This Week Today: Sep 28 – Oct 4

K-State’s Nanami Nakashima and Stalee Fields both finished in the top 20 in Norman, with Nakashima leading the team placing 14th.

To finish off the month of September, the Cats host the Powercat Classic on Colbert Hills on the west side of Manhattan. This is the third straight year KSU has hosted an event, and it has played host to some of their best performances. In the Powercat Classic, formerly known as the Powercat Invitational, K-State finished first place in both events. 

Not only is Colbert Hills home to two of K-State’s three first place finishes over the past two seasons, but it’s also home to one of Nanami Nakashima’s best performances last season. Nakashima’s only top five finish was in the Powercat Invitational where she shot five under par to win the event for the Cats. As the senior is coming off of a top 20 finish, she could be in for another big performance in an event that the Cats have the advantage for.

Thursday, Oct. 1st – 6:30 p.m. – KSU Volleyball vs BYU – Manhattan, KS – Watch on ESPN+

K-State volleyball returns to Morgan Family Arena on Thursday for game two of a three game home stand with a matchup against BYU. The Cats are coming off of a tough 3-1 loss at home against a different Cougar team in Houston, giving KSU their first loss of the season after a nine game win streak to start the year. K-State’s loss on Sunday may hurt, but it does give the Cats a chance to regroup before a tough week of competition.

BYU enters Manhattan on a six game win streak as the 22nd ranked team in the nation. Both squads are 9-1 with their only loss on the season coming 3-1 against a power four school. Though they may seem similar on the surface, BYU has had a difficult schedule and opened Big 12 play with a ranked win over #17 Baylor. The Cougars have a lot of seniority on their roster that K-State simply lacks and their star middle blocker, Kelli Jo Burgess, leads the nation in blocks per set. K-State has shown to play competitively against top 25 talent, but this will be the first test to see how Jason Mansfield’s group responds to a loss on their record.

Friday, Oct. 2nd – 8 p.m. – KSU Soccer vs BYU – Provo, UT – Watch on ESPN+

K-State Soccer is back on the road this week for their matchup with the BYU Cougars. The Cats had a rough home stand against the Arizona schools, going 0-1-2 in their three games at Buser Family Park. K-State now sits at 5-2-4 on the season and have yet to pick up a win in Big 12 play, a task that will only get harder in the coming weeks. 

It starts with BYU, a team that started the year with a win over ninth ranked UCLA and has lived in the top 25 ever since. The Cougars sit at 5-2-2 and are 1-0-1 to start their Big 12 schedule, with a win over UCF and a tie with Arizona. The Cougars may not sit in the top 25 now, but their skill doesn’t go away with a ranking. BYU wins like K-State, with an emphasis on defense and only a goal or two on average.

K-State has yet to beat the Cougars in the history of their soccer program, sitting at 0-3 against the Cougs. On top of that, the Cats haven’t even scored a goal yet against BYU, so there will be a lot to fight for Colleen Corbin’s group.

Saturday, Oct. 3rd – 6:30 p.m. – KSU Volleyball vs Utah – Manhattan, KS – Watch on ESPN+

After their matchup with BYU, the Cougars’ state rivals come in on Saturday as the Utah Utes look to get their first win in Manhattan in school history. The Utes are 1-2 against the Cats, with K-State holding the latest win after beating them at Utah last season 3-1.

Utah has had an interesting start to their season with a 10-3 record entering the state of Kansas. They were 8-3 heading into Big 12 play with losses to Pitt, UCLA and Long Beach State, leaving the Utes with no power conference wins as they entered conference play. But Utah came into the 12 guns blazing, rattling off two wins against ranked schools Colorado and Baylor with a combined score of six sets to one. On top of that, Utah gets one more look at a ranked Big 12 squad as they play KU in Lawrence before heading back west to face the Cats.

After 13 games and three ranked opponents, the Utes are fourth in kills, tenth and assists and 11th in blocks per set with one of the most efficient units in the country. In 10 wins, nine of those games were sweeps, with Baylor being the only team Utah has beat without sweeping them. Though BYU is ranked, Utah could be the toughest team K-State has seen yet and could be ranked by the time the two teams square off in Morgan Family Arena.

Saturday, Oct. 3rd – Monday, Oct. 5th  – KSU Women’s AND Men’s Golf – Fayetteville, AR – Blessings Collegiate invitational

To finish the week, KSU women’s and men’s golf are back in action as they both play in the Blessings Collegiate Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Hosted by the Arkansas Razorbacks, both men’s and women’s golf played in the same invitational last season, with both teams ending in fourth place out of 10. For women’s golf, they will have a quick turnaround from the Powercat Classic, which could mean they’re better prepared for the event or they might not have enough rest.

For men’s golf, this will be their second event of the season after finishing second in their Wildcat Invitational, meaning they haven’t played an event in over two weeks by tee time. With that being said, the Cats had two top five finishers in their own invitational with Oliver Toyer finishing third and Villie Virkkala finishing fourth. This young men’s golf team will have their first test away from Colbert Hills, so it will be a good gauge for how the Cats could fair as the season continues.