Scene Setter
The Wichita State volleyball team (3-11, 0-2 American) will look to snap an eight-match slide when it travels to Memphis (11-3, 0-2 American) and SMU (7-5, 0-2 American) for a pair of conference matches Friday, Oct. 4, and Sunday, Oct. 6. The Shockers will face the Tigers in Memphis, Tenn., at 7 p.m. Friday before taking on the Mustangs in Dallas, Texas, at 1 p.m. Sunday.
 
Quick Hits
• The Shockers enter the weekend at 3-11 overall and 0-2 in The American after dropping a road match at Tulsa Sept. 27, 3-2, and falling at home to Cincinnati Sept. 29, 3-0.
• Wichita State faced five AVCA top-15 teams (Nebraska, Texas, Penn State, BYU, Creighton) in its non-conference schedule.
• Through 14 matches, sophomore outside hitter Megan Taflinger leads the Shockers offensively, averaging 2.62 kills per set. Overall, the Leona Valley, Calif., native has 136 kills on 418 attempts with 54 errors for a .196 attack percentage. Junior setter McKayla Wuensch has a team-high 11 service aces, while senior libero/DS Kara Bown has 10, respectively.
• Wuensch is averaging a team-best 4.53 assists per set, while senior libero/DS Kara Bown is averaging a team-high 3.32 digs per set. Junior middle blocker Emma Wright leads Wichita State in blocking with nine block solos, 39 block assists and one block per set.
• Through 14 matches, the Shockers are averaging 10.6 kills, 10 assists, 0.9 aces, 13.8 digs and 1.9 blocks per set. Wichita State is hitting .167 with 551 kills in 1,712 attempts and 265 errors.
• In her first match back from an injury suffered against San Jose State Sept. 5, senior middle blocker Damadj Johnson tied her career-best with a match-high 10 blocks (two block solos, eight block assists) at Tulsa Sept. 27.
• Kara Bown posted a career-high 25 digs at Tulsa Sept. 27.
• Bown was named to the Creighton Classic All-Tournament Team. The Lincoln, Neb., native posted 23 digs and three aces in WSU's match vs. Wyoming Sept. 20 in Omaha.
• Redshirt freshman outside hitter Brylee Kelly hit a career-high .333 with a career-best 10 kills on 21 attempts and three errors vs. Wyoming Sept. 20. She also had a career-high seven block assists in that contest.
• Wright tallied a career-best eight block assists vs. Wyoming Sept. 20.
• Taflinger and freshman outside hitter Sinalauli'i Uluave were named to the Shocker Volleyball Classic Presented by Ashley HomeStore All-Tournament Team.
• Third-ranked Texas marked the highest-ranked opponent to ever visit Charles Koch Arena. The previous highest-ranked team to come to the arena was No. 6 Washington in 2004.
• Head Coach Chris Lamb is in his 20th season with the Shockers
• WSU returns two starters from last season in junior middle blocker Emma Wright and sophomore outside hitter Megan Taflinger. Junior libero Giorgia Civita also returns, but will miss the 2019 season due to injury.
• Wichita State welcomes 11 newcomers this season, including eight freshmen and three transfers.
• The Shockers are picked seventh in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll.
• Wichita State is scheduled to face six teams that are ranked in the AVCA Preseason Top-25 Poll, including four in the top-10 (No. 2 Nebraska, No. 4 Texas, No. 8 Penn State, No. 9 BYU, No. 18 Creighton, No. 23 Cal Poly).
• WSU led The American and ranked 18th in the country in overall attendance last season, averaging 2,177 fans over their 10 home matches. The Shockers have been ranked in the top-25 for attendance for 14 straight seasons.
• WSU has won four conference tournament titles (2004, 2013, 2015, 2016).
• The Shockers have won seven conference regular-season championships (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2017).
• Giorgia Civita was named The American Libero of the Year last season. She was also voted first team all-conference and AVCA Honorable Mention All-Region.
 
Series History
The Shockers are 8-4 all-time vs. Memphis and SMU, and 5-2 against the two programs in American Athletic Conference play.
Memphis - 4-1 (3-0 American)
SMU - 4-3 (2-2 American)
 
About Memphis
The University of Memphis Tigers enter the weekend at 11-3 overall and 0-2 in The American after dropping conference matches at Tulane, 3-2, and at home vs. Houston, 3-2...Through 14 contests, the Tigers are paced by junior right side hitter Hannah Flowers (170 kills, 3.40 kills/set, .343 attack pct., 33 aces, 32 digs, two block solos, 22 block assists), sophomore setter Sabrina BIanco (567 assists, 10.50 assists/set, 13 aces, 137 digs, 15 block assists), sophomore libero Kaitlyn Gehler (203 digs, 3.98 digs/set, 25 assists, 13 aces) and freshman middle blocker Sabria Cooper (102 kills, 12 aces, four block solos, 34 block assists, 0.75 blocks/set)...Flowers currently ranks fourth in the nation in aces per set (0.62) and fifth in total aces...Memphis was picked to finish 12th in The American preseason poll...The Tigers are under the leadership of second season head coach Sean Burdette.
 
