MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Following a 3-1 win at Baylor on Wednesday, the West Virginia University volleyball team is set to welcome No. 22 Kansas State to the WVU Coliseum for a 5 p.m. Big 12 match on Saturday.
In addition to being a Dollar Night with admission and select concessions just $1, the Mountaineers will also celebrate Bow Ties for Breast Cancer. Fans are encouraged to wear a bow tie or arrive early as the team will be giving away free bow ties at the gate.
“Our team has been doing a great job of focusing on fundamental volleyball and the behaviors we feel are important for our team to see success,” said Mountaineer coach Jill Kramer. “We will give our best effort to communicate well as a team and play hard each and every point.”
The Mountaineers (13-8, 3-4) and the Wildcats (18-3, 5-2) will meet for the fifth time on Saturday. Unlike many other Big 12 opponents, the two have never met in a nonconference match and did not start the series until WVU joined the Big 12 in 2012. Kansas State owns a 3-1 lead, with West Virginia claiming its first victory at home last season.
The 3-1 win at WVU Coliseum was a historic one for West Virginia. Not only was it the first time the Mountaineers defeated the Wildcats, it marked the first Big 12 win in program history for WVU. In addition, the Wildcats were the top vote-getter in that week’s AVCA Poll.
K-State is currently ranked No. 22 in the AVCA Coaches’ Poll, marking the fourth time this season WVU has faced a ranked opponent. The Mountaineers opened the season against then-No. 9 BYU (L, 3-0) before taking on then-No. 13 North Carolina (L, 3-0) as part of the Big 12-ACC Challenge. In league play, WVU took two sets from No. 2 Texas before eventually falling, 3-2. West Virginia also played No. 21 Duke, though the Blue Devils were unranked but receiving votes when they took a 3-1 win from the Mountaineers.
Saturday will mark the final time this season the Mountaineers will face a “new” Big 12 opponent for the season, as K-State is the only team WVU has yet to face. Every league match from then on will be a rematch, as the squad will travel to TCU, Oklahoma, Texas, Kanas and Kansas State after hosting all five at the WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers will host Iowa State (Nov. 8), Texas Tech (Nov. 15) and Baylor (Nov. 22).
Following Saturday’s contest, the Mountaineers will hit the road for a pair of league matches. They will travel to Fort Worth, Texas, on October 29 for a rematch with TCU after earning a 3-2 win over the Horned Frogs earlier this season. The team will then head to Norman, Oklahoma, where it will face Oklahoma while looking to avenge an earlier 3-1 loss to the Sooners.
