WICHITA, Kan. -  Wichita State hosts two matches this weekend in Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers will play SMU on Friday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. in a matchup of first-place teams. The Shockers will host Havoc in the Heartland rival Tulsa on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 1 p.m.
 

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PLAY

Wichita, Kan.

Charles Koch Arena

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Game Notes

MATCH 18

#22 Wichita State (14-3, 6-0) vs.   SMU (12-5, 6-0)

Oct. 13

7 P.M. CT

Shocker HD ($$)

GoShockers.com (Mike Kennedy)

GoShockers.com

MATCH 19

#22 Wichita State (14-3, 6-0) vs.   Tulsa (8-10, 2-4)

Oct. 15

1 P.M. CT

Shocker HD ($$)

GoShockers.com (Mike Kennedy)

GoShockers.com

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SERIES HISTORY

Shockers vs. SMU: WSU Leads 2-1

Last Meeting: Sept. 6, 2012 (WSU 3-2)

Shockers vs. Tulsa: WSU Leads 28-13

Last Meeting: Sept. 28, 1999 (WSU 3-0)

On the Web
Both of Wichita State's matches this weekend will be on the internet at www.goshockers.com/listen with Mike Kennedy calling the action and on Shocker HD with Shane Dennis and Denning Gerig.

Quick Hits
• Junior outside hitter Tabitha Brown is a member of The American Honor Roll this week
• WSU leads the overall series with SMU 2-1
• WSU leads the overall series with Tulsa 28-13
• Head Coach Chris Lamb is 2-0 in his career vs. SMU with wins in 2010 and 2012
• This will be the Shockers first meeting with Tulsa since 1999
• The Shockers are ranked 10th nationally in average attendance with 2,507 fans per match
• Lamb needs two wins to reach 400 for his career
• The Shockers are 22nd in this week's AVCA Top-25 poll. It is the highest ranking for the Shockers since 2009
• WSU is 20th in this week's NCAA RPI
• The Shockers are 2-3 against the RPI top-50 and 5-3 against the top-100
• In the last 10 matches, the Shockers are 7-3
• In the last 10 matches, WSU is hitting .272, while holding opponents to a .203 clip
• In the last 10 matches, Abbie Lehman is averaging 3.23 kills and 1.26 blocks per set, while hitting .399
• WSU is 3-1 at home this season
• In four home matches, WSU is hitting .259, while holding opponents to a .164 clip
• In four home matches, Emily Hiebert is averaging 12.00 assists, 1.71 kills, and 2.14 digs per set while hitting .435
• In four home matches, Giorgia Civita is averaging 6.57 digs per set
• Emily Hiebert and Abbie Lehman are both candidates for the Senior CLASS Award
• Tabitha Brown led the Shockers with 29 kills last weekend and hit .324, while Abbie Lehman had 23 kills and hit .606
• Emily Hiebert averaged 12.50 assists, 1.83 kills and 2.83 digs last weekend
• The Shockers are now 19-16 overall in conference openers and 13-5 under Lamb
• WSU's win over No. 8 Creighton was highest ranked win in school history
• WSU is now 25-16-1 in home openers overall and 14-4 in home openers under Head Coach Chris Lamb
• Abbie Lehman led the Shockers with 31 kills last weekend and hit .569
• Giorgia Civita averaged 6.29 digs per set last weekend for WSU
• Senior setter Emily Hiebert collected her 4,000 career assist against Cal Poly
• Senior middle blocker Abbie Lehman collected her 1,000th career kill against IUPUI
• Wichita State is playing its first season in the American Athletic Conference. The Shocker volleyball program was a member of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1992-2017
• Head Coach Chris Lamb is in his 18th season with the Shockers
• WSU returns four starters including Abbie Lehman, Emily Hiebert, Mikaela Raudsepp and Tabitha Brown
• The Shockers are picked first in the preseason American Athletic Conference poll
• Emily Hiebert and Abbie Lehman were both named to the preaseason all-conference team
• WSU ranked 12th in the nation in attendance last season (2,264 average) and had a season-high crowd of 3,122 Oct. 28 against UNI at Charles Koch Arena
• WSU has won 20 or more matches for 14-straight years
• WSU won four MVC Tournament titles (2004, 2013, 2015, 2016)
• The Shockers won six MVC regular-season championships (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2015)
• Emily Hiebert became the first Shocker to earn Valley Setter of the Year honors in 2016
• Five Shockers earned all-Valley honors last season including Emily Hiebert, Abbie Lehman and Jody Larson on the first team and Mikaela Raudsepp and Tabitha Brown on the second team
• WSU finished in the top-three in the Valley standings for the last 14 years

