Wednesday, October 4
Morgantown, W.Va.
6:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
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Kansas
Photo by: Steven Prunty
WVU Returns Home, Plays Host to No. 11 Kansas
October 03, 2017 04:44 PM | Volleyball
The No. 11-ranked Jayhawks are the fourth ranked opponent for WVU this season
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team plays host to No. 11 Kansas on Wednesday, Oct. 4. The match is set to begin at 6 p.m. inside the WVU Coliseum.
Wednesday's match is Dollar Night, and all tickets and select concessions will be available for $1 each. Additionally, the first 125 maniacs will receive a free WVU water bottle.
The No. 11-ranked Jayhawks are the fourth ranked opponent for WVU this season. The Mountaineers have played three teams ranked inside the AVCA poll in 2017, with three of their four losses coming against the country's top-six teams (No. 6 Penn State (Aug. 26), No. 2 Minnesota (Sept. 1) and No. 6 Texas (Sept. 23)).
"Kansas is a great team," said head coach Reed Sunahara. "Ray Bechard has done a nice job there. We have to keep working. We want to be like Kansas. We want to be a top team. We just have to make sure we are doing the right things in practice and make sure that those things carry over into the match."
WVU (12-4, 1-2) and Kansas (14-2, 3-0) meet for the 13th time since 1999, as the Jayhawks currently own a 12-0 all-time series advantage. However, the Mountaineers took then-No. 4 Kansas to five sets last season, suffering a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to the Jayhawks at home. The match on Nov. 16, 2016 marked the first time in program history that West Virginia took Kansas' historic program to all five sets.
"They are good," Sunahara said. "They are good at every position. They are a solid team, and I expect them to make a good run. We have to do what we have to do. We have to be consistent. We have to take care of business on our side of the court. If we control the ball, then hopefully good things will happen."
In its last week of competition, West Virginia dropped a hard-fought battle at Texas Tech, ultimately falling by a score of 3-1 on Sept. 27. The Mountaineers took the loss in the set scores of 20-25, 27-25, 22-25 and 24-26, hitting .242 with 18 errors and 10 team blocks. Payton Caffrey finished with a team-high 12 kills to go along with 14 digs and two assists. Katie DeMeo and Natania Levak each had 11 kills, while Mia Swanegan rounded out the team in double digs with 10. Additionally, Erin Slinde assisted on 45 kills, while Alexa Hasting lead the team with 22 digs. Lindsay Proctor also reached double-digit digs with 10.
"We have to keep working on what we need to work on," Sunahara said. "We have to make sure we take care of business. It all starts at practice. The way we execute in practice is what matters. We will work on what we need to do vs. Kansas within the next couple days, and hopefully, good things will happen."
WVU is one-of-four Big 12 teams currently holding its opponents to no better than a .165 hitting percentage, a feat that leads all conferences. West Virginia ranks third in blocks per set (2.34) and fourth in hitting percentage (.251). The Mountaineers also lead the league in service aces, averaging 1.60 aces per set.
Caffrey continues to lead the Big 12 with .49 aces per set and ranks inside the top 10 in points (7th) and kills (8th). Swanegan ranks fourth with 1.20 blocks per set. Slinde also sits in fourth with 10.61 assists per set. Hasting ranks eighth with 3.52 digs per set, and DeMeo rounds out the top 10 with a .325 attacking percentage. Proctor and Richards also complete the top 10 in aces per set, sitting in ninth and 10th, respectively, with a 0.24 and 0.23 average.
Kansas is coming off a 2-0 performance last week, picking up wins against then-No. 18 Iowa State and TCU at home. The Jayhawks defeated the Cyclones, 3-2, on Sept. 27, before sweeping the Horned Frogs, 3-0, on Sept. 30.
Kansas leads the Big 12 in kills per set (14.77) and assists per set (13.87), while ranking second in digs per set (15.87) and hitting percentage (.274). Ainise Havili, the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth in the nation in assists per set (11.97). Kelsie Payne ranks second in the league in both kills per set (4.34) and points per set (4.75). Madison Rigdon alsoranks second in aces per set (.35) and fourth in both kills per set (3.61) and points per set (4.27).
