Tonight will kick off part one of the Sunflower Showdown between No. 14 K-State and No. 21 University of Kansas. The Jayhawks will have the home court advantage in the Lawrence match. This is the first time in series history that both sides will enter the match as ranked teams.
The Wildcats will go to Lawrence with an overall record of 17-2 and 4-2 in Big 12 Conference play. After Saturday’s win at Texas Christian University, coming by way of a sweep, K-State should enter this match with some momentum; 14 of K-State’s 17 wins this season have been sweeps. The Wildcats hold a record of 4-1 on the road this season.
The Jayhawks come into the match with an overall record of 17-3 and a 5-1 conference record. Kansas is also currently undefeated at home this season, holding a record of 10-0.
Leading the way for the Jayhawks is redshirt junior middle blocker Caroline Jarmoc with 266 kills and a .389 hitting percentage. However, it is a player from Manhattan who has been key to the Jayhawks’ early season success.
Redshirt junior outside hitter Catherine Carmichael leads the Jayhawks with 3.40 kills per set, helping to form a one-two punch that has made the Jayhawks slow down on offense.
On defense, the Jayhawks do an outstanding job of digging out the ball, ranking second in the league in the Big 12 with 16.04 per set.
Like the Jayhawks, the Wildcats are also led by their middle blocker. Junior Kaitlynn Pelger leads K-State with 243 kills and a .368 hitting percentage. K-State, however, relies on a more balanced offensive attack.
K-State is coming off a match that saw three players — Pelger, junior outside hitter Lilla Porubek and senior middle blocker Alex Muff — put up hitting percentages over .400.
Last season, K-State got the best of Kansas by winning both matches 3-1. First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in Lawrence, and the match will be aired on 1350-AM KMAN.