Saturday, November 25
Lawrence, Kan.
2:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
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Kansas
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
WVU Caps Regular Season Slate at Kansas
November 24, 2017 02:26 PM | Volleyball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team will cap the 2017 regular season on Saturday when the Mountaineers take on No. 14 Kansas at 2 p.m. ET inside the Horejsi Family Athletics Center in Lawrence, Kansas.
The match will be broadcasted on ESPN3 via WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Live stats also will be provided through Side Arm.
The Jayhawks currently own a 13-0 advantage in the all-time series, as WVU and KU meet for the 14th time since 1999. Saturday's contest marks the second meeting of the season between the two squads, as Kansas picked up the four-set win in Morgantown on Oct. 4. Four Mountaineers recorded double-digit kills in the loss, as West Virginia finished the match hitting .255 with 57 kills, seven team blocks and 62 digs.
In facing the No. 14 Jayhawks on Saturday, the Mountaineers will face an opponent ranked inside the AVCA Coaches' Top-25 Poll for the ninth time this season. WVU is still on the hunt for the program's first-ever win over a top-25 foe and came close on Sept. 23, when the Mountaineers took then-No. 6 Texas to five sets in Morgantown.
"Kansas is one of the best teams in the nation every year," said third-year coach Reed Sunahara. "They are a historic program. Saturday is going to be a good challenge for our team. We will need to be on top of our game and execute well."
West Virginia rolled past Kansas State, 3-0, on Wednesday evening at the Ahearn Field House in Manhattan, Kansas. The Mountaineers swept the Wildcats in set scores of 25-22, 27-25 and 25-18 for their first Big 12 road win of the season.
Senior outside hitter Morgan Montgomery paved the way for WVU, netting a team-high 15 kills and hitting .519 on the evening. Sophomore outside hitter Payton Caffrey was not far behind her, totaling 13 kills on 30 attacks to hit .400 in the match. Senior setter Emma Anderson dished out 38 assists, while Caffrey led the serve receive with 15 digs. Senior middle blocker Mia Swanegan led WVU's blocking efforts with seven total blocks, followed by Montgomery with five. West Virginia finished the match hitting .360 with 46 kills and seven team blocks.
Following Wednesday night's victory over K-State, West Virginia sits in sole possession of fifth place in the Big 12 standings.
The Mountaineers lead the Big 12 in service aces, averaging 1.31 aces per set. West Virginia also ranks third in blocks per set (2.29), fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.186) and fifth in hitting percentage (.220).
Caffrey continues to lead the Big 12 with 0.45 service aces per set and ranks inside the top 10 in points (sixth) and kills (eighth). Sophomore setter Erin Slinde sits inside the top seven in assists (fifth) and service aces (seventh), averaging 9.46 assists per set and 0.23 service aces. Swanegan also ranks second in the league with 1.28 blocks per set.
Closing out the regular season on Saturday, the Mountaineers end the year after making several improvements from 2016. West Virginia has won 17 matches in a season for the first time since a 20-13 season in 2013. With 17 wins this season, Sunahara has earned his highest win total as the head coach of the Mountaineers. WVU also has earned five Big 12 wins for the first time since 2014. Additionally, the Mountaineers defeated Oklahoma in mid-October for the first time in program history.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The match will be broadcasted on ESPN3 via WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Live stats also will be provided through Side Arm.
The Jayhawks currently own a 13-0 advantage in the all-time series, as WVU and KU meet for the 14th time since 1999. Saturday's contest marks the second meeting of the season between the two squads, as Kansas picked up the four-set win in Morgantown on Oct. 4. Four Mountaineers recorded double-digit kills in the loss, as West Virginia finished the match hitting .255 with 57 kills, seven team blocks and 62 digs.
In facing the No. 14 Jayhawks on Saturday, the Mountaineers will face an opponent ranked inside the AVCA Coaches' Top-25 Poll for the ninth time this season. WVU is still on the hunt for the program's first-ever win over a top-25 foe and came close on Sept. 23, when the Mountaineers took then-No. 6 Texas to five sets in Morgantown.
"Kansas is one of the best teams in the nation every year," said third-year coach Reed Sunahara. "They are a historic program. Saturday is going to be a good challenge for our team. We will need to be on top of our game and execute well."
West Virginia rolled past Kansas State, 3-0, on Wednesday evening at the Ahearn Field House in Manhattan, Kansas. The Mountaineers swept the Wildcats in set scores of 25-22, 27-25 and 25-18 for their first Big 12 road win of the season.
Senior outside hitter Morgan Montgomery paved the way for WVU, netting a team-high 15 kills and hitting .519 on the evening. Sophomore outside hitter Payton Caffrey was not far behind her, totaling 13 kills on 30 attacks to hit .400 in the match. Senior setter Emma Anderson dished out 38 assists, while Caffrey led the serve receive with 15 digs. Senior middle blocker Mia Swanegan led WVU's blocking efforts with seven total blocks, followed by Montgomery with five. West Virginia finished the match hitting .360 with 46 kills and seven team blocks.
Following Wednesday night's victory over K-State, West Virginia sits in sole possession of fifth place in the Big 12 standings.
The Mountaineers lead the Big 12 in service aces, averaging 1.31 aces per set. West Virginia also ranks third in blocks per set (2.29), fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.186) and fifth in hitting percentage (.220).
Caffrey continues to lead the Big 12 with 0.45 service aces per set and ranks inside the top 10 in points (sixth) and kills (eighth). Sophomore setter Erin Slinde sits inside the top seven in assists (fifth) and service aces (seventh), averaging 9.46 assists per set and 0.23 service aces. Swanegan also ranks second in the league with 1.28 blocks per set.
Closing out the regular season on Saturday, the Mountaineers end the year after making several improvements from 2016. West Virginia has won 17 matches in a season for the first time since a 20-13 season in 2013. With 17 wins this season, Sunahara has earned his highest win total as the head coach of the Mountaineers. WVU also has earned five Big 12 wins for the first time since 2014. Additionally, the Mountaineers defeated Oklahoma in mid-October for the first time in program history.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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