Scouting SMU
The Mustangs are 12-5 overall and 6-0 in the The American. Wins this season have come against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Ole Miss, Arkansas State, UTSA, Texas State, UMass Lowell, Tulane, Houston, ECU, Cincinnati, USF and UCF. Losses have come against Mississippi State, Rice, Virginia Tech, TCU and Arkansas. SMU is led by Lauren Mills who is averaging 3.64 kills and 3.27 digs per set. Kendall Patterson is averaging 9.99 assists and Montana Watts is averaging 4.54 digs per set. As a team, the Mustangs are hitting .217, while holding opponents to a .182 clip. SMU is led by head coach Lisa Seifert.

Series History vs. the Mustangs
Wichita State leads the overall series with SMU 2-1. The Shockers also lead the series in Wichita 1-0. Head Coach Chris Lamb is 2-0 against SMU. The Mustangs defeated the Shockers 3-1 in Reno, Nev. in 1996, while the Shockers won 3-0 in Wichita in 2010 and 3-2 in Dallas in 2012.

Last Meeting vs. SMU
The last meeting between the two teams was Sept. 6, 2012, in Dallas, Texas. The Shockers won 3-2 by scores of 16-25, 25-18, 23-25, 25-23 and 15-6. Emily Adney led the Shockers with 13 kills, while Chelsey Feekin had 42 assists and Jackie Church had 22 digs.

Scouting Tulsa
The Golden Hurricane is 8-10 overall and 2-4 in The American. Wins this season have come against UTEP, UMKC, SIUE, Wright State, Texas Southern, Oral Roberts, Houston and UCF. Losses have come against North Texas, Montana, Colgate, Stephen F. Austin, Wyoming, Central Arkansas, Tulane, Cincinnati, ECU and USF. Tulsa is led by Emily Thorson who is averaging 4.01 kills per set, while Lindsey Ledyard averages 6.66 assists and Taylor Horsfall averages 5.78 digs per set. As a team, the Golden Hurricane is hitting .189, while holding opponents to a .181 clip. Tulsa is led by head coach Ryan Wills.

Series History vs. the Golden Hurricane
Wichita State leads the overall series with Tulsa 28-13. The Shockers also lead the series in Wichita 14-2. The two teams have not met since 1999, so this will be Head Coach Chris Lamb's first meeting with Tulsa.

Last Meeting vs. Tulsa
The last meeting between the two teams was Sept. 28, 1999, in Wichita. The Shockers won 3-0 by scores of 15-8, 15-7 and 15-4. Jan Meloy led the Shockers with 14 kills and 15 digs, while Michele Hallagin had 27 assists.

Shockers Ranked 22nd
The Wichita State volleyball team is ranked 22nd in the Oct. 9 AVCA Top-25 Poll. The Shockers are receiving 241 points in the poll. It is the fifth ranking for the Shockers this season as they were ranked 23rd in the Sept. 4 poll, 24th in the Sept. 18 poll, 25th in the Sept. 25 poll and 24th in the Oct. 2 poll. It is the highest ranking for the Shockers since Sept. 21, 2009 when WSU was ranked 20th. Last weekend, WSU defeated Tulane and Houston to improve to 14-3 overall and 6-0 in The American.

Shockers in the RPI
Wichita State is 20th in the second official RPI release of the season. WSU is 2-3 against the top-50 and 5-3 against the top-100. Wins include Creighton (8), Marquette (41), UCF (89), Lipscomb (94) and Belmont (95). Losses are against Oregon (9), Iowa State (19) and Cal Poly (28). SMU is 72 and Tulsa is 164.

