Headlines 2011

 

Dec. 20, 2011  Kansas State returns to the AVCA Rankings
The final AVCA Coaches' Poll for 2011 was released today, and the Cats are #22. Here's the link. Also, here's the announcement from Sports Information.

National champions UCLA took all 60 first-place votes. Acquaintances of the Cats who are ranked include #4 Texas, #6 Pepperdine, #8 Iowa State and #12 Nebraska. Big 12 deserters, Texas A&M, received votes. K-State's Regional Semifinals appearance obviously caught a lot of voters' attention. Pepperdine, who defeated the Cats in the tournament, missed the Final Four by five points in an exciting five-set match vs. USC.

Congratulations and thanks to Suzie Fritz, Jeff Grove, Jeff Hulsmeyer and all the Cats for their tremendous success this season. You really finished the season strong, and the win over #2 Nebraska in Lincoln has to be a Top Five win in the history of the program. We fans can't wait to see you in Ahearn in August!

Dec. 14, 2011  Kaitlynn Pelger's an All-American!
Alright, then... As I predicted five days ago on this page, and to my friends since September, Kaitlynn is an honorable mention AVCA All-American. Here's the announcement from the AVCA, and the story from Sports Information.

I've swiped a paragraph from Sports Illustrated:

Pelger posted 500 kills on a .309 hitting percentage in helping the Wildcats to the Regional Semifinals of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the program's history. Pelger had 20 or more kills in 11 matches, to rank second for a single season at K-State. For the second straight year, Pelger also tallied a triple-triple season, reaching triple digits in three statistical categories. To go with her 500 kills, Pelger had 337 digs and 121 blocks. Her 15 double-doubles this season also stand 10th.
Dec. 9, 2011  Cats' season ends with the Sweet 16
K-State tangled with a very good (#18) Pepperdine team tonight, ultimately resulting in a 18-25, 12-25, 23-25 sweep by the Waves.

Kathleen Ludwig had a very strong night. She led with 15 points and 12 kills on .355 hitting, including an ace and six digs. Kaitlynn Pelger had 11 points and 11 digs. Kaitlynn ended the season with 500 kills, a tie for fifth-best in K-State history. Lilla Porubek had 9.5 points and eight kills.

K-State hit their best in set one, at .286, leading to the 18-25 score. Their weakest hitting, .077, came in set three with their best score: 23-25. The Cats led a good part of set three.

Setter Caitlyn Donahue had 30 assists and 17 digs. This translated to her 16th double-double for the season, sixth-best in the program's history. Caitlyn had 1346 assists for the season, for an average of 11.21 assists per set. She's been on NCAA stats list all season.

Kuulei Kabalis had 17 digs, and Tristan McCarty had eight.

Edit: It should be pointed out that on the following night, #18 Pepperdine played #1 USC in a five-set barnburner (25-16, 26-28, 19-25, 25-19, 15-10), ultimately missing the Final Four by five points.

It's sad that the NCAA won't let us play until August, but we have much to look forward to. Only Ashley Kelican departs, as she's going to vet school, and the team improved their 2010 record of 12-19 to 22-11 in 2011. While not ranked this season, they received votes in the last half of the season, and will likely be ranked in the final AVCA poll, which will be released on December 20. The Cats learned how to rise to challenges, as they won eight of nine five-set matches. They had a solid win over Wichita State in the tournament, and stunned #2 Nebraska. They beat #25 Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Pelger and Porubek were named All-Big 12. Thanks to the team, coaches and managers for a wonderful season. One last thing... don't forget that on Nov. 23, the Cats recorded their 30th win out of the last 34 meetings with KU.

Now we'll stay tuned to see if Kaitlynn Pelger gets a much-deserved nod as an AVCA All-American.

Dec. 6, 2011  Kaitlynn Pelger: AVCA Division I All-Region Team
Sports Information has announced the AVCA's selection of sophomore Kaitlynn Pelger to the Central Region Team. Here's a PDF of the entire announcement.

This follows Kaitlynn's selection to the All-Big 12 First Team on November 28, and it means that she is eligible to be named an AVCA All-American later this month. The Central Region is one of eight in the AVCA.

Stay tuned for news on more well-deserved honors!

Dec. 5, 2011  Bon Voyage!
The Cats departed for Hawaii at 7 p.m. tonight... first traveling by way of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The Cats weren't dressed very warmly for the 24° temperature and 15° wind chill, but they didn't linger outside. A crowd of about 100, including a pep band, gathered in the West Stadium parking lot to wish them well.
Dec. 2, 2011  Cats beat the #2 Huskers, earning their tickets to Honolulu
On November 22, #2 University of Nebraska Volleyball locked up their first Big 10 championship with a win over Iowa, and began dreaming of their journey to Honolulu in the NCAA tournament. They thought all they had to do was knock off a couple of cupcake teams enroute to the islands. Our Cats provided NU's earliest tournament departure since 1983. Oops!

There's so much good stuff to report that I'm not sure where to start! I know... let's start with a mention of the double-doubles for Donahue, Porubek, Traxson and Muff. Kaitlynn Pelger delivered a triple-double, with 12 digs, 22 kills and 25 points!

Here's some perspective: With this victory, Kansas State improved its series with Nebraska to 80-4. (That's NU: 80, KSU: 4.) But... K-State (22-10) has beaten Nebraska (25-5) at home twice in the past 10 years. Only UCLA equals that achievement. Nebraska has only 10 losses in 10 years at home.

Kaitlynn Pelger led the team in scoring with 25 points, 22 kills and .314 hitting. Lilla Porubek added 19 points and 17 kills on .265 hitting. Alex Muff had 15.5 points and 12 kills. Courtney Traxson had a big night, with 14 points and 14 kills. As a team, K-State hit .241 to NU's .262, and outscored the Huskers 91 to 88. Close... but an awesome outcome.

On defense, Kuulei Kabalis earned the trip to her hometown with 17 digs. Tristan McCarty was right behind her with 15 digs. Caitlyn Donahue and Kathleen Ludwig had 14 digs, and Kaitlynn Pelger had 12. Alex Muff led the Cats in blocks, with seven. The Cats outblocked Nebraska, 13 to 10.

Caitlyn Donahue had another big night, with 65 assists and 14 digs. Her 13 assists per game tonight once again exceeded the Division I leader's 12.29 per game average.

