team develops confidence as the season goes,” she said. “Confidence comes from demonstrated ability, meaning you have proven to yourself that you have the ability to do things well over the course of time. I think that’s how you gain confidence, not by necessarily winning but actually by playing well.”
    Throughout the season, K-State has been led by senior outside hitters Rita Liliom and Nataly Korobkova, who are averaging 4.35 and 3 kills per game, respectively. Kansas has been paced by outside hitters Karina Garlington and Allison Mayfield, who are averaging 3.94 and 2.27 kills per game.
    Wednesday night’s match will mark the 97th meeting between the squads. The Wildcats lead the all-time series, 58-37-1, including a 22-2 record since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996. The lone tie of the series came in 1974, when the squads split the match at one game apiece.
    K-State has dominated the series in recent years, winning 22 of the last 24 meetings. That span is highlighted by a streak of 21 consecutive victories from 1995 to 2005.