WICHITA, Kan. -  Wichita State travels to Florida for two American Athletic Conference matches this weekend. The Shockers play at UCF on Friday, Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. CT and at USF on Sunday, Oct. 29 at 11 a.m. CT.
 

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PLAY

Orlando, Fla.

The Venue at UCF

Tampa, Fla.

Sun Dome

Game Notes

MATCH 22

#21 Wichita State (18-3, 10-0) at   UCF (11-11, 4-6)

Oct. 27

6 P.M. CT

UCFKnights.TV

GoShockers.com (Mike Kennedy)

UCFKnights.com

MATCH 23

#21 Wichita State (18-3, 10-0) at   USF (8-12, 3-7)

Oct. 29

11 A.M. CT

BullsVision

GoShockers.com (Mike Kennedy)

GoUSFBulls.com

SOCIAL

@GoShockersVB | #watchus

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SERIES HISTORY

Shockers vs. UCF: WSU Leads 1-0

Last Meeting: Oct. 1, 2017 (WSU, 3-1)

Shockers vs. USF: WSU Leads 2-0

Last Meeting: Sept. 29, 2017 (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.

Quick Hits
• Senior middle blocker Abbie Lehman is The American Offensive Player of the Week this week
• WSU leads the overall series with UCF 1-0
• WSU leads the overall series with USF 2-0
• The Shockers are ranked 12th nationally in average attendance with 2,587 fans per match
• Head coach Chris Lamb won his 400th career match on Oct. 15 against Tulsa
• The Shockers are 21st in this week's AVCA Top-25 poll. It is the highest ranking for the Shockers since 2009
• WSU is 18th in this week's NCAA RPI
• The Shockers are 2-3 against the RPI top-50 and 6-3 against the top-100
• Tabitha Brown leads the Shockers with eight double-doubles, while Emily Hiebert has seven
• In the last 10 matches, the Shockers are 10-0
• In the last 10 matches, WSU is hitting .329, while holding opponents to a .147 clip
• In the last 10 matches, Abbie Lehman is averaging 4.24 kills and 1.39 blocks per set, while hitting .543
• WSU is 6-1 on the road this season
• In seven road matches, WSU is hitting .307, while holding opponents to a .180 clip
• In seven road matches, Emily Hiebert is averaging 11.00 assists, 1.23 kills, and 1.91 digs per set while hitting .311
• In seven road matches, Abbie Lehman is averaging 3.77 kills and 1.32 blocks per set, while hitting .486
• Abbie Lehman led the Shockers with 35 kills last weekend and hit .517
• Emily Hiebert averaged 15.17 assists per set last weekend
• Emily Hiebert and Abbie Lehman are both candidates for the Senior CLASS Award
• Abbie Lehman led the Shockers with 30 kills last weekend and hit .583
• Giorgia Civita averaged 6.29 digs per set 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

Scouting UCF
The Knights are 11-11 overall and 4-6 in The American. Wins this season have come against Northern Colorado, Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast, Central Arkansas, Southern, Virginia twice, ECU, Memphis, UConn and Tulane. Losses have come against Duke, Colorado State, Miami, Oral Roberts, Arkansas State, Cincinnati, Wichita State, Tulsa, SMU, Temple and Houston. UCF is led by Kia Bright who is averaging 3.72 kills per set. Erin Olson averages 5.82 assists and Jordan Pingel averages 4.21 digs per set. As a team, the Knights are hitting .229, while holding opponents to a .198 clip. UCF is led by head coach Todd Dagenais.

Series History vs. the Knights
Wichita State leads the overall series with UCF 1-0. The lone meeting was in 2017 in Wichita.

Last Meeting vs. UCF
The last meeting between the two teams was Oct. 1, 2017 in Wichita. The Shockers won 3-1 by scores of 21-25, 25-20, 25-12 and 25-15. Alex Koon led the Shockers with 12 kills, while Emily Hiebert had 43 assists and Giorgia Civita had 22 digs.