If you read quotes on the Wichita State win, you'll see references to a big emphasis on opening strong. K-State took the first set, 25-22. It would be a battle all night, as the Cats lost set two, 22-25, but came back to win set three, 31-29. Set four went to NU, 22-25, but the Cats established themselves early in set five, allowing a victory of 15-11.

Here's a stat that I think means something: K-State has so far played in nine five-set matches, and the Cats have won eight of nine. Their success this season hasn't always been easy, and maybe the past battles helped to prepare them for tonight's spectacular victory.

This victory will draw a lot of press. I'll collect some fun links to enjoy. Here we go:

Dec. 1, 2011  Wildcats sweep the Shockers on the Huskers' court
Isn't it great to have the Cats back in the NCAA tournament?! After two years away, the Cats had the desire to achieve this, and have worked really hard to prepare. K-State swept our in-state neighbors, 25-18, 25-22, 25-17.

Let's start with Caitlyn Donahue, who had 46 assists and seven digs. That was 15.33 assists per set. The Division I leader has 12.29 assists per set, so nice work, Caitlyn.

Kaitlynn Pelger led the team offensively with 16 points and 15 kills on .290 hitting, so there's a double-double. Alex Muff was next with 11.5 points and 10 kills, on excellent .412 hitting. Hey... there's another double-double! Lilla Porubek had 10 points and nine kills. She hit .348, and added a service ace. Kathleen Ludwig logged nine points and seven kills, hitting .250. Kansas State outhit Wichita State, .268 to .119.

Defensively, the work was spread around quite a bit. Kaitlynn Pelger led with 17 digs. Kuulei Kabalis had 14, and Tristan McCarty had 12. The Cats outdug Wichita State, 65 to 52. The Shockers were held to .029 hitting in set one, and .098 in set two.

K-State improves to 21-10, and Wichita State's season ends at 21-11. Now we face the enormous challenge of playing those pesky Cornhuskers, ranked #2 in the AVCA poll, on their own court. The winners get a trip to Hawaii. First serve is Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. We can listen to Rob Voelker on KMAN, or via www.huskers.com.

Nov. 28, 2011  Kaitlynn Pelger, Lilla Porubek: All-Big 12!
Kaitlynn Pelger was named First Team All-Big 12, and Lilla Porubek was given Honorable Mention today. Obviously, both players have made a tremendous difference for the Cats this season, and we congratulate them for their major part in getting us back in the tournament. Here are links to the complete announcements from Sports Information and the Big 12 Conference.
Nov. 27, 2011  Suzie says thanks.
Coach Suzie Fritz, in a letter to the editor in today's Manhattan Mercury, writes, "It is with heartfelt appreciation that I would like to thank the Manhattan community for your support of our team and our program during the entire 2011 season, but particularly during the recent hard-fought victory over the Kansas Jayhawks.

It never ceases to amaze me the level of support you provide for us, as well as all of our athletics programs. We needed you there against KU, and as usual, you came through for us in true Wildcat fashion.

On behalf of our student athletes and staff, please know how much we appreciate your support. We are proud to represent the Wildcat nation and to call this wonderful community home."

[Note: With 1,820 fans in attendance, and most students home for Thanksgiving vacation, this was the 3rd-highest attended match of the 2011 season!]

Nov. 27, 2011  Cats headed to the NCAA Tournament!
Kansas State will play Wichita State in the first round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament. The match will be played in Lincoln, Nebraska, with first serve at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 1. If we take care of Wichita State, our old pals, Nebraska, are next on the menu.

K-State enters the tournament with a 20-10 record, RV in the AVCA poll and an RPI of 27. Seven of the nine Big 12 teams received a tournament invitation. Baylor somehow managed to get in with a 5-11 Big 12 record, 18-14 overall. Texas, 15-1 and 22-4, got the #1 seed in the tournament. Iowa State, 13-3 and 22-5, got the #4 seed. Texas A&M, 11-5 and 22-7, got the #16 seed.

Here are some links you may want to follow:

All regional semifinal games will be shown on ESPN3.com, while regional final games will air on ESPNU. Regional winners will advance to the semifinals and final at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 15 and 17. Both national semifinal games, as well as the championship game, will be telecast by ESPN2.

Finally... I have shamelessly swiped this chart from Sports Information:

NCAA Tournament History
2008: L 2-3 vs. Santa Clara
2007: W 3-0 vs. Tulsa; L 2-3 vs. Oregon
2005: W 3-1 v. Florida A&M; L 0-3 vs. Florida
2004: W 3-0 vs. Cal State Northridge; L 0-3 vs. Southern California
2003: W 3-0 vs. Ohio; W 3-0 vs. Arkansas; L 1-3 vs. Penn State
2002: W 3-0 vs. Michigan; L 1-3 vs. Washington State
2001: W 3-2 vs. Arkansas; L 1-3 vs. Nebraska
2000: W 3-1 vs. Loyola-Chicago; W 3-1 vs. Pepperdine; L 1-3 vs. Wisconsin
1999: W 3-0 vs. Louisville; L 1-3 vs. Colorado State
1998: W 3-0 vs. Georgetown; L 0-3 vs. BYU
1997: L 1-3 vs. San Diego
1996: W 3-1 vs. Cal State Northridge; L 0-3 vs. Washington State

Nov. 23, 2011  Cats end regular season with a victory over KU
This wasn't flashy or altogether easy, but K-State defeated KU for the 30th time out of the last 34 meetings. With most students gone for vacation, we still managed a crowd of 1,820, about 300 above the season average.

Lilla Porubek led the way on offense, with 26 kills and 27 points. She hit .305. Kaitlynn Pelger had 16.5 points, 15 kills and 19 digs. She has been valuable as a back row player, as well as being #14 in Division I in points production. Alex Muff had some fine plays, ending with 9.5 points and six kills on .222 hitting. Courtney Traxson had 7.5 points and seven kills, hitting .207.

Caitlyn Donahue came to play, as always, and recorded a whopping 49 assists, a couple of service aces and 15 digs. That's 12.25 assists per set, ladies and gentlemen. The current Division I stats leader has 12.32 assists per set, and the second-place player has 12.14 assists per set.

There were 29 tie scores, and 11 lead changes. KU (14-14, 2-13 Big 12) was playing for a winning season, and that whole 30 losses out of 34 matches thing probably irritates them a bit. They seemed like a better team this year, although their record last year was 17-14. Regardless, they once again lost to our Cats, who have gone from 12 wins last season to at least 20 this season!

