Football kicks off season as volleyball, soccer hit the road

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(Marshall Sunner | Collegian Media Group)

Soccer

The Kansas State soccer team looks to continue its success after rolling over Austin Peay on the road on Friday. The team steamrolled the Governors for a 5-0 victory in the team’s second regular-season win. The Wildcats now look ahead to more road games this week.

First up, the Wildcats continue their trip in Clarksville, Tennessee, taking on the University of North Alabama Lions. K-State currently sits at a 2-1-0 record, with North Alabama sitting at 0-1-2.

Sophomore forward Alice Bussey leads the Lions with its only goal and leads the team in points (2), shots (5), shots-on-goal (3) and shooting percentage at .200.

The Wildcats will travel again on Thursday to Denver, Colorado, taking on Denver in the third game of the road tour. Denver currently sits at 3-0 on the season, their most recent win coming against Utah in a 3-0 victory.

Senior forward Sydney Sharp leads Denver in goals (2), points (4) and shots (7) while shooting .286 with shots on goal.

Both games will be available to watch on ESPN+.

(Sophie Osborn | Collegian Media Group)
Freshman defender Kenzi Gillispie kicks the ball forward during K-State's showdown with Omaha on Aug. 22 at Buser Family Park. (Sophie Osborn | Collegian Media Group)

Volleyball

Coming off a trip to Nebraska for the Husker Invitational, the K-State volleyball team takes a short break this week before heading to Santa Barbara, California, to play in the Gaucho Invitational.

The Wildcats (1-1) will compete against three other teams this coming weekend, including Pepperdine (3-0) on Friday night and UC Santa Barbara (1-2) and San Diego State (0-3) on Saturday.

Coming off of a dominant performance at the Classic City Clash in Athens, Georgia, Pepperdine looks to continue its success after going 3-0 in the tournament this past weekend. Senior outside/opposite hitter Rachel Ahrens of Pepperdine has 50 kills on the year, 68.5 points and 15 aces, ranking her first on the team in those categories.

UC Santa Barbara comes into the week at 1-2 after the Panther Invitational this past weekend. The Gauchos look to gain momentum towards their season during their opening tournament this weekend.

Middle blocker Deni Wilson of UC Santa Barbara leads the team in kills (31), sets (14), and points (39).

The Aztecs of San Diego State look for their first win of the season in Santa Barbara after going 0-3 in Hunstville, Texas, at the Bearkat Invitational this past weekend. Senior outside hitter Zoi Faki of SDSU currently leads the Aztecs in kills this season with 30.

Each game will be broadcasted on KMAN/Sunny 102.5.

(Sophie Osborn | The Collegian Media Group)
The K-State volleyball team talks before going back out onto the floor as they square off with Kansas City on Aug. 22 at Bramlage Coliseum. (Sophie Osborn | The Collegian Media Group)

Football

The college football season is finally here as the Kansas State football team travels to Arlington, Texas, to take on the Stanford Cardinal at AT&T Stadium.

The Cardinal comes into this season finishing 4-2 during a shortened 2020 season, most likely led at quarterback by redshirt junior Jack West and junior running back Austin Jones. Jones finished with over 650 all-purpose yards and nine total touchdowns this past season.

Stanford comes into the game with a four-game winning streak, finishing this past season with a win over UCLA. K-State comes in quite the opposite after losing the last five games of the 2020 season.

The Wildcats look to turn things around with a healthy Skylar Thompson commanding the offense and help from Deuce Vaughn and others on the offensive side of the ball.

Defensively, the Wildcats look to slow West and Jones down with playmakers Jahron McPherson, Khalid Duke and Wayne Jones.

Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 4, and will be broadcasted on FOX Sports 1 and by the K-State Sports Network.

(Dylan Connell | Collegian Media Group)
The K-State football team practices in front of the public on Saturday, Aug. 7 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. (Dylan Connell | Collegian Media Group)
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