WEEKEND SCHEDULE - American Athletic Conference Play
» Friday, 11/9 vs. Houston (15-13, 2-11) | 7:00 p.m. CT
» Sunday, 11/11 vs. SMU (9-14, 6-7) | 1:00 p.m. CT

The Wichita State volleyball team (12-12, 7-6) returns home to the friendly confines of Charles Koch Arena for a pair of American Athletic Conference matches Friday, Nov. 9, and Sunday, Nov. 11. WSU is slated to host Houston (15-13, 2-11) Friday at 7 p.m. before welcoming SMU (9-14, 6-7) to the Roundhouse Sunday at 1 p.m.

Quick Hits
• The Shockers come into the weekend with an overall record of 12-12 and are 7-6 in The American after winning at ECU Nov. 4, 3-1.
• In WSU's triumph at ECU, the Shockers compiled a season-best 11 blocks.
• The Shockers are ranked 45th in the most recent NCAA RPI rankings. Wichita State has played the seventh-toughest overall schedule and fourth-toughest non-conference slate in NCAA Division I volleyball.
• Wichita State is led by senior Tabitha Brown (269 kills, 13 aces, 242 digs, 28 blocks), redshirt freshmen Megan Taflinger (248 kills, 25 aces) and Kora Kauling (442 assists, 93 digs), and sophomore Giorgia Civita (524 digs, 71 assists, 13 aces).
• Freshman Grace Burken hit a career-high .304 with 10 kills and a career-best five block assists in the Shockers win at ECU Nov. 4.
• Sophomore Regan Stiawalt matched her career-high with nine kills in Wichita State's win over Temple Oct. 28.
• Kauling posted a career-best 60 assists and 16 digs for her second career double-double in WSU's contest at Houston Oct. 21. The 60 assists rank 10th in single-match program history.
• Sophomore Abby Pugh tallied a career-high 13 kills and hit a career-best .417 in Wichita State's contest at SMU Oct. 19.
• In the latest American Athletic Conference stats, Pugh ranks 8th in hitting percentage at .302.
• Burken tied her career-high with 11 kills in WSU's match at Houston Oct. 21.
• Senior Tabitha Brown had a career-high 28 kills in the Shockers' home match against Cincinnati Oct. 14.
• Junior Kara Bown posted a career-high 17 digs in Wichita State's contest at SMU Oct. 19.
• Sophomore Brooke Smith compiled a career-best 14 kills on 22 attempts and hit an impressive .545 against Cincinnati.
• Civita leads The American and ranks 10th nationally in digs per set (5.57). She ranks second in the conference and 20th nationally in total digs (524).
• Civita tallied a career-best three service aces in Wichita State's win at ECU Nov. 4.
• Redshirt freshman Megan Taflinger compiled a career-high three service aces for the third time this season in WSU's win at USF Oct. 5. She also had a trio of aces against Stephen F. Austin and at Creighton.
• In the latest American Athletic Conference stats, Taflinger ranks fourth in service aces (0.30 aces per set, 25 total aces) and eighth in kills (2.99 kills per set, 248 total kills).
 

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Series History
Houston: 3-3 (0-1 in 2018)
SMU: 4-2 (0-1 in 2018)

About Houston
The Houston Cougars enter the weekend with an overall record of 15-13 and an American Athletic Conference mark of 2-11 after winning at Memphis, 3-1, on Nov. 4. Through 28 contests, the Cougars are paced by junior outside hitter Megan Duncan (297 kills, 29 aces, 225 digs, 53 blocks), sophomore setter Abby Irvine (656 assists, 47 kills, 23 aces, 235 digs) and junior libero Katie Karbo (541 digs, 109 assists, 27 aces). As a team, Houston is averaging 12.7 kills, 11.8 assists, 1.5 aces, 15.9 digs and two blocks per set. The Cougars lead The American in service aces (1.53 per set, 165 aces) and rank third in opponent hitting percentage (.182). Houston is under the leadership of seventh season head coach Kaddie Platt.

Series History vs. Houston
Friday's contest against the Cougars will be the seventh meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 1987. The series is tied, 3-3, after Houston defeated the Shockers in Houston, Texas, earlier this season, 3-2.