Nov. 19, 2011  K-State gets by Texas Tech in four
The Cats defeated Texas Tech this afternoon for the 14th consecutive time, and the 20th of the last 21 tries, but it wasn't a cakewalk. Their All-Big 12 senior, Amanda Dowdy, was determined to make her mark. She led all players with 23.5 points and 21 kills.

Caitlyn Donahue celebrated the afternoon of her 21st birthday with her usual versatile performance. She had 46 digs for 11.5 per set, above her season average. Caitlyn had 18 digs, two service aces and hit .250.

Kaitlynn Pelger led all Cats with 20 points and 14 kills, hitting .343. She added three service aces and nine digs. Courtney Traxson had a big match. She had 13.5 points and 13 kills, hitting .333, and had nine digs. Courtney will be a major factor over the next two seasons. Lilla Porubek had 14 points and seven digs. Alex Muff had some real nice hits, adding 12 points.

Game scores were 25-22, 25-18, 23-25 and 25-21. While it wasn't as easy an outing as Cat fans came in expecting, there was balanced scoring and 69 digs, and some long rallies that had fans cheering.

Nov. 18, 2011  Katie Brand signs as a setter
Susie Fritz announced today the signing of Katie Brand of Grand Island, Nebraska for 2012. Katie is a 6' 1" multi-sport athlete. She has played various positions in volleyball, and will focus on the setter position for the Cats. Here's a story from NE Prep Zone of the Omaha World Herald. Here's a report of her basketball skills from the Grand Island Central Catholic web site.

It's always great to recruit one out of Nebraska's back yard!

Nov. 15, 2011  All-Big 12 academic honors for several Cats
Sports Information has announced that the Big 12 Conference has recognized six Wildcats for the 2011 Academic All-Big 12 Volleyball Team.

First team honorees are Caitlyn Donahue, Kathleen Ludwig, Alex Muff, Lilla Porubek and Courtney Traxson. Dakota Kauffman was named to the second team. To be eligible, they must have played in 60% of matches, be past the first year at the school and, for first team honors, must have a 3.200. Very nice work, ladies!

Nov. 12, 2011  Cats go 1-3 at #8 Texas
K-State, at this point, is the only Big 12 team that has won a set in Austin this season.

Lilla Porubek led with 16 points, 13 kills and .270 hitting. Kathleen Ludwig added 10.5 points, with eight kills and .250 hitting. Kaitlynn Pelger was able to play more of a full capacity after her ankle injury a week ago. She had 10 points, eight kills and nine digs.

Caitlyn Donahue had 40 assists, six digs and a service ace.

Kuulei Kabalis recorded 16 digs.

Nov. 9, 2011  Cats have a big win over Oklahoma
K-State Volleyball has become known this season for hanging tough, and tonight they earned their third victory out of the last four matches with a 3-2 score.

Kaitlynn Pelger, recovering from an ankle sprain four days earlier, rotated in only to serve and collect some digs on the back row. Lilla Porubek, for one, stepped up huge, with 25.5 points, 23 kills, 14 digs and .246 hitting, for her first career double-double. Kathleen Ludwig added 12.5 points, as did Courtney Traxson. Alex Muff added 11 points.

Setter Caitlyn Donahue had 51 assists, 20 digs and 5.5 points. Gina Madonia played all five sets, adding 13 digs.

It was back and forth through the match. Set scores were 18-25, 25-23, 16-25, 25-21 and 15-12. We got to see some of Santiago Restrepo's sideline antics, as usual, but he never managed a yellow card tonight. Hitting percentage went to OU, .160 to .136. They also led in blocks, 16.5 to the Cats' 11.5. Ultimately the Cats outscored the Sooners, 78.5 to 77.5.

The Cats are now at 18-8, already with 50% more wins than the last season, and knocking on the door of the NCAA tournament.

Nov. 5, 2011  Cats bid farewell to Texas A&M with a victory
What a wild ride! Kaitlynn Pelger went down with a sprained ankle in the first play of set one. Currently #4 in scoring in Division I, she was unable to play again. She was in a lot of pain for a while, but a trainer taped her up real well, and I expect she'll be playing again soon.

Things would not go well for the Cats in sets one and two. A&M outhit KSU .542 to .118 in set one, and .333 to .091 in set two. It seemed as if nothing was going right when the teams headed to the locker room.

The Cats had had enough of that nonsense. They played like a different team in set three, edging A&M 25-21 on hitting of .341 to .217. The best was yet to come. The Cats were feeling it, and went nuts in set four, especially on defense. While they only hit .286, they held A&M to .000. They were digging like crazy. It was beautiful, and the score in set four was 25-15 Cats!!

K-State was confident. It looked like they would be unstoppable. A 10-3 lead in set five had fans celebrating early, but A&M started chipping away at the lead. The Cats held on, however, and wrapped things up at 15-12.

Lilla Porubek had her work cut out for her, with defense focusing on her more than ever. She led the team in scoring, with 19 points and 18 kills. Kathleen "Southpaw" Ludwig was right there with her, adding 18.5 points on 17 kills and .382 hitting. Courtney Traxson had her career-best outing, with 14.5 points and 13 kills.

Defense was a team effort. Kuulei Kabalis led with 16 digs. Kathleen Ludwig had 14, Caitlyn Donahue had 13 and Gina Madonia had 12.

Caitlyn Donahue had a huge part in the victory. She was all over place, ending with 49 sets, 13 digs, four kills and five points.

I have always respected Texas A&M's program. They have always been great sports, and have done things the right way. In the 16 seasons of the Big 12, Texas A&M has 188 wins, and K-State has 187. A&M will probably win two more regular season matches. K-State will be right there with them, and it's very possible the two schools will be even on wins when Texas A&M's tour of duty in the Big 12 ends, leaving both schools tied for 3rd place all-time.

Oct. 29, 2011  Kathleen Ludwig has a big night in a close loss to Baylor
So close! K-State and Baylor entered the contest with similar season and Big 12 records. Baylor won the first two sets, 25-21 and 25-22. K-State bounced back with 25-18 and 25-14 wins. Ultimately Baylor squeaked by with a 15-13 win of set five.

K-State slightly edged Baylor on hitting, .244 to .233, led in sideout percentage, 66% to 60%, and led in total blocks, 12 to 8. The difference in points for the match: 78 to 76.

