The RoundHouse | 8/24/2018 7:38:00 AM

 
Five stories to watch as Wichita State begins fall athletics:
 
Is there a challenger for Wichita State in the American Athletic Conference volleyball race?
 
The Shockers went 20-0 in their AAC debut, pushed to five sets once. While coaches voted them first in the preseason poll, the 2018 conference schedule (now 18 matches) will present more challenges.
 
Wichita State lost six seniors, including American Athletic Conference Setter of the Year Emily Hiebert and Player of the Year Abbie Lehman. Much of the lineup steps into bigger roles or is new to Shocker volleyball.
 
Conference coaches gave the Shockers six first-place votes with Cincinnati grabbing five. The Bearcats, 13-19 last season, return 2016 American Player of the Year Jordan Thompson, an outside hitter. She sat out 2017 with an injury. Jade Tingelhoff, the 2016 American Setter of the Year, is also back.
 
Temple, 20-10 last season, put three Owls on the preseason all-conference team – outside hitters Irem Asci and Dana Westfield and middle Iva Deak. SMU, the 2015 and 2016 conference champion, went 20-11 last season to mark its fifth straight 20-win season.
 
Rebekah Topham returns and Wichita State's women's cross country enters the season with high expectations.
 
Topham redshirted last season after winning the 2016 Missouri Valley Conference cross country meet. She wanted take a full year off from competition to train with the expectations of running in NCAA meets in her final two seasons at Wichita State. 
 
She should team with sophomore Winny Koskei to give the Shockers at least two runners capable of finishing near the top of most fields. Coach Kirk Hunter expects both to challenge for spots in the NCAA Championships. And there may be more Shockers running at the front of the pack.
 
"Rebekah looks very strong and Koskie looks really strong," Hunter said. "They came back prepared from the summer."
 
Koskei finished 18^thin the American cross country meet last fall and improved throughout the school year, leading to championships in the American outdoor track and field meet in the 5,000 (16 minutes, 49.01 seconds) and 10,000 (35.21.14). 
 
In addition to Koskei, several sophomores will play important roles this fall. Rita Schnacker pushed Topham and Koskei in a recent run.
 
"That, to me, was amazing," Hunter said. "(Schnacker) had an amazing summer training."
 
Junior Winnie Kibet, a transfer from Colby Community College who redshirted last spring, placed third in the 2017 NJCAA 5-kilometer cross country meet with a time of 17:54.8.
 
"She is a very competitive young lady," Hunter said.  
 
Where do the points come from for Shocker volleyball?
 
Senior outside hitter Tabitha Brown is the focal point of Wichita State's offense – and opposing defenses. She earned honorable mention All-American honors in 2017 after hitting .268 with 385 kills.
 
Indications are Brown is prepared to produce her strongest season as a Shocker. 
 
"She never takes a play off," middle Abby Pugh said. "She's working so hard, pushing us all to work harder."
 
The setter's job is open and Shocker coach Chris Lamb expects to play senior Kali Eaken, a transfer from Louisville, junior Jordan Roberts and redshirt freshman Kora Kauling this weekend. 
 
The Shockers open at James Madison, the Colonial Athletic Association preseason favorite on Friday (Aug. 24).
 
Luke Ritter returns for Shocker baseball after a breakout junior season
 
Ritter, a senior utility player, can play the middle infield and in the outfield. With the departure of first-round pick Alec Bohm and second-round pick Greyson Jenista, Ritter is the big bat back.
 
He hit a team-leading .341 with six home runs and 12 doubles last season and earned all-conference honors. The Minnesota Twins drafted him in the 37^thround in June.
 
The Shockers start fall practice on Sept. 7.
 
Who helps Bailey Lange in the circle?
 
Wichita State softball starts practices on Sept. 5 and the coaching staff will devote much attention to figuring out how to assemble the pitching staff behind senior Bailey Lange. To that end, coach Kristi Bredbenner went heavy on NCAA Division I and NCAA Division II schools for fall scrimmages.
 
"We were so close last year to being able to upset a regional," Bredbenner said. "If we can get somebody throughout the year to be a little bit consistent and carry a larger load, that's only going to help the longevity of Bailey."
 
Bredbenner wants returners McKenzie Weber, Caitlin Bingham, Neleigh Herring and Hailey Martinez to get significant work in the fall. Lange, who started all four of Wichita State's NCAA regional games last spring, will take it easy this fall.
 
"It's really going to be crucial for them to get a lot of innings," Bredbenner said. "We know what Lange can do."
 
Erin McDonald, a sophomore transfer from Louisiana Tech, joins the pitching staff. She went 3-0 with a 1.84 earned run average in six appearances last spring.
 
"She has a nice little riseball, good little change-up," Bredbenner said. "That's a great foundation. That's really Bailey Lange's strength."
 
Third base is another prime position to monitor. 
 
The Shockers lost Mackenzie Wright, the 2018 American Player of the Year, who hit .360 with four home runs and played outstanding defense. Bredbenner will look at several candidates to play third, including seniors Laurie Derrico, Bethany Canada and Asea Webber, sophomore Kaylee Huecker and freshman Adi Reese.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.