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Morgan Weber

WSU Embarks on Final Regular Season Road Swing

11/17/2021 12:25:00 PM

WICHITA STATE (17-8, 11-5 American)
 
Friday, Nov. 19 (5:30 p.m. CT) at Cincinnati (15-9, 10-5)
Cincinnati, Ohio (Fifth Third Arena)
Live Stats // ESPN+
 
Sunday, Nov. 21 (11 a.m. CT) at East Carolina (9-16, 5-11)
Greenville, N.C. (Minges Coliseum)
Live Stats // ESPN+
 

  • The Shockers take to the road for the final time in the 2021 regular season for matches at Cincinnati and East Carolina.
  • Both matches will air on ESPN+. For more information about subscriptions, which start at $6.99/month, visit plus.espn.com.
  • Track live scoring throughout the week at shockerstats.com.

SCENE SETTERS:

  • Wichita State maintained their hold on third place in the American with a pair of home victories against Tulsa and Temple, completing the season sweep against both foes.
  • The Shockers began the year 6-1, lost five straight matches, and have now won 11 of their last 13, including an eight-match winning streak from 10/3-10/29.
  • Following the weekend's action, WSU, Cincinnati and SMU are separated by just one game in the American standings. Wichita State plays both Cincinnati and SMU over the final two weeks after defeating both earlier this season.
  • The win against Tulsa improved the Shockers to 7-2 on the season in five-set matches. Six of those nine five-setters have come in American conference play.
  • The win completed a season sweep of the Golden Hurricane, improving the Shockers all-time mark against Tulsa to 18-2 in Wichita. Wichita State has not lost a home match to the Golden Hurricane since 1980.
  • Morgan Stout was selected as the American's Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. The freshman mid- dle had 16 total blocks in the two matches, including 11 in Wednesday's win against Tulsa. It's the second DPOW honor for a Shocker this season after Lily Liekweg was tabbed with the season's first award on 8/30.
  • 11 blocks is the second-highest total in a five-set match in the rally scoring era of Shocker volleyball. Elizabeth Meyers (2005 vs. SFA) and Darci Vohs (2002 vs. Illinois State) each had 12.
  • WSU moved up six spots in the latest RPI to 61 - fourth among AAC schools behind UCF (24), Houston (49), and Cincinnati (55).

LOOKING BACK:

  • WSU snagged a pair of comfortable set wins on Friday against Temple, but had to fend off two set points in the third before completing the sweep, 25-15, 25-19, 27-25.
  • The Shockers held Temple to an .098 hitting percentage for the night, including a match-low -.068 mark in the first set. Temple's leading attacker Miray Bolukbasi had ten kills, but was also forced into nine errors over the course of 47 attacks.
  • Brylee Kelly finished with a match-high 18 kills, the most for any Shocker in a three-set match this season. She committed only two errors and finished with 20.5 points, also the highest in a three-setter in 2021.
  • Kelly's first kill of the night was the 500th of her Wichita State career.
  • Temple managed just two blocks on the evening (one in the first set, one in the second). That's the fewest blocks for any Shocker opponent this season.
  • Setter Kayce Litzau had 34 assists, the fourth consecutive match that she has averaged at least ten assists per set.
  • Lily Liekweg led WSU with 17 digs and also recorded six assists, the most for the Shocker libero since the be- ginning of AAC play.
  • Wichita State's 48 kills were their most in any three-set match this season. Seven different Shockers notched multiple kills.
  • The Shockers correctly challenged four of five calls during the match, their highest total of correct challenges in 2021. Temple also correctly challenged two of three, for a total of eight challenges during the three- set match.

WSU-CINCINNATI SERIES:

  • The Bearcats hold a 4-3 lead in the all-time series, with six of the seven meetings coming in AAC play.
  • Cincinnati won the lone non-conference meeting, a four-set victory in Wichita in 2016.
  • The last match between the two teams in Cincinnati was November 2, 2018. That's 1,113 days between matches, as the teams did not play one another in 2020.
  • In the 2018 match at Charles Koch Arena, Cincinnati's Jordan Thompson set a conference record with 44 kills in a five-set Bearcat win.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS:

  • Cincinnati enters the week 15-9, 10-6 in American conference play following a road sweep at the hands of Houston on Sunday afternoon.
  • Wichita State rallied past the Bearcats for a five-set win at Charles Koch Arena earlier this season. Maria Mallon led the Bearcats with 22 kills, but committed seven of Cincinnati's 13 service errors.
  • Cincinnati leads the American in both kills per set (13.79) and assists per set (13.00). Mallon leads the way with 3.54 kills per set (5th in the AAC), but Abby Walker and Shannon Williams both rank in the top 20.
  • Freshman setter Emme Madden has quickly established herself as one of the conference's best at the position, ranking third in the league with 9.99 assists per set.
  • The Bearcats rank last in the conference and 299th nationally with 1.59 blocks per set.
  • Head Coach Molly Alvey took over in 2012 and led the Bearcats to their first-ever Sweet 16 appearance in 2019. She was named AAC Coach of the Year in 2016.

WSU-EAST CAROLINA SERIES:

  • The Shockers lead the all-time series 6-0, with all six meetings occurring in American conference play.
  • WSU claimed a five-set win against the Pirates on 10/15 at Charles Koch Arena. Prior to that match, East Carolina had won only one total set in the first five meetings.
  • The Shockers and Pirates did not meet in 2020.

SCOUTING THE PIRATES:

  • East Carolina enters the week 9-16, 5-11 in American conference play following a four-set defeat on Sunday at Tulane.
  • The Pirates average the fewest kills per set (10.92) and assists per set (9.92) in the American. No individual East Carolina player ranks in the top 20 of the conference in hitting percentage.
  • Natalie Tyson is coming off a 20 kill, 24 dig double-double on Sunday against Tulane.
  • Minnesota transfer Sydney Kleinman ranked second in the conference in points per set, but last played against Houston on October 24 and is no longer listed on the Pirates roster. She had 21 kills in the first meeting against Wichita State this season.
  • The Pirates are 6-5 this season in the friendly confines of Minges Coliseum, but have gone just 1-10 in road matches.
  • East Carolina is led by second-year head coach Adler Augustin, a former Stephen F. Austin assistant.

UP NEXT: 

  • The Shockers return home for the final matches of the regular season against SMU and Memphis.
  • Both matches air on ESPN+.
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