Scene Setter
The Wichita State volleyball team wraps up its 2019 season with a home match against Tulsa at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, at Charles Koch Arena, before traveling to Greenville, N.C., for its season finale at ECU Sunday, Nov. 17, at 11 a.m. CT (noon ET) at Minges Coliseum.
 
Promotions
Friday's match is Senior Night. Shocker seniors Kara Bown and Damadj Johnson will be honored prior to first serve...The first 1,500 fans through the doors will receive a FREE Shocker volleyball courtesy of Rotek Services...The match is also Youth Night, with youth 12 and under receiving FREE admission with a paid adult ticket.
 
Quick Hits
• The Shockers enter their final two matches of the season with an overall record of 7-19 and an American Athletic Conference mark of 4-10 after dropping two home matches Nov. 8 and 10 vs. SMU and Memphis.
• Entering the final weekend of action, sophomore outside hitter Megan Taflinger leads the Shockers offensively, averaging 2.86 kills per set. Overall, the Leona Valley, Calif., native has 263 kills on 791 attempts with 103 errors for a .202 attack percentage. Senior defensive specialist Kara Bown has a team-best 20 service aces.
• Junior setter McKayla Wuensch is averaging a team-best 5.67 assists per set, while Bown is averaging a team-high 3.54 digs per set, and junior middle blocker Brooke Smith is averaging a team-best 1.12 blocks per set with six block solos and 39 block assists.
 • Through 26 matches, the Shockers are averaging 11.4 kills, 10.7 assists, one ace, 14.7 digs and 2.1 blocks per set. Wichita State is hitting .178 with 1,117 kills in 3,379 attempts and 516 errors.
• Going into the Shockers' last two conference matches, junior middle blocker Emma Wright is hitting a team-best .278 with 54 kills on 126 attempts and 19 errors. Wuensch has a team-best 226 assists (7.29 assists/set) in conference action, while Bown has a team-high 192 digs (3.84 digs/set), and Smith and redshirt freshman middle blocker Chinelo Ogogor each have a team-best 44 blocks with six block solos and 38 block assists.
• Freshman opposite hitter Sophia Rohling has a team-high five service aces in her last four matches. The Thayer, Kan., native compiled a career-best three aces vs. SMU Nov. 8. She also has 11 block assists during that span -- second-most on the team.
• Ogogor posted a career-high three block solos in WSU's contest at Houston Nov. 3. That ranks tied for 10th in Wichita State single-match history.
• Redshirt freshman outside hitter Brylee Kelly matched her career-best attack percentage (.333) for the third time this season after tallying 11 kills on 24 attempts with three errors at Houston Nov. 3.
• Ogogor (.328) is hitting over .300 in her last four matches.
• In her last four contests, freshman setter Kayce Litzau has 101 assists and is averaging a team-high 6.73 assists per set with zero reception errors. She posted a career-high 32 assists vs. SMU Nov. 8.
• Ogogor (1.40), Johnson (1.20) and Smith (1.00) are all averaging at least one block per set in their last four matches.
• The Shockers hit a season-best .363 with 41 kills on 102 attempts and only four errors in the sweep of USF Oct. 20. WSU had just one attacking error in the first two sets, hitting a blistering .567 (17-0-30) in set one and .281 in set two (10-1-32).
• 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.
• Taflinger and Uluave were named to the Shocker Volleyball Classic Presented by Ashley HomeStore All-Tournament Team.
• Wichita State faced five AVCA top-15 teams (Nebraska, Texas, Penn State, BYU, Creighton) in its non-conference schedule.
• 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.
• 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
Wichita State is 35-15 all-time against Tulsa and ECU combined. In The American, the Shockers are 7-2 vs. the two programs.
Tulsa - 31-15 (3-2 American)
ECU - 4-0 (4-0 American)
 