Scouting USF
The Bulls are 8-12 overall and 3-7 in The American. Wins this season have come against UAPB, Grambling, Presbyterian, Jacksonville, Bethune-Cookman, Memphis, Tulsa and Tulane. Losses have come against Northwestern, LSU, Stephen F. Austin, Mississippi State, Austin Peay, Cincinnati, ECU, Wichita State, SMU, Temple, UConn and Houston. USF is led by Doris Carter who is averaging 2.63 kills per set. Alex Mendoza averages 9.82 assists and Maria McLamb averages 3.99 digs per set. As a team, the Bulls are hitting .190, while holding opponents to a .211 clip. USF is led by head coach Courtney Draper.

Series History vs. the Bulls
Wichita State leads the overall series with USF 2-0. The Shockers won the Sept. 3, 2005 in East Lansing, Mich and one earlier this season in Wichita.

Last Meeting vs. USF
The last meeting between the two teams was Sept. 29, 2017 in Wichita. The Shockers won 3-0 by scores of 25-15, 25-17 and 25-10. Tabitha Brown, Emily Hiebert and Abbie Lehman each had 11 kills, while Hiebert had 35 assists and Giorgia Civita had 15 digs.

Shockers Ranked 21st
The Wichita State volleyball team is ranked 21st in the Oct. 23 AVCA Top-25 Poll. The Shockers are receiving 302 points in the poll. It is the seventh 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, 24th in the Oct. 2 poll, 22nd in the Oct. 9 poll and 21st in the Oct. 16 poll.

Shockers in the RPI
Wichita State is 18th in the fourth official RPI release of the season. WSU is 2-3 against the top-50 and 6-3 against the top-100. Wins include Creighton (13), Marquette (36), SMU (69), Miami (Ohio) (84), Temple (93) and Lipscomb (77). Losses are against Oregon (9), Iowa State (21) and Cal Poly (26). UCF is 112 and USF is 181.

Week by Week   10/2   10/9    10/16    10/23    10/30    11/6    11/13   11/20
Wichita State       23      20        20         18

Lehman Named American Player of the Week
Wichita State volleyball student-athlete Abbie Lehman has been named the American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 16-22. Lehman, a senior middle blocker from Newton, Kan., led the Shockers to a 2-0 weekend with sweeps over two teams that were tied for third place entering the weekend. She averaged 5.83 kills, 0.50 digs, 1.00 block and 6.33 points per set, while hitting .517. On Friday in the sweep of Cincinnati, she had a match-high 18 kills along with four blocks, while hitting .441. In the three-set win over ECU, she had a match-high 17 kills along with three digs and two blocks, while hitting .625. In American play, she is now averaging 4.24 kills and 1.39 blocks per set, while hitting .543.

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 469 and needs 23 more to move into second place. She is also third in career block assists with 409 and needs 10 more to move into second place. Hiebert is second in assists with 4,523 and needs 297 more to move into first place.

10-0
Wichita State is off to a 10-0 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 tied for the third-best conference start overall behind the 18-0 starts in 2008 and 2005 and the 10-0 start in 2004.

Looking for 20
With two wins over the weekend, Wichita State improved to 18-3 overall and 10-0 in The American. The Shockers need just two more wins to reach 20 wins on the season. WSU currently has a streak of 14-straight 20-win seasons.

Career-Highs
Several Shockers recorded career-highs over the weekend. Senior outside hitter Mikaela Raudsepp had a career-high three service aces against ECU, senior defensive specialist Gabi Mostrom had a career-high 16 digs against Cincinnati, and junior outside hitter Tabitha Brown had a career-high two solo blocks against Cincinnati.

400 Wins
Wichita State head coach Chris Lamb collected his 400th career win on Oct. 15 against Tulsa. He is now 400-159 in his 18-year head coaching career.

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.

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.