WICHITA, Kan. - Fresh off a Missouri Valley Conference championship, Wichita State looks to carry over the momentum into Friday's NCAA Tournament First Round match vs. the TCU Horned Frogs at 4:30 p.m. in the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Quick Hits
• The Shockers are making their 10th NCAA Tournament appearance (2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016)
• WSU has played nine teams in this year's NCAA field and has a record of 7-6: Colorado State (1-0), Samford (1-0), UNI (1-2), Creighton (1-0), Texas (0-1), Marquette (1-0), Missouri State (2-1), Cincinnati (0-1) and Iowa State (0-1)
• Wichita State earned the Missouri Valley's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament
• WSU holds a 7-9 record in the NCAA Tournament. The Shocks are 6-3 in the first round, 1-5 in the second round and 0-1 in the regional semifinals
• WSU has eight players with NCAA Tournament experience including seniors
Dani Mostrom,
Jody Larson and
Katy Dudzinski and juniors
Emily Hiebert,
Abbie Lehman,
Mikaela Raudsepp,
Gabi Mostrom and
Hanna Shelton
• WSU won its fourth MVC Tournament title (2004, 2013, 2015, 2016)
• The Shockers have won six MVC regular-season championships (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2015)
• WSU made its 21st MVC Tourney appearance and 15th-straight appearance
• This will be the first meeting between Wichita State and TCU
• WSU is currently on a season-best nine-match winning streak
• During the streak, WSU is hitting .293 as a team, while
Abbie Lehman is hitting .392,
Tabitha Brown is hitting .331,
Jody Larson is hitting .282,
Emily Hiebert is hitting .276 and
Mikaela Raudsepp is hitting .273
•
Jody Larson earnd MVC Tournament MVP honors, while
Tabitha Brown and
Emily Hiebert were named to the all-tourney team
•
Jody Larson had her first career triple-double in the semifinals of the MVC Tourney against UNI. It was the first by a Shocker since Chelsey Feekin in 2012
•
Emily Hiebert became the first Shocker to earn Valley Setter of the Year honors
• Five Shockers earned all-Valley honors including
Emily Hiebert,
Abbie Lehman and
Jody Larson on the first team and
Mikaela Raudsepp and
Tabitha Brown on the second team
• WSU has finished in the top-three in the Valley standings for the last 14 years
• Five Shockers earned MVC Scholar-Athlete honors including
Abbie Lehman,
Mikaela Raudsepp,
Katy Dudzinski,
Emily Hiebert and
Dani Mostrom
• WSU is 6-6 against the RPI top-50 and 9-7 against the top-100
• WSU is ranked eighth nationally in hitting percentage, fifth in assists per set and sixth in kills per set
•
Abbie Lehman is ranked 20th nationally in hitting percentage and 60th in blocks per set, while
Emily Hiebert is ranked 44th in assists per set
• Hiebert collected her 3,000th career assist on Sept. 26 against Evansville
• The Shockers are 18-2 in three-set matches, 4-4 in four-set matches and 2-1 in five-set matches this season
• WSU is ranked 12th in the nation in attendance (2,264 average) and had a season-high crowd of 3,122 Oct. 28 against UNI at Charles Koch Arena
• The Shockers are 15-4 in road and neutral matches this season
• WSU is hitting .284 in 19 road/neutral matches
• Away from home,
Abbie Lehman is hitting .389,
Emily Hiebert is hitting .341,
Jody Larson is hitting .273,
Mikaela Raudsepp is hitting .269, and
Tabitha Brown is hitting .253
• Wichita State is 9-1 in the last 10 matches
• In the last 10 matches, WSU is hitting .280 while holding opponents to a .155 hitting percentage
•
Abbie Lehman is hitting .372 in the last 10 matches, while
Tabitha Brown is hitting .313,
Jody Larson is hitting .291,
Emily Hiebert is hitting .288 and
Mikaela Raudsepp is hitting .240
•
Emily Hiebert and
Jody Larson lead the Shockers with 16 double-doubles
• WSU has three players from the state of Nebraska including freshman defensive specialist
Kara Bown (Lincoln) and freshmen outside hitters
Allie Davis (Lincoln) and
Lauren Hinrichs (Doniphan)
On the Web
Wichita State's match on Friday against TCU will be on the internet at www.goshockers.com/listen with Chris Solwecki calling the action.