About Tulsa
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane enter the weekend at 15-12 overall and 8-6 in The American after splitting a pair of home matches Nov. 8 and 10, defeating Memphis Nov. 8, 3-1, before falling to SMU Nov. 10, 3-1...Through 27 contests, Tulsa is paced by freshman outside hitter Dilara Gedikoglu (430 kills, 4.26 kills/set, 23 aces, 280 digs, 2.77 digs/set), senior setter Mariah Pardo (485 assists, 4.66 assists/set, 13 aces, 200 digs, 1.92 digs/set), senior libero/DS Taylor Horsfall (642 digs, 6.17 digs/set, 35 aces) and junior middle blocker Callie Cook (238 kills, 2.29 kills/set, 14 block solos, 101 block assists, 1.11 blocks/set)...Horsfall leads The American and ranks third in the nation in digs and digs per set...The Golden Hurricane were picked to finish fourth in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll...Tulsa is under the leadership of sixth season head coach Ryan Wills.
 
About ECU
The ECU Pirates are 19-9 overall and 6-8 in the AAC entering the final weekend of regular season play after splitting two road matches Nov. 8 and 10, losing at UCF, 3-0, prior to winning at USF, 3-1...Through 28 matches, ECU is led by junior right side hitter Bri Wood (354 kills, 3.31 kills/set, 45 assists, 12 aces, 322 digs, 3.01 digs/set, three block solos, 29 block assists), junior setter Shelby Martin (667 assists, 6.35 assists/set, 27 aces, 63 kills), redshirt junior DS/libero Brandee Markwith (486 digs, 4/54 digs/set, 108 assists, 17 aces) and senior middle blocker Toya Osuegbu (111 kills, .301 attack pct., 19 block solos, 74 block assists, 20 digs)...The Pirates were tabbed ninth in The American preseason poll...ECU is led by sixth season head coach Julie Torbett.
 
Last Meeting vs. Tulsa
The Wichita State University volleyball team dropped its American Athletic Conference opener at Tulsa Friday, Sept. 27, falling to the Golden Hurricane, 3-2, at the Donald W. Reynolds Center. The set scores were 21-25, 25-21, 24-26, 25-17 and 10-15.
 
The five-set thriller marked the third straight match the Shockers and Golden Hurricane have gone the distance, as both matches in 2018 went five.
 
Sophomore Megan Taflinger compiled a team-high 17 kills, while senior Damadj Johnson tied her career-high with 10 blocks (two block solos, eight block assists), and fellow senior Kara Bown posted a career-best 25 digs, leading Wichita State.
 
Junior McKayla Wuensch added a double-double with a team-high 28 assists and 13 digs, and tallied a pair of service aces, while fellow junior Emma Wright had nine kills on 17 attempts with two errors for a team-high .412 attack percentage.
 
The Shockers outhit the Golden Hurricane in the match, .186 to .135, and compiled an 11-8 edge in team blocks, but had 58 kills compared to 59 for Tulsa. WSU also committed 10 service errors, while Tulsa only had six service miscues.
 
Dilara Gedikoglu tallied a match-high 18 kills, and Taylor Horsfall led all players with 38 digs, pacing the Golden Hurricane.
 
Last Meeting vs. ECU
Wichita State used seven service aces to earn a 3-0 win over ECU Oct. 12, 2018, at Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers won by scores of 25-16, 25-12 and 25-21.
 
Tabitha Brown led the Shockers with eight kills, two service aces and 13 digs, while Kora Kauling had 27 assists and two service aces. Giorgia Civita added 13 digs.
 
Koch Arena to Host USA Volleyball Team
The U.S. Women's National Team has one domestic tournament prior to heading to the 2020 Olympic Games. As the only host in the United States, Wichita, Kan., will be front-and-center on Team USA's journey to Tokyo.
 
The U.S. Women will host Japan, Turkey and Belgium during their FIVB Volleyball Nations League domestic preliminary round matches held June 9-11. The four-team round-robin match format will take place at Charles Koch Arena on the WSU campus. Tickets are currently on sale at GoShockers.com/tickets.
 
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).
 
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.