It’s been nearly a month since the K-State volleyball team won consecutive matches and the Wildcats will try and break that streak Friday night in Norman, Oklahoma when they take on the Sooners.
The Wildcats defeated the West Virginia Mountaineers last Saturday in straight sets inside Bramlage Coliseum.
The win kept the Wildcats undefeated at 11-0 in program history when playing in the coliseum.
K-State also has yet to lose a set when playing at home in Big 12 play.
“We are still a work in progress, but I was pleased with the defensive side more than anything else,” head coach Suzie Fritz said. “We got our hands on more balls at the net, put together more serving runs and our back row played well. In that facet of the game, we played good.”
The Wildcats were led in kills by freshman Alyssa Schultejans, who had a dozen on the night.
“If we can get all of our players going at once, we are going to be good,” Fritz said. “Balance is good because we don’t want one person carrying the load. I think it’s a blessing and a curse because you want everyone playing well at the same time and so that is the goal.”
Last Saturday brought back players past and present for Alumni Weekend, which had more than 60 former volleyball players from four decades and 12 states.
“It was unbelievable, and honestly it was kind of emotional,” Fritz said. “To have a room full of people that have been so important in your life, it’s fun. First off, these women are remarkable and have done great things in the world after being at K-State.”
Fritz also said she recognized the groundwork of the women who played in the 1970s and the stories they told during the weekend.
“Women in sports continue to be a work-in-progress and they didn’t have all the luxuries our players have now,” she said. “We are very appreciative of the ground work that many of those women laid for us long before we had the opportunities we have now, which was an eye-opening experience for our players.”
K-State split the season series with Oklahoma last season as both teams won on their home court.
The Wildcats are 10-7 overall and 2-3 in Big 12 play, while the Sooners are 7-10 and 1-4 in conference play.
“We have a work list and we have to prioritize what we want to work on for this match and have the biggest impact on us being successful,” Fritz said. “We need to continue to be a first swing side-out offense, be more effective on our serve and we have to turn digs for points. Although that’s only three things, that’s a lot we need to work on.”
