K-State volleyball's Mansfield talks season outlook, scheduling, Aliyah Carter and more on K-Nation

MANHATTAN (KSNT) - Jason Mansfield is entering year two at the helm of K-State volleyball.

After a strong 2023 campaign that Wildcats felt earned a bid to the NCAA tournament, they're hungry for more in 2024. However, the start to the season has been challenging with a slue of ranked opponents falling on K-State's schedule.

Coach Mansfield said the intense non-conference scheduling was by design.

"Last preseason we played some tough opponents, but we wanted to up that," Mansfield said. "Felt like we had a lot of experienced players back and some transfers coming in, so we're excited to try and challenge ourselves on the road."

That decision stemmed from the 'Cats wanting more success on the road than they had last season.

Mansfield joined K-Nation's Caroline Soro for a one-on-one interview to discuss this year's team, how transfer players are fitting in, the evolution of standout outside hitter Aliyah Carter and more.

"I love this year's team," Mansfield said. "We have a lot of depth, the gym is very competitive every day, just the environment is great. I think if we make the tournament, if we're lucky enough to do that and we earn that, I think we can make a deep run in the tournament, I think that's the goal."

The full interview with Mansfield aired in Sunday's episode of K-Nation and can be watched above.