Shockers Play TCU in First Round
Wichita State will face TCU (14-12) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2. No. 1 national seed Nebraska (27-2) will face New Hampshire (21-10) at 7 p.m. Dec. 2. Winners of the two first-round matches will meet at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 in second-round play.
Series History vs. Lincoln Field
The Shockers are 1-13 against the Lincoln field in school history. WSU's overall record against the Lincoln field is listed below:
TCU - 0-0 overall & 0-0 in the NCAA Tourney
Nebraska - 1-13 overall & 0-3 in the NCAA Tourney
New Hampshire - 0-0 overall & 0-0 in NCAA Tourney
Wichita State in the NCAA Tournament
The Shockers are making their 10th NCAA Tournament appearance and will play in the tournament for the ninth time in 10 years. The Shockers last made an appearance in 2015 and defeated Kansas State in four sets in the first round and lost in three sets to Nebraska in the second round. In 2013, the Shockers lost in four sets to Kansas in the first round. WSU advanced to the first Sweet 16 in school history in 2012 with a first round win over Arkansas and a second round win over Kansas. WSU lost to USC in the regional semifinals. The Shockers lost in the first round of the 2011 tournament to Kansas State, 3-0. In 2010, the Shockers lost at Oklahoma, 3-0. In 2009, Wichita State beat Saint Louis, 3-1, in the first round, but lost to Iowa State, 3-0, in the second round. In 2008, the Shockers advanced to the second round, where they lost to Texas, 3-0. Nebraska defeated Wichita State, 3-0, in the second rounds of both the 2004 and 2007 tournaments.
Three Named to MVC All-Tournament Team
Three Shockers earned all-tournament team honors at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Jody Larson earned MVP honors as she averaged 3.50 kills, 4.62 digs and 0.50 blocks per set, while hitting .328.
Emily Hiebert
averaged 11.50 assists, 1.75 kills, 3.00 digs and 0.62 blocks per set and
Tabitha Brown averaged 4.25 kills, 1.25 digs and 0.50 blocks per set in the two matches and hit .281.
Hiebert Named MVC Setter of the Year
Junior setter
Emily Hiebert was named the 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Setter of the Year. She became the first Shocker to earn that honor. The award was created in 2014.
Five Earn All-Valley Honors
Three Wichita State volleyball players earned first team all-Valley honors, while
Emily Hiebert was named Setter of the Year.
Emily Hiebert, Abbie Lehman and
Jody Larson were all named to the first team, while
Mikaela Raudsepp and
Tabitha Brown were named to the second team.
WSU Wins Fourth MVC Tourney Title
Wichita State won the fourth Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title in school history with a thrilling four-set win over Missouri State on Nov. 26. The Shockers also won titles in 2004, 2013 and 2015.
Scouting TCU
The Horned Frogs are 14-12 overall and earned an at large bid into the NCAA Tournament. It is their third NCAA Tournament appearance. The Horned Frogs finished 7-9 in the Big 12 and own a top-25 win over No. 8 North Carolina and top-25 losses to No. 12 North Carolina, No. 4 Kansas twice and No. 2 Texas twice. TCU is led by Sarita Mikals who is averaging 2.10 kills per set, while Lamprini Konstantinidou averages 5.29 assists and Jillian Bergeson averages 3.69 digs per set. The Horned Frogs are hitting .224 as a team, while opponents are hitting .226. TCU is led by head coach Jill Kramer.