About SMU
The SMU Mustangs come into the weekend at 7-5 overall and 0-2 in The American after dropping a pair of road matches at Houston, 3-2, and Tulane, 3-2...Through 12 matches, the Mustangs are led by sophomore outside hitter Hannah Jacobs (148 kills, 3.79 kills/set, .228 attack pct.), sophomore setter Lily Heim (485 assists, 11.28 assists/set, 10 aces, 135 digs, 3.14 digs/set, 13 block assists), senior libero Montana Watts (199 digs, 4.85 digs/set, 44 assists) and junior middle blocker Meryn Kennedy (nine aces, six block solos, 25 block assists, 1.15 blocks/set)...Heim currently is eighth in the nation in assists per set...SMU was tabbed fifth in The American preseason poll...The Mustangs are under the direction of 25th season head coach Lisa Seifert.
 
Last Meeting vs. Memphis
Wichita State improved to 2-0 in American Athletic Conference play with a 3-0 win over Memphis Sept. 23, 2018, at Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers won by scores of 25-18, 25-21 and 26-24. Megan Taflinger led the Shockers with 16 kills, while Tabitha Brown had 10 kills and 12 digs. Kali Eaken finished with 35 assists and seven digs, while Giorgia Civita had 29 digs.
 
Last Meeting vs. SMU
The Wichita State University volleyball team fell to the SMU Mustangs, 3-0, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, inside Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers lost by set scores of 23-25, 24-26 and 26-28. Junior Alex Koon posted a match-high 16 kills and hit .424 to lead the Shockers, while sophomore Regan Stiawalt matched her career-best with nine kills. Stiawalt also tallied a career-high four blocks in the contest. Junior Jordan Roberts added a team-best 22 assists, and sophomore Giorgia Civita compiled a match-high 32 digs, respectively.
 
New-Look
Wichita State returns just two starters in 2019 in junior middle blocker Emma Wright and sophomore outside hitter Megan Taflinger. WSU has 11 newcomers this season, including freshmen Skylar Goering (outside hitter), Kayce Litzau (setter), Nicole Anderson (outside hitter), Arianna Arjomand (libero/DS), Sinalauli'i Uluave (outside hitter), Sophia Rohling (opposite), Shea Lauria (libero/DS) and Lily Liekweg (libero/DS), and transfers Lexi Hogan (outside hitter), McKayla Wuensch (setter) and Damadj Johnson (middle blocker).
 
International History
Junior libero Giorgia Civita returns to the team in 2019. Civita is from Milan, Italy and is just the seventh international player to play for the Shockers. Others include Kim Henry (1989-92) from Canada, Swee Ng (1992) from Malaysia, Marsha Van Cedar (1994-95) from Canada, Tomoko Matsuda (1996) from Japan, Lucia Zhanje (2000) from Zimbabwe and Shimen Fayad (2014-15) from Canada. One other international player was on the roster in 1992, but never played in a match (Tamie Bearup, Italy).
 
Lamb Returns for 20th Season
Head coach Chris Lamb, five-time conference Coach of the Year and 2017 National Coach of the Year, returns for his 20th season after guiding the Shockers to at least 20 wins in 15 of the last 16 seasons. In 2011, he became the winningest coach in Shocker volleyball history and in 2017 he won his 400th career match.
 
Practice Schedule
(*schedule subject to change)
The Shockers will practice in the Aetna Multi-Purpose Center Tuesday-Thursday from 1:30-4:30 p.m. On the day before a home match, the team will practice on Devlin Court.
 
The Chris Lamb Radio Show
(*schedule subject to change)
The Chris Lamb Radio Show will take place Monday's throughout the season live from AJ's Sports Grill at The Alley in Wichita. The show will air on 97.5 FM and 1240 AM KFH radio. Mike Kennedy will host the show. A full show schedule is available at GoShockers.com.
 
On the Horizon
Wichita State begins a four-match homestand with conference contests against Houston and Tulane Friday, Oct. 11, and Sunday, Oct. 13.
 
2018 Review
Wichita State advanced to the postseason for the fourth consecutive season, qualifying for the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC). WSU finished the 2018 season with a 14-18 overall record and went 8-10 in American Athletic Conference play. The Shockers played the fourth-toughest schedule in all of NCAA Division I volleyball, including five matches against AVCA Top-25 opponents. Sophomore libero Giorgia Civita was voted American Libero of the Year, first team all-conference and AVCA Honorable Mention All-Region. A native of Milan, Italy, Civita rewrote the Wichita State volleyball record books in 2018, compiling single-season records for both digs (728) and digs per set (5.78).