Week by Week   10/2   10/9    10/16    10/23    10/30    11/6    11/13   11/20
Wichita State       23      20

Moving on Up
Senior middle blocker Abbie Lehman and senior setter Emily Hiebert continue to climb the Shocker career records list for blocks and assists. Lehman is now third in career total blocks with 453 and needs 39 more to move into second place. She is also third in career block assists with 394 and needs 25 more to move into second place. Hiebert is third in assists with 4,355 and needs 121 more to move into second place.

Brown Named to American Honor Roll
Wichita State volleyball student-athlete Tabitha Brown has been named to the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll for the week of Oct. 2-Oct. 8. Brown, a junior outside hitter from Spring, Texas, had two double-doubles and led the Shockers to two road wins over the weekend to improve to 6-0 in American Athletic Conference play. She averaged 4.83 kills, 0.17 aces, 4.17 digs, 0.33 blocks and 5.33 points per set in the two matches, while hitting .324. In the three-set win at Tulane, she had 14 kills, one ace, 10 digs and one block. In the three-set win at Houston, she had 15 kills, 15 digs and one block.

Eight Points
Wichita State held Houston to eight points in the second set of the Oct. 8 win. That is tied for fifth in the Shocker record books for fewest points allowed in a set in the 25-point scoring era.

Hiebert Reaches 1,000 Digs
Senior setter Emily Hiebert recorded her 1,000th career dig in the three-set win at Houston on Oct. 8. She is just the fourth setter in school history to reach that milestone joining Yu-Chyi Yang (1,165), Kori Rosenkranz (1,110) and Michele Hallagin (1,110).

Hiebert and Lehman Named Candidates
Wichita State volleyball student-athletes Emily Hiebert and Abbie Lehman have been named to the list of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award for volleyball. The award is given to a Division I volleyball student-athlete who excels both on and off the court. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. Hiebert, a senior setter from Newton, Kan., earned first team all-Valley honors in 2015 and 2016 and was the MVC Setter of the Year in 2016. She was also named to the all-Valley Scholar-Athlete team in 2015 and 2016. Lehman, a senior middle blocker from Newton, Kan., earned first team all-Valley honors in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and is a three-time All-American. She was also named to the all-Valley Scholar-Athlete team in 2015 and 2016. Wichita State is one of four schools with multiple candidates, joining Western Kentucky, Washington and Penn State.

6-0 Start
Wichita State is off to a 6-0 start in American Athletic Conference play. It is the best conference start for the Shockers since 2008, when they went 18-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference. It is the fourth-best conference start overall behind the 18-0 starts in 2008 and 2005 and the 10-0 start in 2004.

10 or More for Civita
Redshirt freshman libero Giorgia Civita averaged 5.29 digs per set in the two matches over the weekend as she collected 15 digs in the three-set win over USF and 22 digs in the four-set win over UCF. She has collected 10 or more digs in all 15 matches this season.

American Opener
Wichita State opened American Athletic Conference play with a 3-1 win on the road at Temple on Sept. 22. The Shockers are now 19-16 overall in conference openers and 13-5 under head coach Chris Lamb. The Shockers are also 19-16 in conference road openers and 13-5 under Lamb and 17-17 in conference home openers and 12-5 under Lamb.

Gateway Conference Openers (1983-91)
Overall: 1-8
Road: 2-7
Home: 1-8

Missouri Valley Conference Openers (1992-2016)
Overall: 17-8
Road: 16-9
Home: 16-9

American Athletic Conference Openers (2017-present)
Overall: 1-0
Road: 1-0
Home: 0-0

Chris Lamb (2000-present)
Overall: 13-5
Road: 13-5
Home: 12-5

Down Goes No. 8
Wichita State earned its second top-10 win in program history with a 3-1 win over No. 8 Creighton on Fri., Sept. 15. The other was in 2008 against No. 10 Cal Poly. It was the Shockers first win over a ranked team since Aug. 27, 2016 when they beat No. 18 Creighton.

Long Set
No. 19 Iowa State beat Wichita State 37-35 in set two of their Sept. 17 match in Wichita. It was the most points scored in a set for the Shockers during the 25-point rally scoring era (2008-present). WSU scored 33 against Bowling Green in 2014, 32 against Oklahoma in 2008 and 31 against Northern Iowa in 2009.