Scouting Nebraska
The Huskers are 27-2 overall and earned the Big 10 automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. It is their 35th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Huskers finished 18-2 in the Big 10 and own top-25 wins over No. 10 Florida, No. 2 Texas, No. 22 Michigan twice, No. 20 Michigan State, No. 24 Illinois twice, No. 19 Ohio State, No. 17 Purdue, No. 4 Wisconsin, No. 3 Minnesota, and No. 11 Penn State twice. The two losses were to No. 19 Ohio State and No. 2 Minnesota. NU is led by Kadie Rolfzen who is averaging 3.14 kills per set, while Kelly Hunter averages 11.24 assists and Justine Wong-Orantes averages 4.14 digs per set. The Huskers are hitting .289 as a team, while opponents are hitting .141. NU is led by head coach John Cook.
Last Meeting vs. the Huskers
The last meeting between the two teams was Dec. 5, 2015 in the NCAA Tournament in Lincoln, Neb. The Huskers won 3-0 by scores of 25-19, 25-19 and 25-14.
Katie Reilly led the Shockers with 11 kills, while
Emily Hiebert had 32 assists and
Jody Larson had 14 digs.
Scouting New Hampshire
The Wildcats are 21-10 overall and earned the America East automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. It is their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance. The Wildcats are led by Demi Muses who averages 3.57 kills and 3.56 digs per set, while Kellin Severtson averages 10.93 assists per set. The Wildcats are hitting .222 as a team, while opponents are hitting .162. UNH is led by head coach Jill Hirschinger.
Last Time Out
WSU won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with wins over UNI and Missouri State. The Shockers defeated UNI 3-1 in the semifinals on Friday by scores of 12-25, 26-24, 26-24 and 25-21.
Tabitha Brown led the Shockers with 16 kills, while
Emily Hiebert had 37 assists and
Dani Mostrom had 31 digs. The Shockers defeated Missouri State 3-1 in the championship on Saturday. Brown led the Shockers with 18 kills, while Hiebert had 55 assists and Mostrom had 23 digs.
Triple-Double
Wichita State senior outside hitter
Jody Larson collected her first career triple-double on Nov. 25 in the semifinals of the MVC Tournament against UNI. She had 12 kills, 10 assists and 21 digs in the match and is the first Shocker to have a triple-double since Chelsey Feekin had one at Illinois State (10k, 36a, 13d) on Nov. 3, 2012.
Shockers in the RPI
Wichita State is 21st in the ninth official RPI release of the season. WSU is 6-6 against the top-50 and 9-7 against the top-100. Wins include Creighton (17), Marquette (41), UNI (45), Missouri State (44), Colorado State (46), Southern Illinois (69) and Texas State (82). Losses are against Texas (4), Cincinnati (38), Iowa State (27), Missouri State (44), UNI twice (45) and UTSA (63). TCU is 20.
Winning Streak
Wichita State enters the NCAA Tournament on a nine-match winning streak, which is a season-best. During the streak, the Shockers are hitting .293, while holding opponents to a .154 hitting percentage.
Abbie Lehman is hitting .392 during the streak and averaging 2.70 kills and 1.43 blocks per set, while
Tabitha Brown is averaging 4.07 kills per set and hitting .331.
Mostrom's School Record
Senior libero
Dani Mostrom had a career-high 31 digs in the MVC Tournament semifinal on Nov. 25 at UNI. She added another 23 digs in the final against Missouri State and finished her career with 172 career digs in MVC Tournament play from 2013-16. That breaks the school record of 123 set by Kelly Broussard from 2004-08.
Hiebert's Double-Doubles
Junior setter
Emily Hiebert has double-doubles in 16 of 31 matches this season and owns 41 career double-doubles, which ranks her eighth in the Shocker record books.
Moving on Up
Senior libero
Dani Mostrom, junior setter
Emily Hiebert and junior middle blocker
Abbie Lehman continue to climb the Shocker career records list for digs, assists and blocks. Mostrom is now second in career digs with 1,962 and
needs 240 more to move into first place, while Hiebert is fifth in assists with 3,673 and needs 292 more to move into fourth place. Lehman is 10th in block assists with 320 and needs three more to move into ninth place.
20 Wins
The Wichita State volleyball team collected its 20th win of the season on Nov. 12 against Indiana State. It is the 14th-straight 20-win season for the Shockers, all under Head Coach
Chris Lamb. During the last 14 years, the Shockers are averaging 24.5 wins per season.
