WEEK SCHEDULE - NIVC First Round
» Thursday, 11/29 vs. Central Arkansas (26-6) | 4:30 p.m. CT

Wichita State will make its fourth straight appearance in the postseason after it received an at-large bid to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) Sunday, Nov. 25. The Shockers (13-17) are slated to face Central Arkansas (26-6) in the first round Thursday, Nov. 29, at 4:30 p.m. at the North Texas Volleyball Center in Denton, Texas.

Quick Hits
• Wichita State in the postseason: First appearance in the NIVC.
• Wichita State enters the NIVC with an overall record of 13-17 after falling to North Texas, 3-1, in the regular season finale Nov. 24.
• The Shockers are ranked 86th in the most recent NCAA RPI rankings. Wichita State has played the 16th-toughest overall schedule and fourth-toughest non-conference slate in NCAA Division I volleyball.
• Wichita State is led by senior Tabitha Brown (330 kills, 17 aces, 305 digs, 36 blocks), redshirt freshmen Megan Taflinger (300 kills, 25 aces) and Kora Kauling (613 assists, 113 digs), and sophomore Giorgia Civita (692 digs, 92 assists, 16 aces).
 

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Series History
Central Arkansas: First Meeting
North Texas: 8-3 (1-1 in 2018)
Tulsa: 31-14 (1-1 in 2018)

About Central Arkansas
The Central Arkansas Sugar Bears enter the NIVC with an overall record of 26-6 after losing to Stephen F. Austin in the Southland Conference tournament Nov. 18, 3-0. UCA received an automatic bid to the NIVC. Prior to their loss vs. SFA, the Sugar Bears had won 10 consecutive matches. Central Arkansas finished 14-2 in the Southland. Through 32 matches, UCA is paced by senior middle blocker Samantha Anderson (404 kills, .339 attack pct., 50 digs, 60 blocks), sophomore setter Bailey Waddington (700 assists, 23 aces, 126 digs, 10 blocks) and sophomore defensive specialist Emily Doss (503 digs, 76 assists, 20 aces). As a team, Central Arkansas is averaging 13.5 kills, 12.7 assists, 1.4
aces, 14.9 digs and two blocks per set. The Sugar Bears are under the direction of fourth season head coach Jeni Jones Chatman.

Series History vs. Central Arkansas
First meeting

Last Meeting vs. the Sugar Bears
None

Other Teams in the NIVC Denton Bracket
North Texas (NCAA RPI: 124)
The North Texas Mean Green are 17-16 overall coming into their NIVC first round match vs. Tulsa Nov. 29 after downg Wichita State, 3-1, Nov. 24 on the road. UNT compiled an 11-3 record in Conference USA. Through 33 contests, the Mean Green are led by sophomore outside hitter Valerie Valerian (444 kills, 26 assists, 21 aces, 320 digs, 40 blocks) and senior setter Karley York (1,219 assists, 75 kills, 21 aces, 324 digs, 41 blocks). As a team, North Texas is averaging 12.8 kills, 11.8 assists, 1.2 aces, 14.2 digs and two blocks per set. UNT is under the leadership of sixth season head coach Andrew Palileo.

Series History vs. North Texas
The Shockers and Mean Green have met 11 times dating back to the first meeting in 1975. Wichita State leads the series, 8-3. This season, WSU went 1-1 against North Texas, winning in Denton, 3-0, and losing in Wichita, 3-1.

Last Meeting vs. the Mean Green
Wichita State fell to North Texas, 3-1, in the 2018 regular season finale on Saturday, Nov. 24, inside Charles Koch Arena. The set scores were 20-25, 25-20, 22-25 and 19-25. Tabitha Brown led the Shockers, tallying her team-best 10th double-double of the season with 18 kills and 10 digs. Brown also hit a team-high .421 in the match with just two
errors. Regan Stiawalt added a career-high 16 kills and hit .279, while Kora Kauling had a team-best 39 assists and Giorgia Civita added a team-high 18 digs.

Tulsa (NCAA RPI: 80)
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane are 19-11 overall entering their NIVC showdown vs. North Texas after falling to Wichita State, 3-2, on the road Nov. 21. Tulsa finished 11-7 in The American this season. Through 31 matches, the Golden Hurricane are led by senior outside hitter Emily Thorson (359 kills, 32 service aces, 56 blocks), junior setter Mariah Pardo (943 assists, 271 digs) and junior defensive specialist/libero Taylor Horsfall (619 digs, 21 service aces, 126 assists). As a team, Tulsa is averaging 12.6 kills, 11.6 assists, 1.1 aces, 17.5 digs and two blocks per set. Tulsa is under the leadership of fifth season head coach Ryan Wills.

Series History vs. Tulsa
Wichita State and Tulsa have met 45 times dating back to the inaugural meeting in 1976. WSU leads the series, 31-14. This season, the Shockers and Golden Hurricane split a pair of five-set matches, with each team winning on their home courts.

Last Meeting vs. the Golden Hurricane
After trailing early in set five, the Wichita State volleyball team was able to come back from behind and defeat Tulsa 3-2 on Wednesday, Nov. 21, at Charles Koch Arena. The set scores were 18-25, 25-15, 25-15, 12-25 and 16-14. Emma Wright led the Shockers (13-16, 8-10 American) with 14 kills and hit a career-best .500, while Kora Kauling added 27 assists and Giorgia Civita had 40 digs. Tabitha Brown added a double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs, and Kara Bown tallied a career-high 19 digs.

Previous NIVC Winners
• 1989 -- Wisconsin
• 1990 -- Houston
• 1991 -- Kentucky
• 1992 -- Washington State
• 1993 -- Lousiana State
• 1994 -- Cal State Northridge
• 1995 -- Wisconsin
• 2017 -- Ole Miss

Familiar Venue
Wichita State will play in the North Texas Volleyball Center for the second time this season when it opens NIVC play Thursday. The Shockers played in the North Texas Challenge earlier this season, posting a 1-2 record with losses to Cal Poly and Stephen F. Austin and a victory over North Texas.