WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State hosts two American Athletic Conference matches this weekend. The Shockers play UConn on Friday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. and second-place Temple on Sunday, Nov. 5 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 and on Shocker HD with Shane Dennis and Denning Gerig.
Quick Hits
• Senior middle blocker
Abbie Lehman is The American Defensive Player of the Week this week
• WSU leads the overall series with UConn 1-0
• WSU leads the overall series with Temple 1-0
• 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
• WSU has now won 20 or more matches for 15-straight seasons
• The Shockers are on a 12-match winning streak, which is the fifth-best in school history
•
Tabitha Brown leads the Shockers with nine double-doubles, while
Emily Hiebert has eight
• In the last 10 matches, the Shockers are 10-0
• In the last 10 matches, WSU is hitting .330, while holding opponents to a .121 clip
• In the last 10 matches,
Abbie Lehman is averaging 4.18 kills and 1.44 blocks per set, while hitting .521
• WSU is 7-1 at home this season
• In eight home matches, WSU is hitting .280, while holding opponents to a .147 clip
• In eight home matches,
Emily Hiebert is averaging 12.44 assists, 1.48 kills, and 2.33 digs per set while hitting .357
• In eight home matches,
Abbie Lehman is averaging 3.81 kills and 1.22 blocks per set, while hitting .420
•
Abbie Lehman led the Shockers with 33 kills last weekend and hit .474
•
Emily Hiebert and
Abbie Lehman are both candidates for the Senior CLASS Award
• 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
• 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
• Head Coach
Chris Lamb is in his 18th season with the Shockers
• The Shockers are picked first in the preseason American Athletic Conference poll
Scouting UConn
The Huskies are 10-14 overall and 3-9 in The American. Wins this season have come against New Hampshire, St. John's, Iona, Hartford, Albany, UMKC, Grand Canyon, Memphis, Tulane and USF. Losses have come against Sacramento State, LSU, Villanova, Princeton, Bradley, Wichita State, Houston twice, Cincinnati, ECU, UCF, SMU, Tulsa and Tulane. UConn is led by Kayla Williams who is averaging 3.88 kills per set, while Emma Turner averages 9.77 assists and Kennedy Arundel averages 3.67 digs per set. As a team, the Huskies are hitting .196, while holding opponents to a .196 clip. UConn is led by head coach Kris Grunwald.
Series History vs. the Huskies
Wichita State leads the overall series with UConn 1-0. The lone meeting was in 2017 in Storrs, Conn.
Last Meeting vs. UConn
The last meeting between the two teams was Sept. 24, 2017, in Storrs, Conn. The Shockers won 3-0 by scores of 25-21, 25-23 and 25-20.
Abbie Lehman led the Shockers with 17 kills, while
Emily Hiebert had 31 assists and
Giorgia Civita had 19 digs.
Scouting Temple
The Owls are 13-6 overall and 9-2 in The American. Wins this season have come against Northeastern, St. John's, Albany, Boston College, Memphis, Tulane, Houston twice, Cincinnati, USF, UCF, Tulsa, and SMU. Losses have come against UMBC, Maryland, Colgate, Villanova, Wichita State, and ECU. Temple is led by Izzy Rapacz who averages 3.56 kills per set. Kyra Coundourides averages 10.19 assists and Mia Heirakuji averages 4.10 digs per set. As a team, the Owls are hitting .249, while holding opponents to a .185 clip. Temple is led by head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam.
Series History vs. the Owls
Wichita State leads the overall series with Temple 1-0. The lone meeting was in 2017 in Philadelphia, Pa.
Last Meeting vs. Temple
The last meeting between the two teams was Sept. 22, 2017, in Philadelphia, Pa. The Shockers won 3-1 by scores of 29-27, 19-25, 31-29 and 25-15.
Mikaela Raudsepp led the Shockers with 23 kills, while
Emily Hiebert had 51 assists and
Giorgia Civita had 25 digs.
Shockers Ranked 21st
The Wichita State volleyball team is ranked 21st in the Oct. 30 AVCA Top-25 Poll. The Shockers are receiving 324 points in the poll. It is the eighth 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 and Oct. 23 poll.
Shockers in the RPI
Wichita State is 18th in the fifth official RPI release of the season. WSU is 2-3 against the top-50 and 6-3 against the top-100. Wins include Creighton (15), Marquette (32), SMU (68), Miami (Ohio) (73), Temple (60) and Lipscomb (78). Losses are against Oregon (10), Iowa State (14) and Cal Poly (21). UConn is 206 and Temple is 60.
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 18
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 484 and needs eight more to move into second place. She is also second in career block assists with 423 and needs 37 more to move into first place. Hiebert is second in assists with 4,615 and needs 205 more to move into first place.
Lehman Named American DPOW
Wichita State volleyball student-athlete
Abbie Lehman has been named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 23-29. Lehman, a senior middle blocker from Newton, Kan., led the Shockers to a 2-0 weekend with two road wins in American play. She averaged 4.12 kills, 0.50 assists, 0.12 aces, 0.50 digs, 1.88 blocks and 5.25 points per set, while hitting .474. In the five-set come from behind win over UCF, she had a career-high 22 kills on a career-high 41 attempts and hit .415. She also had two assists, one ace, two digs and a match-high eight blocks. She took over in the fifth set with seven kills and two blocks. In the three-set win at USF, she had a match-high 11 kills along with two assists, two digs and a match-high seven blocks, while hitting .625.
Two With 20
Two Shockers had 20 or more kills in the five-set win at UCF on Oct. 27.
Tabitha Brown had a match-high 23 kills, while
Abbie Lehman had a career-high 22 kills. They are the first Shocker duo to have 20 or more kills in a match since Sara Lungren (21) and Emily Stockman (20) did it against Kansas State on Aug. 25, 2007.
12-0
Wichita State is off to a 12-0 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 third-best conference start overall behind the 18-0 starts in 2008 and 2005.
20 Wins Again
With two wins over the weekend, Wichita State improved to 20-3 overall and 12-0 in The American. WSU now has 15-straight 20-win seasons.
Winning Streak
Wichita State has now won 12-straight matches, which ranks as the fifth-best winning streak in school history. The school record is 29 set in 2008.
Career-Highs
Several Shockers recorded career-highs over the weekend. Sophomore outside hitter
Alex Koon had a career-high two solo blocks against USF and a career-high 36 total attack attempts against UCF. Senior middle blocker
Abbie Lehman had a career-high 22 kills and a career-high 41 total attack attempts against UCF.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