On offense, Kaitlynn Pelger led all players with 22 points, 20 kills and .357 hitting. Kathleen Ludwig was on fire, with 19.5 points, 17 kills and .368 hitting. Lilla Porubek had 14.5 points and 13 kills, and Alex Muff had 10.5 points, hit .222 and led in blocks, with 5.5.

Caitlyn Donahue had 51 assists, four points and a service ace.

On defense, Kuulei Kabalis had a whopping 30 digs, Caitlyn Donahue had 16, Kaitlynn Pelger had 14, Tristan McCarty had 12 and Kathleen Ludwig had 10.

Next up for the Cats is Texas A&M on Saturday, Nov. 5. Note: As of today, spanning the 16 years of the Big 12 Conference, Kansas State and Texas A&M are tied in victories, with 186 each.

October 26, 2011  Caitlyn Donahue gets big numbers vs. Missouri
Let's begin with Caitlyn's triple-double performance. In recording 12 points, Caitlyn hit .643, had 10 kills, 16 digs, a service ace and 48 assists. This was last accomplished by All-American Gabby Guerre in 2004. Once again, we're reminded what a versatile player Caitlyn is.

We didn't know what was coming next in this five-set victory over Missouri, as shown by set scores of 21-25, 25-13, 25-16, 21-25 and 15-11. Missouri, at 3-6, is struggling in the Big 12, but they're a better team than their record shows. I'm going to miss Molly Kreklow, by the way.

Scoring was more balanced than usual tonight. Kaitlynn Pelger led with 22.5 points, hitting .319. Lilla Porubek kept busy, adding 17 points. Alex Muff and Kathleen Ludwig had 11, and as mentioned, Caitlyn had 12 points. The Cats outhit Missouri .214 to .183.

The second set was the best by some measures for the Cats, who had just lost the first. They hit .438 as a team to .120 for Missouri, enroute to the final score of 25-13. In terms of sideouts, set three was the best at 82%, followed by 75% in set five.

Attendance was excellent tonight, at 2,785. Currently the season attendance is #26 nationally.

Oct. 22, 2011  #22 Oklahoma outlasts the Cats
Close doesn't count, but that's what it was, for sure. K-State ultimately lost to Oklahoma 3-1, with set scores of 20-25, 25-20, 22-25, 21-25. It was Oklahoma's eight straight points near the end of set three that turned the momentum after the Cats won the second set.

Several Cats turned in big numbers. Kaitlynn Pelger led all players with 27.5 points. OK... that's 6.875 points per set, which is noticeably greater than her Big 12-leading 5.62 average. Kaitlynn also had 26 kills and 14 digs. Alex Muff was next in points, at 13.5. Alex had 13 kills on .444 hitting! Lilla Porubek had another solid match, with 13 points and 13 kills.

Caitlyn Donahue had six points, and how about her 53 assists? That's 13.25/set! To put today's performance in perspective: Caitlyn is leading the Big 12 in assists with her 11.41/set average.

The Cats are now 15-7, 4-4 in Big 12 play. Missouri's up next on Oct. 26, provided that they haven't run off to the Missouri Valley Conference by then.

Oct. 19, 2011  The Cats annoy the Squawks yet again!
Our Cats defeated KU 3-1 tonight, with set scores of 19-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-12. Let's not go farther without mentioning that this was the 29th win out of the last 33 meetings. The Cats beat KU 21 straight times spanning 1995 to 2005.

Kaitlynn Pelger blew the roof off the dump, with 19 points, 15 digs, 13 kills, three aces, etc. etc., and she hit .423! Lilla Porubek showed the Squawks no mercy. She had 16 points and 15 kills, and hit a solid .303. Caitlyn Donahue had eight points, 10 digs, 43 assists and hit .333! Kathleen Ludwig recorded 11 points, had six digs, an ace and nine kills. Kuulei Kabalis was busy on defense, with 15 digs.

Set one was not fun. The Cats were outhit .371 to .065. The Cats kept their composure, and put the hammer down (as Mitch says) in the next three sets. By set four, the Cats turned the tables on hitting percentage, .303 to -.059. (That's not a typo!)

I think we all know that K-State dominated KU 13-1 in all sports combined last year. Thanks, Cats, for getting us started off right for '11 - '12.

Oct. 8, 2011  Cats sweep Red Raiders
I wasn't there, as I was needed in Bill Snyder Family Stadium, but the numbers for today's 1 p.m. match look good.

There are many items of good news from Lubbock today. Kaitlynn Pelger returned to her winning ways, leading with 13 kills and 18.5 points. As usual, she contributed in many categories, with seven block assists, eight digs, an ace and .321 hitting. Lilla Porubek came in second in points with 12, second in kills with nine. Alex Muff had an awesome night offensively... her best of the season. She was third in points with 10.5, had eight kills and hit a blistering .538. Kathleen Ludwig added eight points, six kills, six digs and an ace, and she looked beautiful on the video board at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, doing the promos for the next home match.

Ashley Kelican is doing a great job as setter. She had 32 assists. Her 10.6-per-game average, if held over the season, would have her elbow-to-elbow with Molly Kreklow of Missouri, for third place in the Big 12. Ashley had 7.5 points, and two aces!

As a team, K-State looked good. The Cats outblocked Tech 15 to 10, and outhit them .280 to .115. Both teams now have a 14-5 record, but we're 3-2 in the Big 12, and Tech is 0-4.

Up next for the Cats, a week from now, is #10 Texas in Manhattan at 3 p.m.

Oct. 5, 2011  #16 Iowa State gets by the Cats
It may have been a sweep at 25-27, 21-25, 23-25, but our Cats made the Cyclones earn their victory.

It was a very solid outing for OH Kathleen Ludwig, who led with 13 points. She had 10 kills and hit .364. Add two service aces and six digs to her evening's work. Lilla Porubek led with 11 kills, and had 11 points. Kaitlynn Pelger was below her usual hitting percentage, but had nine kills and 11.5 points. She was strong on defense, with 12 digs.

Caitlyn Donahue was sidelined with an irritated nerve in a shoulder. Ashley Kelican stepped up with a fine performance as setter, with 31 assists. It was Ashley's first start.

On defense, Kuulei Kabalis led the team with 17 digs, Tristan McCarty had nine and Ashley Kelican had eight.

