WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State goes back on the road this weekend at Tulane and Houston. The Shockers will play Tulane in New Orleans, La., on Fri., Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. and Houston in Houston, Texas, on Sun., Oct. 8 at 12 p.m.
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 setter
Emily Hiebert is The American Offensive Player of the Week
• Tulane leads the overall series with WSU 1-0
• The overall series with Houston is tied 2-2
• Head Coach
Chris Lamb is 2-0 in his career vs. Houston with wins in 2005 and 2010
• The Shockers are ranked 10th nationally in average attendance with 2,507 fans per match
• Lamb needs four wins to reach 400 for his career
• The Shockers are 24th in this week's AVCA Top-25 poll
• WSU is 23rd in the first NCAA RPI report of the season
• The Shockers are 2-3 against the RPI top-50 and 5-3 against the top-100
•
Emily Hiebert and
Abbie Lehman are both candidates for the Senior CLASS Award
•
Tabitha Brown led the Shockers with 22 kills last weekend and hit .357, while
Abbie Lehman had 21 kills and hit .455
•
Giorgia Civita averaged 5.29 digs per set last weekend for WSU
• 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 Tulane
The Green Wave are 12-5 overall and 1-3 in The American. Wins this season have come against Louisiana, South Alabama twice, Grambling, Mississippi State, USM, Nicholls, Oklahoma, Northwestern State, Alcorn State, North Florida and Tulsa. Losses have come against Louisiana, Stephen F. Austin, SMU, Temple and UConn. Tulane is led by Lexie Douglas who is averaging 2.35 kills per set. Justin Bowers averages 5.62 assists, while Kaylie McHugh averages 5.10 digs per set. As a team, the Green Wave are hitting .202, while holding opponents to a .175 clip. Tulane is led by head coach Jim Barnes.
Series History vs. the Green Wave
Tulane leads the overall series with Wichita State 1-0. The only meeting was in 1986 in Tulsa, Okla.
Last Meeting vs. Tulane
The last meeting between the two teams was Sept. 19, 1986, in Tulsa, Okla. Tulane won the match 3-1 by scores of 6-15, 15-11, 15-11 and 15-10. Becky Richardson-Wells led the Shockers with 18 kills, while Kari James had 47 assists and Julie Koss had 11 digs.
Scouting Houston
The Cougars are 5-7 overall and 1-3 in The American. Wins this season have come against Southern, Stetson, Mississippi State, Prairie View A&M, and UConn. Losses have come against McNeese twice, UT Arlington, LSU, Tulsa, SMU and Temple. UH is led by Brianna Lynch who is averaging 2.64 kills per set. Abby Irvine averages 5.96 assists, while Katie Karbo averages 5.40 digs per set. As a team, the Cougars are hitting .164, while holding opponents to a .162 clip. UH is led by head coach Kaddie Platt.
Series History vs. the Cougars
The overall series between the two teams is tied 2-2. The Cougars won 3-0 in Lawrence, Kan., in 1987 and 3-1 in Arlington, Texas in 1991. The Shockers won 3-0 in Houston in 2005 and 3-0 in Provo, Utah in 2010.
Last Meeting vs. UH
The last meeting between the two teams was Sept. 10, 2010 in Provo, Utah. The Shockers won 3-0 by scores of 25-14, 25-20 and 25-22. Camri Zwiesler led the Shockers with 18 kills, while Mary Elizabeth Hooper had 39 assists and Sarah Waldorf had 10 digs.
Shockers Ranked 24th
The Wichita State volleyball team is ranked 24th in the Oct. 2 AVCA Top-25 Poll. The Shockers are receiving 132 points in the poll. It is the fourth ranking for the Shockers this season as they were ranked 23rd in the Sept. 4 poll, 24th in the Sept. 18 poll and 25th in the Sept. 25 poll. Last weekend, WSU defeated USF and UCF to improve to 12-3 overall and 4-0 in The American.
Shockers in the RPI
Wichita State is 23rd in the first 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). Tulane is 92 and Houston is 233.
Week by Week 10/2 10/9 10/16 10/23 10/30 11/6 11/13 11/20
Wichita State 23
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 445 and needs 47 more to move into second place. She is also third in career block assists with 387 and needs 32 more to move into second place. Hiebert is fourth in assists with 4,280 and needs 33 more to move into third place.
Hiebert Named American Offensive Player of the Week
Wichita State volleyball student-athlete
Emily Hiebert has been named the American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 25-Oct. 1.Hiebert, a senior setter from Newton, Kan., led the Shockers to a 2-0 weekend with wins over USF and UCF. She averaged 2.71 kills, 11.14 assists, 1.71 digs and 0.29 blocks per set, while hitting .607 in the two wins. She also guided the Shocker offense to a .349 team hitting percentage. In the three-set win over USF, she had a double-double with a career-high 11 kills along with 35 assists. She hit a career-best .667 in the match, while also finishing with seven digs and a block. In the four-set win over UCF, she had eight kills, 43 assists, five digs and one block, while hitting .538. It is her second American Offensive Player of the Week award this season.
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.
4-0 Start
Wichita State is off to a 4-0 start in American Athletic Conference play. It is the best conference start for the Shockers since 2013, when they started 5-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
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.
Career-Highs
Several Shockers tied or set new career-highs over the weekend in wins against USF and UCF. Senior
Mikaela Raudsepp had a career-high three assists against USF, while freshman
Emma Wright had a career-high eight kills against UCF. Sophomore
Alex Koon had a career-high 12 kills, two assists and five block assists against UCF, while senior
Emily Hiebert hit a career-best .667 and had a career-high 11 kills against USF. Sophomore
Kara Bown had a career-high two assists against UCF and two service aces against USF, while senior
Hanna Shelton had a career-high three assists and two service aces against USF.
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.
