Volleyball Cats eager for home tourney advantage

Coach Suzie Fritz had been through this before. Waiting and wondering if her Kansas State volleyball squad would be lucky enough to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament.

On Sunday night, K-State was not sent to Lincoln, Neb., or even Omaha. They were staying at home, grabbing the 14th overall seed and playing host to the first two rounds beginning on Friday at Bramlage Coliseum.

“We thought we had a 50-50 chance based on the RPI and where we stood when it came to head-to-head with certain teams that were also eligible to host,” Fritz said.

Whether it be home or away, Fritz had prepared the squad for anything that would come their way.

“There are pros and cons when you play at home and there are also some pros and cons when you play on the road, but I think we did a good job preparing our team for the possibility of either option happening,” she said.

K-State (20-9, 9-7) will play Lipscomb (22-7, 12-2) from the Atlantic Sun Conference in one match, while Ohio State (20-12, 10-10), from the Big 10, will face Missouri Valley Conference member Missouri State (28-6, 16-2) in another match on Friday at Bramlage Coliseum. The winners of those two matches will face off on Saturday night, with the winner moving on to the regional semifinals next week.

This is the fifth time in six seasons that the Wildcats will be in the NCAA Tournament and it will be their first time hosting a regional site for the first time since 2007.

Another change for the Wildcats is that for the first time, Bramlage Coliseum will serve as the host of the first two rounds. Senior setter Katie Brand knows that there’s an obvious difference from going to Ahearn Fieldhouse to Bramlage Coliseum, but knows that the essentials to a true home court advantage easily translate.

“It’s different but we get to sleep in our own beds and we have that home crowd there in all that purple,” Brand said. “Our band travels so well but to have them at home, it’s not Ahearn but we still feel like we have that home court advantage.”

K-State’s first round opponent Lipscomb enters Friday’s contest as the champions of the Atlantic Sun and carry a 12-match winning streak. The Bison add their own Kansas contribution to the regional as three players and assistant coach hail from Kansas.

If Ohio State and K-State were to meet for a spot in the regional semifinals, folks at Bramlage will see a showdown between the Sandbothe sisters, middle blockers who hail from Lee’s Summit, Mo. Elle is a freshman for K-State and her sister, Taylor, is a senior for Ohio State.

Brand said the emergence of the freshman is important for the team as the Wildcats look to advance in the tournament.

“She’s been huge,” Brand said. “When she got her chance she performed well and she’s so excited coming into this. Being a freshman and potentially getting to play her sister, it’s fun and her energy on the court has been a big boost to us as well.”

KANSAS STATE 20-9 (9-7 Big 12)

• K-State finished in a tie for fourth in the Big 12 for the second straight season. It is the first time since 2007-08 that the Cats have posted back-to-back top-four conference finishes.

• K-State finished the season as the Big 12 leader in assists/set with 13.24, the first time in program history leading the conference in the category.

• Overall, K-State ranks in the top three of the Big 12 in 10 major team statistical categories.

LIPSCOMB 22-7 (12-2 Atlantic Sun)

• The Bison rank No. 2 in the NCAA in kills/set and assists/set.

• In their only matchup with Kansas State, the Bison lost 3-0 in 2006.

• Kansas native Carlyle Nusbaum leads the team in kills with 483 and kills per game with 4.5. Both of those were tops in the Atlantic Sun this season.

OHIO STATE 20-12 (10-10 Big Ten)

• OSU senior Taylor Sandbothe, whose sister Elle plays for K-State, finished fourth in the Big Ten with a .366 attacking percentage.

• The Buckeyes posted four wins over Top 25 teams this season (4-8 overall vs. ranked teams).

• The Buckeyes have won five of their last six matches.

MISSOURI STATE 26-8 (16-12 Missouri Valley)

• The Bears finished in the top three of the MVC in team hitting percentage (.238), assists/set (12.77), kills/set (13.59) and aces/set (1.18).

• Missouri State’s Lily Johnson won MVC Player of the Year. The junior outside hitter averages 4.58 kills/set and 3.08 digs/set.

• Freshman Daniele Messa won MVC Freshman of the year for the Bears, Messa led the MVC in league matches with 11.22 assists/set.