Iowa State outhit the Cats, .218 to .123. They're currently in 2nd place in the Big 12 (13-3 and 4-1). They're a confident team, and they don't make many mistakes to capitalize on.

Sep. 28, 2011  The ninth straight win for K-State... this time in Columbia.
We had career nights from Caitlyn and Lilla in tonight's 3-2 win over Missouri (who are still stuck in the Big 12, by the way.)

Lilla Porubek had 23.5 points, hit .273 and ended with a career-high 20 kills. Add two service aces, as well.

Caitlyn Donahue was assisting everyone in sight, ending with a career-high 67 assists. She's leading the Big 12 at 11.35 assists per set, and tonight delivered 13.4 assists per set. When she wasn't busy assisting, she got five kills, hit .300, had seven digs and three block assists.

Of course you'll remember Kaitlynn Pelger, reigning Big 12 Player o' the Week. She had 23 kills, hit .286, got 16 digs and ended with 27 points.

After the match, associate head coach Jeff Grove cited Kuulei Kabalis as having a major part in the victory. She had 23 digs (4.6 per set), and gave us two much-needed service aces.

It was not an easy victory. The scores were 31-33, 25-20, 25-21, 19-25 and 15-12. We saw 37 tied scores and 10 lead changes. Hitting percentages help tell the story, as it was .264 to .263 for Missouri. Something else that tells the story is K-State's 15 service errors. While aggressive serving is always an emphasis, we need to get the ball over the net for best results.

This was the Cats' ninth consecutive victory. Let's go get A&M. Here's a fun fact for you: As of tonight, spanning 16 seasons in the Big 12, K-State is 183-119, and Texas A&M is 182 - 120. Let's give them something to remember for when they run away from their big brother, Texas, next season.

Sep. 27, 2011  Missouri Match to Be on K-StateHD.tv
Those of us subscribed to K-StateHD.tv can watch on our computers. Thanks to MU for letting us carry it. Maybe we'll let them stay in the Big 12 after all!
Sep. 26, 2011  Kaitlynn Pelger: Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week again
As I predicted right here two days ago, the Big 12 again named Kaitlynn Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, after she topped some of last week's numbers. Here's the release from the Big 12, and this is the release from Sports Information. I'm pasting in some of the Big 12's announcement here:
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kaitlynn Pelger, Kansas State, MB, So., Olathe, Kan.
Kaitlynn Pelger kept up her impressive pace this season with 17 kills in a sweep over Baylor on Saturday night, extending the Wildcats' winning streak to eight matches. The sophomore middle blocker pounded out 17 kills in the 25-19, 25-15, 25-18 win over the Bears, while hitting .333. She also added one ace. She averaged 6.00 digs per set from her position, and posted 18 digs on the night to tie her career high. In addition to the 18 digs and 17 kills, Pelger was in on three block assists and posted a solo stop for four blocks. Pelger ranks in the top 10 in the league in six categories, including first in kills, with an average of 4.78, and in points, with an average of 5.89. Her .362 hitting mark is fourth in the Big 12 and her 0.40 service ace average is third best.
Sep. 24, 2011  Cats sweep Baylor to begin Big 12 competition
Baylor came in with an 11-4 record vs. the Cats' 11-3, so direct competition would be interesting. The result was a sweep!

Who needs seniors, when we have juniors and sophomores performing the way ours are? Coach Fritz would focus on defense, as Baylor is second in the Big 12 in digs. The outcome was 60 digs for the Bears and 59 for the Cats, led by Kaitlynn Pelger's 18, with Kuulei Kabalis adding 13, and Caitlyn Donahue with 10.

Kaitlynn Pelger continues to post conference-leading numbers, most notably leading the Big 12 with 5.89 points per set. She delivered 20.5 points tonight, which my calculator claims is 6.83 points per set! Will the conference name her Player of the Week two weeks in a row? Kaitlynn had 17 kills, hitting .333. Again, she leads with Big 12 with 4.78 kills per set. Tonight's performance was 5.66 kills per set. Having seniors is nice, but look at our sophomore!

Kathleen Ludwig had a fine evening, with 13 points, 11 kills, .296 hitting, and Southpaw gave us an ace!

Lilla Porubek was second with 14 points, second in kills with 13, and she hit a solid .278.

Caitlyn Donahue continues her impressive junior year, with 37 assists. Leading the Big 12 with 11.35 assists per set, she turned up the burners and got 12.33 per set tonight. She's always in there digging, too, and had 10. Caitlyn also had two aces. This was her sixth double-double of the season.

The box score shows something telling. Commonly we see numerous tied scores and lead changes in a match. Tonight: zero lead changes, and one tied score. The Cats posted nine straight points in set two. One last thing: K-State outhit Baylor, .227 to .075.

Sep. 20, 2011  Kaitlynn Pelger: CVU National Player of the Week
College Volleyball Update announced today that Kaitlynn is their National Player of the Week. Here's part of their release:
The Collegiate Volleyball Update (CVU.com) is pleased to announce that Kansas State sophomore Kaitlynn Pelger has been selected as the CVU.com National Player of the Week for Sept. 12 through Sept. 18.

A 6-2 middle blocker from Olathe, Kan., Pelger earned MVP honors at the St. Mary's tournament, led the Wildcats to a 4-0 week and helped extended the team's win streak to seven.

In an early-week home match, Pelger provided the offensive power with 32 kills on .308 hitting as Kansas State was able to fend off Drake in five. Defensively, the sophomore also picked up 18 digs and four blocks.

The strong hitting would continue through the weekend's tournament for Pelger, as she hit better than .300 in all three matches. She knocked down 22 kills in a 3-1 victory over Sacramento State to open the tournament, then followed with a matching 11-kill, 11-dig double-double in a sweep of Utah Valley.

In the finale against the host Gaels, Pelger hit .429 with 18 kills, nine digs and six blocks as the Wildcats won 3-1. For the week, the middle averaged 5.19 kills per set on .345 hitting while adding 2.94 digs and 1.06 blocks per set. Pelger is the second Wildcat to earn the CVU.com honor as setter Stacey Spiegelberg picked it up in 2006.

Here's the announcement from K-State Sports Information.

She's on the road to AVCA All-American!

