WICHITA, Kan. - No. 16 national seed Wichita State opens NCAA Tournament play Friday in first round action vs. Radford at 8 p.m. CT in Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers and Highlanders will follow the first match of the evening between Kansas and Missouri at 6 p.m.
On the Web
Friday's match will be on the internet at www.goshockers.com/listen with Steve Strain calling the action. The match will also be on Shocker HD with Shane Dennis and Denning Gerig.
Quick Hits
• The Shockers are making their 11th NCAA Tournament appearance (2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017)
• WSU has played seven teams in this year's NCAA field and has a record of 4-3: ETSU (1-0), Marquette (1-0), Miami (Ohio) (1-0), Oregon (0-1), Cal Poly (0-1), Creighton (1-0) and Iowa State (0-1)
• Wichita State earned The American's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament
• This will be the first meeting between WSU and Radford
• WSU is seeded (16) for the first time in school history and hosting for the first time in school history
• WSU holds a 7-10 record in the NCAA Tournament. The Shocks are 6-4 in the first round, 1-5 in the second round and 0-1 in the regional semifinals
• WSU has seven players with NCAA Tournament experience including seniors
Emily Hiebert,
Abbie Lehman,
Mikaela Raudsepp,
Gabi Mostrom and
Hanna Shelton, junior
Tabitha Brown and sophomore
Kara Bown
• The Shockers are on a 20-match winning streak, which is the third-best in school history
• The 28 wins are tied for the second-most in school history. The record is 30 set in 2008
•
Abbie Lehman is The American Player of the Year
•
Emily Hiebert is The American Setter of the Year
•
Chris Lamb is The American Coach of the Year
• Five Shockers earned all-conference honors including
Emily Hiebert,
Abbie Lehman,
Mikaela Raudsepp and
Tabitha Brown on the first team and
Giorgia Civita on the second team
• WSU won its first American Athletic Conference title with a win at SMU on Nov. 19
• WSU is currently on a 29-set winning streak, which is the best in school history beating the 26 set streak in 1992
•
Gabi Mostrom's younger sister Jacqui plays volleyball at Kansas
• Missouri setter Courtney Eckenrode is the younger sister of former Shocker Lindsey Eckenrode who played at WSU from 2006-10
• WSU is just the second team in American history to go undefeated in conference play. Louisville went 18-0 in 2013
• The Shockers have their third undefeated conference slate in school history. WSU went 18-0 in both 2005 and 2008 in the MVC
• In the career active NCAA leaders list,
Emily Hiebert is fourth in assists and
Abbie Lehman is fourth in hitting percentage and 11th in total blocks
•
Emily Hiebert became the Shocker career leader in assists and
Abbie Lehman the career leader in total blocks during the win at SMU on Nov. 19
• The Shockers are ranked 10th nationally in average attendance with 2,700 fans per match
• Head coach
Chris Lamb won his 400th career match on Oct. 15 against Tulsa
• The Shockers are 20th in this week's AVCA Top-25 poll
• WSU is 14th in this week's NCAA RPI
• The Shockers are 2-3 against the RPI top-50 and 11-3 against the top-100
• WSU has now won 20 or more matches for 15-straight seasons
• Senior
Mikaela Raudsepp collected her 1,000th career kill on Nov. 5 against Temple
•
Emily Hiebert leads the Shockers with 10 double-doubles, while
Tabitha Brown has nine
• In the last 10 matches, the Shockers are 10-0
• In the last 10 matches, WSU is hitting .349, while holding opponents to a .095 clip
• In the last 10 matches,
Abbie Lehman is averaging 4.16 kills and 1.72 blocks per set, while hitting .540
• WSU is 10-1 at home this season
• In 11 home matches, WSU is hitting .296, while holding opponents to a .136 clip
• In 11 home matches,
Abbie Lehman is averaging 3.92 kills and 1.19 blocks per set, while hitting .468
•
Giorgia Civita became the single season leader for digs by a freshman. She broke the record set by Melissa Granville in 2006
•
Abbie Lehman is one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award
• 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
Shockers in the RPI
Wichita State is 14th in the ninth official RPI release of the season. WSU is 2-3 against the top-50 and 11-3 against the top-100. Wins include Creighton (16), Marquette (32), SMU twice (71), Miami (Ohio) (65), Temple twice (73), Lipscomb (86), UCF twice (90) and ETSU (85). Losses are against Oregon (23), Iowa State (15) and Cal Poly (19).
