Match 1: Wichita State (5-0, 0-0) at Tulsa (0-0, 0-0)
Thursday, Feb.11 | 2 p.m. | Tulsa, Okla. (Reynolds Center)
TV: ESPN+
Match 2: Wichita State at Tulsa
Friday, Feb. 12 | 1 p.m. | Tulsa, Okla. (Reynolds Center)
TV: ESPN+
This Week: Wichita State University volleyball (5-0, 0-0 American) is slated to begin American Athletic Conference play with two matches at Tulsa (0-0, 0-0 American) Thursday, Feb. 11, at 2 p.m. and Friday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m. inside the Donald W. Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Okla.
Media Coverage: Both contests against Tulsa will air live on ESPN+. Fans can sign up for ESPN+ at WatchESPN.com ($4.99/month subscription required) ... Both contests will feature free, live stats at ShockerStats.com.
Spring Schedule: Wichita State is playing a spring schedule after its 2020 fall slate was postponed by the American Athletic Conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WSU is tentatively scheduled to play a 19-match spring schedule. The American Athletic Conference tournament will feature the top two teams in the East and West Division final standings, and will occur April 1-3 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Series History: Thursday and Friday's matches at Tulsa will mark the 48th and 49th meetings in the all-time series that dates back to 1976 ... The Shockers lead the series, 32-15 ... Last season, WSU split the season series with the Golden Hurricane, falling in Tulsa, 3-2, before winning in Wichita, 3-1 ... WSU is 14-10 all-time in Tulsa, Okla., and 1-2 against Tulsa on the road in American play.
About the Shockers: Wichita State enters the week at 5-0 overall after downing North Texas in a pair of matches Feb. 4-5 in Wichita ... WSU swept the Mean Green, 3-0, Feb. 4 before defeating UNT, 3-1, Feb. 5 ... Wichita State's five-match winning streak marks its longest winning streak since 2017 when it won its opening seven contests ... Through five contests, WSU is paced by sophomores
Sophia Rohling (56 kills, 3.11 kills/set, .341 attack pct.),
Nicole Anderson (43 kills, 2.87 kills/set, 45 digs, 3.00 digs/set),
Kayce Litzau (99 assists, 5.50 assists/set, 10 service aces) and
Sinalauli'i Uluave (66 digs, 3.67 digs/set), and seniors
Brooke Smith (18 block assists, 1 block solo, 1.06 blocks/set, 33 kills, .431 attack pct.) and
Emma Wright (14 block assists, 2 block solos, 1.07 blocks/set) ... As a team, the Shockers rank second in The American in opponent hitting percentage (.113), and third in blocks (2.31 blocks/set) and fifth in hitting percentage (.239) ... Overall, Wichita State is averaging 12.7 kills, 11.4 assists, 1.6 aces, 17.4 digs and 2.3 blocks per set.
Scouting Tulsa: The Tulsa Golden Hurricane have yet to play a match this season ... Thursday and Friday's contests against the Shockers will be their opening matches of the 2021 spring season ... Tulsa was picked to finish fifth in the American Athletic Conference West Division Preseason Poll after posting an overall record of 18-16 and a conference mark of 8-8 in 2019 ... The Hurricane returns eight letterwinners from 2019, including both upperclassmen starting middle blockers Maggie Hembree and Callie Cook. Kylie Trefflich, who sat out last season after transferring from Texas Tech and looks to make an immediate impact for Tulsa ... The Golden Hurricane are under the direction of seventh season head coach Ryan Wills.
Weekly Honors: Sophomore opposite hitter
Sophia Rohling was named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll for her performance during the week of Feb. 1-7. Rohling led the Shockers with 3.71 kills per set and a .426 attacking percentage in WSU's two victories over the North Texas Feb. 4 and 5 at Charles Koch Arena. In Wichita State's 3-0 sweep of the Mean Green Feb. 4, Rohling hit a career-best .609, tallying a career-high 14 kills on 23 swings with no errors.
At the Top: Sophomore setter
Kayce Litzau is tied for the American Athletic Conference lead with 10 services aces in five matches. The Greendale, Wis., native has compiled at least one ace in four of Wichita State's five contests, including a career-high five at Missouri State Jan. 24 and three vs. North Texas Feb. 4.
On the Wright Track: Senior middle blocker
Emma Wright enters the week ranked 12th in career blocks per set at 0.90. The Phoenix, Ariz., native has two block solos and 14 block assists for 16 total blocks in 15 sets this season.
Leading the Attack: Redshirt junior outside hitter
Megan Taflinger ranks 11th in career kills per set (2.90) going into WSU's contests at Tulsa.
New Faces: Wichita State has 10 newcomers to the 2020-21 roster, including nine freshmen and one junior transfer. Freshmen include
Sophie Childs (RS/OH),
Natalie Foster (MB/RS),
Lauren McMahon (MB),
Lauren Phillips (S),
Morgan Stout (MB),
Marriah Buss (OH),
Kylie Marneris (L),
Morgan Weber (OH) and
Hailey Plugge (S).
Bryn Stansberry (L) is WSU's junior transfer.
Friendly Confines: The Shockers are an impressive 167-47 at home since moving to Charles Koch Arena in 2003. WSU's all-time record in Wichita, between the Heskett Center, Levitt Arena and Charles Koch Arena is a stellar 337-175-1 in 44 years.
Preseason Picks: Wichita State was picked to finish fourth in the 2020 American Athletic Conference West Division Coaches' Preseason Poll. SMU was tabbed the preseason favorite in the division with seven first-place votes and 52 points, while Tulane was voted second with a pair of first-place votes and 45 points. Houston rounded out the top three with the final two first-place votes, going along with 41 points. The Shockers were fourth with 26 points, while Tulsa (21 points) and Memphis (11 points) rounded out the poll in fifth and sixth, respectively.
In the East Division, UCF was tabbed the top team with 10 first-place votes and 46 points, with Cincinnati in second with the final first-place votes and 37 points. Temple was third with 26 points, and East Carolina and USF tied for fourth with 16 points each, rounding out the poll.
The Coach: Chris Lamb is beginning his 21st season as the head volleyball coach at Wichita State University. He has led the Shockers to at least 20 wins in 15 out of the last 17 seasons and was the National Coach of the Year by Volleyball Magazine in 2017. Lamb's career record stands at an impressive 441-197.
Shockers Sporting New Unity Patch: The three NCAA divisional Student-Athlete Advisory Committees and the Board of Governors Student-Athlete Engagement Committee recently collaborated to create a national Unity pledge and logo as a symbolic gesture to continue generating stronger unity among the NCAA's 1,100-plus schools and nearly 500,000 student-athletes ... The logo includes three different colored hands holding one another's wrists inside a circle with "United as One" at the bottom ... The mark was sent to all NCAA schools in the form of a patch to consider placing on uniforms ... The yearly pledge that accompanies the logo represents a unified statement by and for student-athletes in response to the social injustice and hate the country has experienced.
Up Next: Wichita State is scheduled to return home to Charles Koch Arena for a pair of American Athletic Conference matches against American West Division preseason favorite SMU Friday, Feb. 19, and Saturday, Feb. 20.