Sep. 19, 2011  Kaitlynn Pelger: Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week
The inevitable has finally happened! Kaitlynn was named Offensive Player o' the Week, as announced by the Big 12 today. Hey... since the Big 12 is about to disintegrate anyway, I'll just paste in part of their release:
During the four wins, Pelger averaged an astounding 5.19 kills per-set while also hitting .345. She was a force in nearly every area averaging 2.94 digs per-set and 1.06 blocks as well. She opened the week with a career-high 32 kills at home against Drake. The mark also ranks fifth in school history for a five-set match. She kept that pace going at the Saint Mary's Tournament over the weekend, averaging 4.64 kills over three matches to earn tournament MVP and help the Wildcats to three wins over quality opponents. Against Sacramento State, Pelger pounded out 22 kills over four sets. She hit .357 along with a pair of aces, nine digs and four blocks. In a sweep over Utah Valley, the middle blocker notched 11 kills and three blocks. She closed the tournament with 18 kills in KSU's four-set win over Saint Mary's with a .429 hitting percentage. Pelger is the only player in the Big 12 to be listed in the top 10 in five statistical categories as she ranks first in kills and points, fourth in hitting percentage, third in aces and eighth in blocks.

Here's the announcement from K-State Sports Information.

Thanks and congratulations to Kaitlynn for this awesome accomplishment!

Sep. 17, 2011  Cats win the St. Mary's Invitational in California
The Wildcats have won seven straight matches, and 11 of the last 12, as tonight they defeated their hosts, St. Mary's, 25-21, 22-25, 25-20, 25-14. They've now concluded their non-conference season, 11-3.

There's lots of good news and nice numbers to report from this match. Kaitlynn Pelger, #4 in Division I in Points, contributed 23 tonight, an average of 5.75 per set. She's at 5.83 points per set for the season, an increase from last week. Kaitlynn was named MVP of the Invitational. Lilla Porubek had 17.5 points, with three coming from aces.

Kathleen Ludwig and Caitlyn Donahue both played major roles in tonight's victory, and were recognized on the all-tournament team. Kathleen had 16 points from .310 hitting, and logged 14 kills. Caitlyn had 7.5 points on .375 hitting. We must also recognize the efficient play of Taylor Johnson, who hit .667 on the way to six points. Caitlyn had 48 assists in four sets, and her 12 assists per set were above her season average.

The first two sets were close in scoring, with several tied scores and lead changes in each. Still hitting percentages were not. The Cats outhit St. Mary's .286 to .171 in set one, but the tables were turned in set two, at .108 to .211. The fourth set was all K-State, 25-14, with the Cats outhitting St. Mary's .429 to .129, and sideout percentages of 71% to 40%.

On defense, Kuulei Kabalis and Caitlyn had 11 digs, and Kaitlynn had nine, along with six block assists. As a team, our Cats had 13.5 blocks, to eight by St. Mary's.

So... K-State enters Big 12 play at 11-3, with two invitationals won, seven straight victories, Kaitlynn Pelger all over the NCAA stats (and leading the Big 12 in Kills and Points), Caitlyn Donahue 1st in the Big 12 in assists, and I think good confidence as a team.

Here's the Saint Mary's All-Tournament Team:
Kaitlynn Pelger, K-State (MVP)
Caitlyn Donahue, K-State
Kathleen Ludwig, K-State
Lauren Corp, Saint Mary's
Samantha Tinsley, Saint Mary's
Erica Nish, Utah Valley
Breanne Menees, Sacramento State

Sep. 16, 2011  Cats too much for much for Utah Valley
Our pals the Cats have won six consecutive matches, and 10 of the last 11, as of tonight's win in the St. Mary's Invitational in California. Set scores were 25-14, 25-20 and 25-16. The Cats are 10-3 now.

The victory came easily enough that our players' numbers won't be as big as we've been seeing. For example, Kaitlynn Pelger had 12.5 points, 11 kills, and hit .308. Kathleen hit efficiently, at .462, recording nine points and eight kills. Caitlyn Donahue (five kills and .400 hitting) and Alex Muff added seven points. It wasn't the team's most efficient hitting night, at .193, but there were some nice individual performances.

On defense, Kuulei Kabalis and Kaitlynn Pelger led with 11 digs each. Alex Muff had six of the Cats' 10 blocks! Our favorite team held Utah Valley to .028 hitting.

The host team, St. Mary's, is up next for the Cats, on Saturday at 9 p.m. CDT. Football wrap-up will delay the airtime on KMAN, but Rob Voelker's coverage will be available live via kstatesports.com. Finally, watch out. St. Mary's got a handful of votes in the Sept. 12 AVCA poll. I'd never heard of them, but apparently they've got it goin' on.

Sep. 15, 2011  A solid start in California
Sacramento State was up first for the Cats at the St. Mary's Invitational... the final tune-up before Big 12 play, and it was a win in four sets: 17-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-11.

Kaitlynn Pelger struck again, leading with 26.5 points, or 6.625 points per set. (She's #4 nationally, averaging 5.74 points per set.) Her 22-kill total was 5.5 kills per set. (She's #18 nationally with 4.53 kills this season, and the national leader has 5.38 per set.)

Lilla Porubek came in next with 13.5 points, and Kathleen Ludwig added 10.5. Dakota Kaufman had a fine evening with 10 points, nine kills and .292 hitting.

Caitlyn Donahue posted another big number, with 46 assists (11.5 per set), ahead of her season average. Add 12 digs and an ace to her numbers.

As a team, our Cats outhit the Californians .287 to .239, and outblocked them 11 to 7. They were on fire in set four, hitting .560, with a sideout percentage of 90% and four aces!

Coverage of Friday's match vs. Utah Valley will be delayed on KMAN because of high school football, but we can listen on kstatesports.com.

Sep. 15, 2011  Kaitlynn's #4 nationally in points!
The Sept. 11 NCAA statistics are in... the first published for this season. Kaitlynn Pelger is fourth in Division I in Points, at 5.74 per set. She's 18th in Kills, at 4.53 per set.

Caitlyn Donahue is 31st in Assists, at 11.14 per set.

Sep. 11, 2011  Cats get by the Drake Bulldogs
I think bullfrogs are funner. It took five sets, but K-State won 25-22, 30-28, 23-25, 19-25, 15-9.

Drake came in 3-7 for the season, and I thought this would be fairly easy. Not quite. It seemed as if Drake was digging all over the place. They had 92 digs as a team.

