K-State fans ignite fall sports frenzy in Manhattan.

MANHATTAN, K.S. (KSNT) – Whether it was through getting some new gear or touring the new volleyball arena, K-State fans are fired up for Wildcat sports. With the fall sports season coming up, K-State Athletics invited fans to campus Saturday for a day full of events.

The day started with an equipment sale in the Bramlage Coliseum concourse, where fans were able to shop for game-used gear, equipment, team swag and more.

“I have a niece who loves K-State so this [jersey] is a great item for her to wear to games, Erin Gambrel of Manhattan, Kansas sad. “And they live in Oklahoma, so it’s excellent for them to be sporting the appropriate color in Oklahoma instead of orange.” 

The gear sale started at 8 a.m., but fans were lined up outside the doors hours in advance.

“I came out to get some purple in my wardrobe here,” Julie Schooler of Manhattan, Kansas said. “Looking forward to the season of football, volleyball, everything.”  

Fans were then invited to the university’s new volleyball stadium, Morgan Family Arena. Not only were they able to see the new, state-of-the art facility, but they were able to watch a team scrimmage too.

“I think it’s really exciting,” Samuel Snider, a senior at K-State, said of the new arena. “It’s something new, people love things that are new, so I think people are going to come out. And it’ll give an extra pep to women’s volleyball so they’ll want to come out and see it.” 

After volleyball’s scrimmage and open house, fans gathered inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium to snag autographs from their favorite players.

A few K-State super fans, like Jake Moran, traveled to Manhattan just for Saturday’s events. Moran lives in Arkansas and said it took him roughly five hours to drive to Kansas.

“I came out this morning, got in line about 6 a.m.,” Moran said. “then we got through the door, got some of the gear and then came back for the autographs.” 

Moran’s commitment to traveling to Manhattan for fan events shows how fired up K-State fans are for the upcoming season of fall sports. Many of them will gather back in Bill Snyder Family stadium on Sep. 2 for the first home football game of the year against Southeast Missouri.