Week by Week 10/2 10/9 10/16 10/23 10/30 11/6 11/13 11/20 11/27
Wichita State 23 20 20 18 18 17 16 9 14
Shockers Play Radford in First Round
No. 16 national seed Wichita State will face Radford (25-4) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1. Kansas (22-7) will face Missouri (20-11) at 6 p.m. Dec. 1. Winners of the two first-round matches will meet at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2 in second-round play.
Series History vs. Wichita Field
The Shockers are 18-46-1 against the Wichita field in school history. WSU's overall record against the Wichita field is listed below:
Radford - 0-0 overall & 0-0 in the NCAA Tourney
Kansas - 13-40 overall & 1-1 in the NCAA Tourney
Missouri - 5-6-1 overall & 0-0 in NCAA Tourney
Wichita State in the NCAA Tournament
The Shockers are making their 11th NCAA Tournament appearance and will play in the tournament for the 10th time in 11 years. The Shockers last made an appearance in 2016 and lost in four sets to TCU in Lincoln, Neb. In 2015, WSU 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.
Lamb Named American Coach of the Year
Wichita State head coach
Chris Lamb was named the 2017 American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. It is his fifth Coach of the Year honor as he was MVC Coach of the Year in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008.
Lehman Named American Player of the Year
Senior middle blocker
Abbie Lehman was named the 2017 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year. She is just the sixth player in school history to earn conference Player of the Year honors joining Sara Younes (2004), Sara Lungren (2006, 2007), Emily Stockman (2008), Ashley Andrade (2013) and Chelsey Feekin (2013).
Hiebert Named American Setter of the Year
Senior setter
Emily Hiebert was named the 2017 American Athletic Conference Setter of the Year. She became the first Shocker to earn that honor last season in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Five Earn All-Conference Honors
Four Wichita State volleyball players earned first team all-conference honors.
Emily Hiebert,
Abbie Lehman,
Mikaela Raudsepp and
Tabitha Brown were all named to the first team, while
Giorgia Civita was named to the second team. The Shockers also earned The American Team Academic Excellence Award for having the highest cumulative grade-point average.
Scouting Radford
The Highlanders are 25-4 overall and went 13-3 in the Big South. They earned the automatic bid with a Big South Conference Tournament championship. Wins this season have come against Coppin State, Marist, Lehigh, Grand Canyon, Eastern Kentucky twice, Arizona, South Carolina, ETSU, Virginia Tech, Winthrop three times, Gardner-Webb twice, Campbell twice, Presbyterian twice, UNC Asheville twice, Charleston Southern twice, Liberty and High Point. Losses have come against Miami (Ohio), High Point twice and Liberty. As a team, the Highlanders are hitting .251, while holding opponents to a .149 clip. They are led offensively by Maddie Palmer who is averaging 4.04 kills and 3.58 digs per set, while Haley Kleespies averages 10.23 assists per set. The Highlanders are led by head coach Marci Jenkins.
Scouting Kansas
The Jayhawks are 22-7 overall and finished 11-5 in the Big 12. They earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. KU owns top-25 wins over No. 13 Kentucky, No. 17 Purdue, No. 18 Iowa State, and No. 24 Baylor. They have top-25 losses to No. 9 Creighton, No. 5 Texas twice, No. 22 Iowa State and No. 23 Baylor. The Jayhawks are hitting .258 as a team, while holding opponents to a .204 clip. They are led offensively by Kelsie Payne who is averaging 3.73 kills per set. Ainise Havili averages 11.47 assists per set and Allie Nelson averages 4.30 digs per set. KU is led by head coach Ray Bechard.