Let's look at some fine individual performances. Kaitlynn Pelger, who's leading the Big 12 in kills and points, had 32 kills tonight. That's the fifth-highest ever for a Cat for five sets. Who might have more? All-American Dawn Cady Sullivan leads with 39, 37 and 33 (a tie with Shawnee Call). Pelger also led the team with 18 digs. Caitlyn Donahue had 61 assists, a career high, which was 12.2 per set. As you can see below, she was 2nd in the Big 12 for last week's matches, at 11.14 per set.

It was great to see Alex Muff back in action after a pulled muscle. She hit .357.

Next up for the Cats is Sacramento State on Thursday in California, with Utah Valley and host St. Mary's over the weekend.

Sep. 11, 2011  Pelger's all over the Big 12 stats.
Kaitlynn Pelger, Preseason All-Big 12, is seen in five statistical categories this week:
1st: Kills - 4.53/set
1st: Points - 5.74/set
2nd: Service Aces - .47/set
6th: Hitting Percentage - 3.75/set
6th: Blocks - 1.22/set

Meanwhile, Caitlyn Donahue is 2nd in the Big 12 in Assists, with an impressive 11.14/set. Lilla Porubek is 7th in Kills, with 3.25/set, and is 10th in Points, with 3.76/set. Kuulei Kabalis is 10th in Digs, with 3.31/set. Thanks and congratulations to these four fine players!

Sep. 9, 2011  Cats win the Dr. Mary J. Wynn Invitational in Springfield!
Caitlyn Donahue, Kaitlynn Pelger and Lilla Porubek made the all-tournament team today, and Kaitlynn was named the MVP!

Pelger undoubtedly made quite an impression on Missouri State a couple of days ago, as she laid a whopping 39 points on them. (26 points off kills, three service aces, six single blocks and half of eight block assists = 39.) Her hitting percentages over three matches were .510, .214 and .667. Her points total spanning three matches was 74.5, or 6.2 points per set. (She led the Big 12 last week, with 5.9 points per set.) How about a conference Player of the Week honor one of these days, Mr. Beebe?

Now for some numbers from the 25-18, 25-21, 25-15 win over South Dakota State today. Kansas State hit .423, to South Dakota State's .245. Neither team had many blocks, for whatever reason, but K-State led, four to one.

Let's get to a spectacular stat from Caitlyn Donahue: 48 assists! That's 16 per set! She was 3rd in the Big 12 last week at 11.07 assists per set, and now is at 11.17 per set. Plus, she's getting a bunch of digs per set.

Kuulei Kabalis recorded 16 digs today. Dakota Kaufman had a big day, with 11 kills, hitting an excellent .500. It was great to see Alex Muff able to play again, after a nagging pulled muscle. She had 7 kills, hit .583 and added eight points. Oops. I haven't mentioned that Lilla Porubek led the team in points, at 17.5.

Next up for the Cats is Drake. Note that first serve on Monday, Sept. 12 is 6 P.M.

Sep. 8, 2011  Cats top Hofstra in four sets
The Cats handed Hofstra their first loss, improving to 6-3, with set scores of 25-20, 25-12, 16-25 and 25-16.

Before the trip to Missouri, Coach Fritz was focusing on defense. How about outblocking Hofstra 14 - 6! Hofstra's hitting percentage in set one was a lovely .000. In set two, it was a blistering -.179, producing an 11 - 2 offensive run for our favorite team. After a better set three, Hofstra was held to .091 hitting.

Offensively, Kaitlynn Pelger continues to impress, with 19 points from 13 kills, an ace and five blocks. Caitlyn Donahue had 32 assists and eight digs.

Lilla Porubek had 12.5 points, hitting .167. Courtney Traxson had 17 points and six kills on .250 hitting.

Sep. 8, 2011  That was a wild ride!
The Cats won match one of the Dr. Mary J. Wynn Invitational in Springfield today vs. the host, Missouri State. set scores were 25-17, 20-25, 25-27, 25-19 and 15-12.

Defense was Coach Fritz's theme going in, and the Cats outblocked the Bears, 22 to 10. Missouri State led in digs, however, 79 to 49.

Kaitlynn Pelger went nuts again. She had 26 kills, hit .510, added three service aces and 10 blocks. That's 39 points, ladies and gentlemen. Kaitlynn recorded six single blocks. That ties with All-American Lauren Goehring for 2nd all-time in a five-set match!

Lilla Porubek was second with 15 kills, hitting .208, and Kathleen Ludwig added 10, on .156 hitting, along with 10 digs and six block assists.

Taylor Johnson had a big night. She had seven kills, hitting .357, and seven block assists.

Caitlyn Donahue had 57 assists. She came into the match at third in the Big 12, with 11.00 assists per set, and finished tonight with a solid 11.40 assists per set.

Missouri State's box score doesn't show lead changes, but we saw a bunch. My compliments to the Cats for keeping it together and getting the W.

Sep. 5, 2011  Kaitlynn and Caitlyn prominent in Big 12 Stats
The Big 12 didn't take Labor Day off. At least they distributed the latest conference stats leaders.

Kaitlynn Pelger is now 1st in the Big 12 in kills at 4.54/set, and Lilla Porubek's 10th with 3.17/set. Kaitlynn's not done. She's 2nd in service aces, with .50/set. And... she's 1st in points at 5.50/set, which is nice.

Caitlyn Donahue is 3rd in assists at 11.0/set, and 8th in service aces at .33/set.

Sep. 3, 2011  Brigham Young gets by the Cats
The Varney's Invitational title went to the BYU Cougars on a 25-23, 25-19, 25-23 sweep of the Cats in Ahearn.

On offense, Kaitlynn Pelger led the way with 20 kills, .278 hitting and 23 points. Lilla Porubek followed with 10 kills and 10.5 points. These two were named to the all-tournament team by the participating teams' coaches.

Caitlyn Donahue added seven points on .375 hitting. She had 38 assists and four service aces. Caitlyn is developing a very nice surprise dump from the front row, which is what All-American Gabby Guerre did fairly often.

Kuulei Kabalis had 10 digs, and Tristan McCarty had seven.

Brigham Young has a good team, and the Cats were competitive in every set. They'll build on that as they continue through the season.

Sep. 2, 2011  Varney's Invitational part two: a sweep of Idaho
K-State improved the season record to 4-2 in a 25-23, 25-19, 25-22 victory over Idaho on Friday evening. It was another hotly-contested match, if you will, with an outdoor temperature of 97° F at first serve.

