MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team takes on Big 12 foe Kansas State in its annual pick match for breast cancer awareness on Saturday, Oct. 21, in a 1 p.m. ET tilt.
West Virginia will don pink jerseys in support of the cause. WVU Medicine will be sponsoring the match and collecting donations to the WVU Cancer Institute. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the match and can get the WVU sports official "pink" t-shirt with a donation of $10 or more to WVU Medicine.
The Mountaineers also partnered with the Norma Mae Huggins Cancer Research Endowment at the WVU Cancer Institute to participate in "Set for a Cause, Spike for a Cure" throughout the 2017 season. Fans can pledge a monetary amount for each kill the team produces this season. For more information or to make a pledge, click HERE. Fans can also WATCH the team's latest video feature, highlighting the team's effort in its fight for a cure.
Tickets for Saturday's game are available by visiting WVUGAME.com, calling 1-800-WVU-GAME or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office, located at the Gold Gate of the WVU Coliseum.
"It's going to be a great day," said WVU coach Reed Sunahara. "It's a good event for a good cause. Kansas State is very good. Again, they have a lot of tradition, and they have been one of the best teams in the conference year-in and year-out. We look forward to being at home playing in front of our crowd."
WVU (13-7, 2-5) and K-State (9-11, 2-5) met for the first time in 2012, when the Mountaineers joined the Big 12. The Wildcats own an 8-2 lead in the series, and is 4-1 in Morgantown. Kansas State has been nationally ranked for three of the 10 prior meetings, and were ranked No. 15 in the AVCA Coaches' Poll during the inaugural meeting in September of 2012.
Of note, several matches between the Mountaineers and the Wildcats have a spot in history. In 2013, West Virginia defeated K-State, 3-1, on Sept. 27 at the WVU Coliseum for the program's first ever Big 12 win. A year later in 2014, the Mountaineers claimed a five-set win over K-State in Manhattan for WVU's first win over a top-25 RPI program, as the Wildcats entered the match ranked No. 18 in the RPI. The victory also helped WVU to a program-best six Big 12 wins three years after joining the league.
West Virginia and Kansas State sit in a tie for fifth place in the Big 12 standings, as the conference slate nears the midway point. Both teams have dropped five of their last six matches overall. WVU is coming off a 3-1 setback at No. 22 Iowa State on Wednesday, while K-State also dropped a four-set decision at No. 25 Baylor on Oct. 14.
Sophomore outside hitter Payton Caffrey continues to lead the Big 12 with 0.40 service aces per set and ranks inside the top 10 in points (seventh) and kills (eighth). Additionally, Erin Slinde sits inside the top five in service aces (fourth) and assists (fifth). The sophomore setter averages 0.29 service aces and 10.22 assists per set. Freshman defensive specialist Lindsay Proctor also ranks sixth in service aces, averaging 0.23 per set. Senior middle blocker Mia Swanegan ranks fifth with 1.14 blocks per set, while freshman middle blocker Katie DeMeo ranks eighth with 1.03 blocks per set. Freshman defensive specialist Alexa Hasting also ranks ninth with 3.46 digs per set.
Looking ahead, West Virginia will swing through Texas for a pair of Big 12 matches. The Mountaineers will square off against TCU on Thursday, Oct. 26, followed by a match against Texas on Saturday, Oct. 28.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
