The RoundHouse | 8/24/2018 11:41:00 AM

 
Five fall dates to remember for Wichita State athletics:
 
Volleyball at Bluejay Invitational, Sept. 8 and 9 at Omaha – It had to be Creighton, of course.
 
Let's give the Shockers two weekends to sort through lineups against a schedule that includes preseason No. 1 Stanford and West Coast Conference favorite BYU. 
 
Their third tournament weekend features No. 21 Iowa State (Sept. 8) and No. 13 Creighton (Sept. 9). The Cyclones are picked third in the Big 12 and the Bluejays second in the Big East. The trip to Omaha should give us a good idea where the Shockers are and how their NCAA resume will stack up. 
 
You will notice coach Chris Lamb didn't back off his schedule after losing six seniors. It also includes No. 24 Cal Poly, Atlantic-10 favorite VCU, Colonial Athletic Association favorite James Madison and Southland favorite Stephen F. Austin.
 
"What's the point?" Lamb said. "Why is it that people say to build confidence you've got win games against lesser opponents. Why can't you build confidence by competing well and perhaps winning against good opponents. I don't know who made that the rule."
 
The Shockers open the season on Friday (Aug. 24) at James Madison.
 
Cross country at Chile Pepper Festival, Sept. 22 at Fayetteville, Ark. –The Shockers get their first look at a high-level field in this race after building up with the JK Gold Classic (Sept. 1) and Missouri Southern Stampede (Sept. 15).
 
The Chile Pepper starts the critical segment of the schedule, with Pre-Nationals (Oct. 13), the American Athletic Conference Championships (Oct. 25) and NCAA Midwest Regional (Nov. 9) looming.
 
Softball vs. Oklahoma State, 5 p.m., Sept. 26 at Wilkins Stadium - Coach Kristi Bredbenner cut back on community colleges in favor of NCAA Division I and II opponents for fall scrimmages. The Shockers also travel to Kansas on Oct. 12.
 
The Shockers start individual workouts on Monday and team practices on Sept. 5. Their first scrimmage is Sept. 22 vs. Avila at Wilkins Stadium.
 
"It was important for us to try to play the best competition we possibly could,' Bredbenner said. "We're focusing on a little more of an evaluation for our kids, with six new ones. It's going to be more of a prep for when they get into the spring."
 
Frequent meetings are creating an interesting series with Oklahoma State. The Shockers won all four meetings last spring, two in the NCAA regional. The teams will also play in the regular season. 
 
Tennis at ITA All-American Championships, Sept. 29 –These tournaments – in Tulsa for the men and Pacific Palisades, Calif., for the women – give the Shockers a measuring stick against national competition in one of the two top fall tournaments. 
 
For the women, Marta Belluco and Fatima Bizhukova will play doubles while Bizhukova and Sandra Honigova will play singles. The men's team will compete.
 
Volleyball vs. Cincinnati, 1 p.m., Oct. 14 at Koch Arena –The American's top picks in the preseason coaches poll meet for the first time.
 
That match begins a stretch that could prove critical to Wichita State's attempt to win a second regular-season title. The Shockers play at SMU, the 2015 and 2016 champions) on Oct. 19. Temple, picked third in the preseason poll, visits Koch Arena on Oct. 28. On Nov. 2, the Shockers travel for the rematch with Cincinnati.
 
Remember, the American does not play a conference tournament. The 18-game regular-season schedule determines the conference's NCAA bid. Last season, Wichita State was the American's lone NCAA team.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.