This was another nice team effort. If you like balanced scoring, we had 16.5 points from Lilla Porubek (hitting .222) and Kaitlynn Pelger (hitting .292). Both had 12 kills. Kathleen Ludwig was third with eight points, .278 and seven kills. Courtney Traxson was right there, too, with six points and .286 hitting.

Caitlyn Donahue is doing a very fine job leading the offense, with 36 assists this evening, and she's showing well-rounded play. She hit .600, had six digs and two block assists. Let's not forget Alex Muff, whose five points came on .286 hitting.

The Cats face Brigham Young at 1 p.m. on Saturday, looking to collect the Varney's Invitational trophy. Hey... while they're here, let's invite the Cougars to join our conference! Both teams currently have a 4-2 season record.

Sep. 2, 2011  Varney's Invitational sweep over Georgia Southern
It was 101° F outside, and it felt about double that in Ahearn Field House at midday, as the Cats efficiently took care of business, defeating Georgia Southern 25-19, 25-17, 25-15, improving to 3-2 for the season.

Kaitlynn Pelger struck again, leading with 14 points on a blistering .714 hitting percentage. As Brian Smoller likes to explain, volleyball hitting percentage can be compared to batting average in baseball, and .300 is very good. With that in mind, how about Caitlyn Donahue's .833 hitting, thanks to some sneaky dumps, along with 33 assists and a service ace! Kathleen Ludwig hit .474, adding 9.5 points. Lilla Porubek was solid. She had 10 points, and hit .304.

Defense was a group effort, with Kuulei Kabalis leading with nine digs, but Donahue added eight, and Pelger had seven. Courtney Traxson led with three blocks.

Aug. 30, 2011  Cats debut K-StateHD.TV with a victory over Creighton
A solid crowd of 2,983 welcomed the Cats back to the Terina Irsik Court on this 94° late August day. Fans probably saw a bit more volleyball than they expected... five sets.

Kaitlynn Pelger led in offense with 29 points and 24 kills, and Lilla Porubek added 16.5 points. Courtney Traxson led in hitting percentage at .217, contributing 9.5 points. Caitlyn Donahue was very busy, with 48 assists.

In defense, Kuulei Kabalis had 20 digs, Caitlyn Donahue had 18 and Kaitlynn Pelger had 13.

It was a hard-fought victory, 21-25, 25-16, 25-23, 17-25 and 15-13, including 11 lead changes and 27 tied scores. Creighton will do some damage this season.

Aug. 27, 2011  K-State defeats Tennessee Tech. / Pelger has a record day.
The Cats swept Tennessee Tech today in Atlanta, with scores of 25-19, 25-17 and 25-16.

Offense and defense were solid today, as the Cats outhit Tech .372 to .107. In the third set, K-State hit an awesome .471. And how about eight service aces to add to the fun?

Kaitlynn Pelger is Preseason All-Big 12, and there's a strong chance that she could be Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week. Pelger had 13 kills on 15 attempts, for .800!! Many will recall the names of Helen Bundy, Kate DeClerk and All-American Lauren Goehring. Kaitlynn's now behind them in 4th place for highest hitting percentage in a three-set match.

Caitlyn Donahue had 39 assists, nine digs and two aces. Lilla Porubek hit .333. Taylor Johnson, in her first match as a Cat, hit .333 and had eight block assists. And how about Courtney Traxson hitting .875 in two sets! Coach has been emphasizing serving, even doing radar checks. The team recorded 16 aces this weekend.

Let's all welcome home the Cats in Ahearn on Tuesday!

Aug. 26, 2011  Georgia Tech slips by the Cats
The Wildcats swept Georgia Tech in Ahearn last September, but on their turf with a rowdy crowd of 1011, there were back and forth sets, and a 1 - 3 loss. Preseason All-Big 12 middle blocker Kaitlynn Pelger blew the roof off the place, with 21 kills and a .395 hitting percentage. She also led the team with 14 digs. Kathleen Ludwig began her third season with 12 kills, hitting .346. As usual, Kathleen was solid on digs, contributing nine. Libero Kuulei Kabalis ended her first match as a Cat with 11 digs. The Cats will meet Louisville at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Aug. 22, 2011  Wildcat Greats To Join K-StateHD.TV Team
The Big 12 Conference has this report of the coaches' preseason predictions.
Aug. 20, 2011  Wildcats Hold Purple-White Scrimmage
Sports Information has a fine report on the annual scrimmage. The Cats won!
Aug. 10, 2011  Texas Tabbed To Win 2011 Volleyball Title
Liz Wegner Bush will cover volleyball matches, says WIBW.
Aug. 9, 2011  Big 12 Preseason Team & Awards Announced
The Big 12 Conference has released the conference coaches' selections for player honors. K-State's sophomore middle blocker, Kaitylynn Pelger, has been named to the all-conference team.
Aug. 9, 2011  Fritz Sees Improvements on Day 1
Sports Information has a review of the first day of practice. The Purple-White set is on August 20 in Ahearn!
Aug. 9, 2011  KSU volleyball reports for training camp
Here's another early look at the 2011 team, compliments of the Manhattan Mercury.
Aug. 8, 2011  Wildcats, Fritz ready for volleyball training camp
Here's an early look at the 2011 team, from the Manhattan Mercury.
Aug. 8, 2011  Season Tickets Order Form
I'm a member of the Manhattan Catbackers, and we're promoting volleyball attendance for 2011. If you don't have tickets ordered yet, you're in luck. Click right here for a ticket order form (.pdf) you can send in. On the "Order taken by" blank, we suggest that you enter "Manhattan Catbackers."
May 24, 2011  2011 Season Tickets on Sale
K-Statesports.com has announced that 2011 season ticket orders are being accepted. There are incentives for beating the early bird deadline of June 10. There are lots of options, included cushioned seats and chairbacks. Follow the link above for more information, and go to kstatesports.com to order online.

The Cats' home schedule begins on August 30, with Creighton coming south to visit.

Last year the Cats averaged 1,949 fans per match, which came in at #18 in the nation. Let's move into the top ten this season.

May 11, 2011  K-State Volleyball signs three
A story in the Topeka Capital-Journal reports the signing of three players, Gina Madonia from St. Francis, Ill. High School, Kuulei Kabalis from Western Nebraska Community College and Natali Jones from Pratt Community College.

Welcome to these new players!