Last Meeting vs. the Jayhawks
The last meeting between the two teams was Dec. 6, 2013 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Lawrence, Kan. The Jayhawks won 3-1 by scores of 25-23, 25-19, 20-25 and 25-22. Ashley Andrade led the Shockers with 16 kills, while Chelsey Feekin had 44 assists and Alyssa Carney had 13 digs.
Scouting Missouri
The Tigers are 20-11 overall and 13-5 in the SEC. MU earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers have top-25 losses to No. 10 BYU, No. 15 San Diego, No. 18 Utah, No. 10 Kentucky, and No. 4 Florida twice. The Tigers are hitting .245 as a team, while holding opponents to a .194 clip. They are led offensively by Kira Larson who is averaging 2.36 kills per set. Courtney Eckenrode averages 7.67 assists per set and Riley Sents averages 3.51 digs per set. MU is led by head coach Wayne Kreklow.
Last Meeting vs. the Tigers
The last meeting between the two teams was Sept. 1, 2000 in Tulsa, Okla. MU won 3-0 by scores of 15-10, 15-10 and 15-6.
Shockers Ranked 20th
The Wichita State volleyball team is ranked 20th in the Nov. 27 AVCA Top-25 Poll. The Shockers are receiving 428 points in the poll. It is the 12th 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, 21st in the Oct. 16, Oct. 23, Oct. 30 and Nov. 13 poll and 20th in the Nov. 6 and Nov. 20 poll.
Moving on Up
Senior middle blocker
Abbie Lehman and senior setter
Emily Hiebert continue to climb the Shocker career records list for kills, blocks and assists. Lehman is now fifth in career kills with 1,351 and needs 11 more to move into fourth place. She is first in career total blocks with 524. She is also first in career block assists with 461. Hiebert is first in assists with 4,907.
American Champs
Wichita State won the first American Athletic Conference title in school history with a win at SMU on Nov. 19. It is the seventh conference regular-season title overall for the Shockers. WSU will be making its 11th NCAA Tournament appearance.
Undefeated
Wichita State finished the American Athletic Conference regular-season with a 20-0 record. It is the third undefeated conference season in school history as both the 2005 and 2008 teams went 18-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Shockers are just the second American team to go undefeated joining Louisville who went 18-0 in 2013.
28 Wins
Wichita State's 28 wins are tied for the second most in school history. The 2008 team holds the record of 30 wins, while the 2005 and 2013 teams also won 28 matches.
Lehman No. 1
Senior middle blocker
Abbie Lehman became the Shocker career leader in block assists during the three-set win against Memphis on Nov. 24. She passed Elizabeth Meyers who had 460 from 2002-05. Lehman currently sits at 461.
29-Straight
Wichita State is currently on a 29-set winning streak, which is the best streak in school history. The record was 26 which was set from Sept. 26-Oct. 16, 1992. The Shockers have not lost a set since Oct. 27.
Winning Streak
Wichita State has now won 20-straight matches, which ranks as the third-best winning streak in school history. The school record is 29 set in 2008. Second place is 26 in 2005.
Lehman Takes Over First
Senior middle blocker
Abbie Lehman became the Shocker career leader in total blocks during the three-set win at SMU on Nov. 19. She passed Elizabeth Meyers who had 505 from 2002-05. Lehman currently sits at 515.
Hiebert First in Assists
Senior setter
Emily Hiebert became the Shocker career leader in assists during the three-set win at SMU on Nov. 19. She passed Mary Elizabeth Hooper who had 4,820 from 2008-11. Hiebert currently sits at 4,831.
10 Blocks
Abbie Lehman had 10 blocks in the three-set win at SMU on Nov. 19. It was the first time a Shocker had 10 or more blocks in a match since Ashley Andrade had 10 against Bradley on Sept. 28, 2012.