Raudsepp & Civita Named to All-Tourney Team
Senior outside hitter Mikaela Raudsepp and redshirt freshman libero Giorgia Civita earned all-tournament team honors at the Shocker Volleyball Classic. Raudsepp averaged 4.29 kills and 0.57 digs, while hitting .296 in the two matches. Civita averaged 7.86 digs per set against No. 8 Creighton and No. 19 Iowa State.

4,000 Assists
Senior setter Emily Hiebert recorded her 4,000th career assist on Sept. 9 against Cal Poly. She now has 4,030 assists and is just the fourth player in school history to reach the 4,000-assist mark. She joins Mary Elizabeth Hooper (4,820), Michele Hallagin (4,476) and Kori Rosenkranz (4,313).

Comeback
The Shockers earned a come from behind win on Sept. 2 against Marquette. The Golden Eagles won the first two sets before the Shockers fought back to win the match in five sets. It was the first time the Shockers came back from an 0-2 deficit to win since Aug. 27, 2016 when they did it against No. 18 Creighton.

1,000 Kills
Senior middle blocker Abbie Lehman collected her 1,000th career kill on Sept. 1 at IUPUI. She is just the 12th Shocker to record 1,000 career kills. She now has 1,030 for her career.

All-Tournament Team Honors
Junior outside hitter Tabitha Brown earned MVP honors at the IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational over the weekend. Senior setter Emily Hiebert and senior middle blocker Abbie Lehman were also named to the all-tournament team. Brown averaged 4.58 kills, 2.67 digs and 0.58 blocks per set, while hitting .316 in the three matches. Hiebert averaged 10.50 assists, 1.33 kills, 2.42 digs and 0.50 blocks per set, while Lehman averaged 2.92 kills, 0.33 digs, 1.08 blocks per set and hit .354.

Block Party
Wichita State collected 15 blocks in the season opening three-set win over Lipscomb. It was the fourth-most blocks in a three-set match for the Shockers in school history in the rally scoring era (2001-16).

500 Kills
Junior outside hitter Tabitha Brown collected her 500th career kill in the win over ETSU on Aug. 26. Brown had 161 kills in her freshman season at Alabama and 325 as a sophomore at Wichita State.

Shockers Picked First in Preseason American Poll
The Wichita State volleyball team is picked first in the 2017 American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The Shockers received seven first-place votes and 116 points in the poll. The Shockers return eight letterwinners and four starters from a team that went 24-8 overall and 15-3 in Missouri Valley Conference play in 2016. Last season, the Shockers won the MVC tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Lehman and Hiebert Named to Preseason All-Conference Team
Senior middle blocker Abbie Lehman and senior setter Emily Hiebert were named to the preseason all-conference team. Lehman earned honorable mention All-America and first team all-Valley honors in 2016 and averaged 2.68 kills and 1.27 blocks per set, while hitting .384. Hiebert earned first team all-Valley and Setter of the Year honors in 2016 and averaged 10.64 assists, 0.59 blocks and 2.81 digs per set.

Family Connection
Two Shocker volleyball players have siblings who compete in other sports at Wichita State. Junior Tabitha Brown's brother Zach is a senior on the men's basketball team, while redshirt freshman Regan Stiawalt's brother Chandler is a freshman on the men's track and field team.

International History
Redshirt freshman libero Giorgia Civita returns to the team in 2017. Civita is from Milan, Italy and is just the seventh international player to play for the Shockers. Others include Kim Henry (1989-92) from Canada, Swee Ng (1992) from Malaysia, Marsha Van Cedar (1994-95) from Canada, Tomoko Matsuda (1996) from Japan, Lucia Zhanje (2000) from Zimbabwe and Shimen Fayad (2014- 15) from Canada. One other international player was on the roster in 1992, but never played in a match (Tamie Bearup, Italy).

Lamb Returns for 18th Season
Head coach Chris Lamb, four-time MVC Coach of the Year, returns for his 18th season after guiding the Shockers to 14-straight 20-win seasons. In 2011, he became the winningest coach in Shocker volleyball history and in 2013 he won his 300th career match.

The Chris Lamb Radio Show
The Chris Lamb Radio Show will air on Monday's from 6:30-7 p.m. on 98.7 FM and 1330 KNSS. Mike Kennedy will host the show and it gets underway on Mon., Aug. 28.