Of note, seven of KU's last 10 Big 12 regular-season matches have lasted five sets.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Wednesday's match is Dollar Night, and all tickets and select concessions will be available for $1 each. Additionally, the first 125 maniacs will receive a free WVU water bottle.
The No. 11-ranked Jayhawks are the fourth ranked opponent for WVU this season. The Mountaineers have played three teams ranked inside the AVCA poll in 2017, with three of their four losses coming against the country's top-six teams (No. 6 Penn State (Aug. 26), No. 2 Minnesota (Sept. 1) and No. 6 Texas (Sept. 23)).
"Kansas is a great team," said head coach Reed Sunahara. "Ray Bechard has done a nice job there. We have to keep working. We want to be like Kansas. We want to be a top team. We just have to make sure we are doing the right things in practice and make sure that those things carry over into the match."
WVU (12-4, 1-2) and Kansas (14-2, 3-0) meet for the 13th time since 1999, as the Jayhawks currently own a 12-0 all-time series advantage. However, the Mountaineers took then-No. 4 Kansas to five sets last season, suffering a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to the Jayhawks at home. The match on Nov. 16, 2016 marked the first time in program history that West Virginia took Kansas' historic program to all five sets.
"They are good," Sunahara said. "They are good at every position. They are a solid team, and I expect them to make a good run. We have to do what we have to do. We have to be consistent. We have to take care of business on our side of the court. If we control the ball, then hopefully good things will happen."
In its last week of competition, West Virginia dropped a hard-fought battle at Texas Tech, ultimately falling by a score of 3-1 on Sept. 27. The Mountaineers took the loss in the set scores of 20-25, 27-25, 22-25 and 24-26, hitting .242 with 18 errors and 10 team blocks. Payton Caffrey finished with a team-high 12 kills to go along with 14 digs and two assists. Katie DeMeo and Natania Levak each had 11 kills, while Mia Swanegan rounded out the team in double digs with 10. Additionally, Erin Slinde assisted on 45 kills, while Alexa Hasting lead the team with 22 digs. Lindsay Proctor also reached double-digit digs with 10.
"We have to keep working on what we need to work on," Sunahara said. "We have to make sure we take care of business. It all starts at practice. The way we execute in practice is what matters. We will work on what we need to do vs. Kansas within the next couple days, and hopefully, good things will happen."
WVU is one-of-four Big 12 teams currently holding its opponents to no better than a .165 hitting percentage, a feat that leads all conferences. West Virginia ranks third in blocks per set (2.34) and fourth in hitting percentage (.251). The Mountaineers also lead the league in service aces, averaging 1.60 aces per set.
Caffrey continues to lead the Big 12 with .49 aces per set and ranks inside the top 10 in points (7th) and kills (8th). Swanegan ranks fourth with 1.20 blocks per set. Slinde also sits in fourth with 10.61 assists per set. Hasting ranks eighth with 3.52 digs per set, and DeMeo rounds out the top 10 with a .325 attacking percentage. Proctor and Richards also complete the top 10 in aces per set, sitting in ninth and 10th, respectively, with a 0.24 and 0.23 average.
Kansas is coming off a 2-0 performance last week, picking up wins against then-No. 18 Iowa State and TCU at home. The Jayhawks defeated the Cyclones, 3-2, on Sept. 27, before sweeping the Horned Frogs, 3-0, on Sept. 30.
Kansas leads the Big 12 in kills per set (14.77) and assists per set (13.87), while ranking second in digs per set (15.87) and hitting percentage (.274). Ainise Havili, the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth in the nation in assists per set (11.97). Kelsie Payne ranks second in the league in both kills per set (4.34) and points per set (4.75). Madison Rigdon alsoranks second in aces per set (.35) and fourth in both kills per set (3.61) and points per set (4.27).
Of note, seven of KU's last 10 Big 12 regular-season matches have lasted five sets.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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Players Mentioned
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