Last Meeting vs. the Cougars
The Wichita State volleyball team fell at Houston Sunday, Oct. 21, 3-2. The Shockers lost by set scores of 25-23, 27-25, 19-25, 22-25 and 13-15. Senior Tabitha Brown recorded a team-high 22 kills while redshirt freshmen Kora Kauling (60 assists, 16 digs) and Megan Taflinger (21 kills, 13 digs) each tallied double-doubles to pace the Shockers. Kauling's 60 assists and 16 digs were both career-highs for the Naperville, Ill., native.

About SMU
The SMU Mustangs enter the weekend at 9-14 overall and 6-7 in The American after losing to Tulane at home Nov. 4, 3-0. The Mustangs are slated to play at Tulsa Friday before facing the Shockers Sunday. Through 23 matches, SMU is led by senior outside hitter Brittany Adams (264 kills, 14 aces, 274 digs, 28 blocks), junior setter Kendall Patterson (530 assists, 20 aces, 212 digs) and junior libero Montana Watts (492 digs, 13 aces, 68 assists). As a team, the Mustangs are averaging 13 kills, 12.1 assists, 0.9 aces, 17.2 digs and 2.1 blocks per set. SMU ranks second in The American in digs (17.2 per game). The Mustangs are under the direction of 23rd season head coach Lisa Seifert.

Series History vs. SMU
Sunday's match against the Mustangs will mark the seventh meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 1996. WSU leads the series, 4-2, after losing to SMU earlier this season in Dallas, 3-2.

Last Meeting vs. the Mustangs
The Wichita State volleyball team fell at SMU, 3-2, on Friday, Oct. 19, inside Moody Coliseum. The Shockers dropped the match by set scores of 16-25, 25-22, 25-16, 14-25 and 15-17. Sophomore Abby Pugh matched her career high with 13 kills and hit a career-best .417, while senior Tabitha Brown tallied her sixth double-double of the season with a match high 15 kills to go along with 19 digs, leading the Shockers. Redshirt freshman Kora Kauling added a match-best 42 assists while sophomore Giorgia Civita posted a team-high 21 digs, respectively.
 

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Two Matches Selected for American Digital Network
Wichita State will have two volleyball matches televised on the American Digital Network in 2018. The two matches selected include Sun., Oct. 14 against Cincinnati and Sun., Nov. 11 against SMU. Both matches are in Wichita and start at 1 p.m. CT. Productions on the American Digital Network will again be streamed on Facebook on the conference's live event page, The American Digital Network Plus (facebook.com/ AmericanDigitalNetworkPlus).

Newcomers Debut
Four Shocker newcomers made their debut on opening weekend. Redshirt senior setter Kali Eaken, who transferred from Louisville, redshirt freshman outside hitter Megan Taflinger, redshirt freshman setter Kora Kauling and freshman middle blocker Grace Burken all made their debut for the Shockers. Redshirt sophomore Regan Stiawalt made her Shocker debut during the BYU Nike Invitational.

Koon Named to All-Tournament Team
Junior outside hitter Alex Koon was named to the all-tournament team at the BYU Nike Invitational, Aug. 31-Sept. 1, in Provo, Utah. She averaged 2.40 kills, 2.70 digs and 0.60 blocks per set, while hitting .274 in the three matches.
 

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Shockers Picked First in Preseason American Poll
The Wichita State volleyball team is picked first in the 2018 American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.  The Shockers received six first-place votes and 113 points in the poll. The Shockers return nine letterwinners and three starters from a team that went 29-4 overall and 20-0 in American Athletic Conference play in 2017. Last season, the Shockers won the American regular-season title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 16 overall seed.
 
Brown and Civita Named to Preseason All-Conference Team
Senior outside hitter Tabitha Brown and sophomore libero Giorgia Civita were named to the preseason all-conference team. Brown earned honorable mention All-America and first team all-conference honors in 2017 and averaged 3.47 kills and1.81 digs per set, while hitting .268. Civita earned second team all-conference honors in 2017 and averaged 5.22 digs per set.