After a very successful week for Kansas State sports this past week, teams look to continue their success with some challenging games ahead.
Football
The K-State football team (7-3, 4-3 Big 12) is coming off an impressive 34-17 win over West Virginia, which saw all three phases making an effort for the Wildcats. Skylar Thompson, Deuce Vaughn and Sammy Wheeler were electric for the offense. Cody Fletcher and Russ Yeast had interceptions on defense, and Ty Bowman’s blocked punt led to a touchdown for Marvin Martin on special teams.
The Wildcats will turn their attention to No. 11 Baylor (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) this week. Baylor is coming off an impressive performance, knocking off undefeated Oklahoma 27-14. Baylor’s junior quarterback, Gerry Bohanon, has 16 touchdowns and six interceptions on the season with 2,084 yards passing.
Baylor is heavy in the run game with 2,558 yards rushing on the season behind senior running backs Abram Smith and Trestan Ebner. The two have combined for 1,924 yards this season and had 188 yards against Oklahoma, while Bohanon added 107 yards with his legs as well.
The big match-up for this game will be the run game. K-State relies heavily on Deuce Vaughn and Joe Ervin to produce on the ground, but Baylor is only allowing 122 yards per game. Will K-State be able to break the Baylor defense, or will it be a rough day for the ‘Cats?
Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Men’s Basketball
After beating Florida A&M 67-57 this past Wednesday, the K-State men’s basketball team (1-0) returns to action this week as they face off against Omaha (1-1) on Wednesday night at Bramlage Coliseum.
The Wildcats were led by sophomore guard Nijel Pack who had 18 points as he shot 4-7 from the three-point range.
Pack’s fellow guards in sophomore Selton Miguel and senior Mark Smith also put in a solid performance against Florida A&M. Miguel put up 10 points and seven rebounds while Smith had 12 points with six rebounds.
Omaha is led by freshman forward Frankie Fiddler, who averages 14 points per game and four rebounds, as well as junior guard Kyle Luedtke, who is scoring 10 points per game and 5.5 rebounds.
Women’s basketball
The K-State women’s basketball team (3-0) is set for another busy week. The Wildcats are closing up the 2021 Preseason WNIT this week as they take on North Carolina A&T (0-3) at home on Monday night and then travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, to face No. 5 NC State on Friday.
The Wildcats are currently averaging 74.3 points per game behind junior center Ayoka Lee. Lee has been on a tear this season, averaging a double-double (28.7 ppg, 10.3 rebounds) as well as breaking 1,000 career points on Sunday night against Western Kentucky.
The Wildcats will be in for a tough battle on Friday against NC State. Lee will face arguably her hardest matchup of the season when she takes on All-American senior center Elissa Cunane. Cunane is averaging 13 points per game as well as 7.7 rebounds.
The Wolfpack are a very well-rounded team. They have three players averaging 10 or more points and five more players averaging over five points per game. Will K-State be able to feed Ayoka Lee, or will the Wolfpack be able to keep her locked down?
Volleyball
The K-State volleyball team (15-8, 6-6 Big 12) is coming off a visit to the Iowa State Cyclones, where they split the series 1-1. The Wildcats will face a formidable opponent this week when they travel to Austin, Texas, to challenge the No. 2 Texas Longhorns (20-1, 11-1 Big 12).
The Wildcats are led by sophomore outside hitter Aliyah Carter who has 366 kills on the season. Junior setter Teana Adams-Kaonohi has been solid for K-State in the middle with 962 assists on the season.
On defense, K-State is led by sophomore middle blocker Kadye Fernholz who has 96 of the Wildcat’s 225 blocks this season, and sophomore libero Mackenzie Morris who has 368 digs.
Texas is led offensively by junior outside hitter Logan Eggleston and junior setter Jhenna Gabriel. On the defensive side, the Longhorns are led by junior middle blockers Asjia O’Neal and libero Nalani Iosia.
