Match 1: Wichita State (3-0) vs. North Texas (0-0)
Thursday, Feb.4 | 7 p.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Charles Koch Arena)
TV: ESPN+

Match 2: Wichita State vs. North Texas
Friday, Feb. 5 | 1 p.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Charles Koch Arena)
TV: ESPN+

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This Week: The Wichita State University volleyball team (3-0) is scheduled to host the North Texas Mean Green (0-0) Thursday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. and Friday, Feb. 5, at 1 p.m. at Charles Koch Arena. The matches were originally slated for Jan. 28 and 29 but were postponed a week due to COVID-19 issues and contact tracing within the North Texas program.
 
Media Coverage: Both contests against UNT will air live on ESPN+ with Shane Dennis providing play-by-play. Fans can sign up for ESPN+ at WatchESPN.com ($4.99/month subscription required) ... Free, live audio of the matches is available at GoShockers.com/listen, with "The Voice of the Shockers" Mike Kennedy calling the action ... 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 in The Roundhouse will mark meetings 13 and 14 in the all-time series that dates back to 1975. WSU leads the series, 9-3. The Shockers and Mean Green last met during the 2019 season, with Wichita State earning a 3-1 victory in the ShareSLO Mustang Challenge in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
 
About the Shockers: Wichita State enters the week at 3-0 overall after posting a trio of victories in the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational Jan. 22-24 in Springfield, Mo. ... WSU defeated reigning Summit League champion South Dakota Jan. 22, 3-0, before sweeping Oral Roberts Jan. 23, and rallying to down the host Missouri State Bears in five sets Jan. 24 ... Through three contests, WSU is paced by sophomores Nicole Anderson (37 kills, 3.36 kills/set, 37 digs, 3.36 digs/set), Sophia Rohling (30 kills, 2.73 kills/set), Kayce Litzau (59 assists, 5.36 assists/set, 6 service aces) and Sinalauli'i Uluave (37 digs, 3.36 digs/set), and senior Brooke Smith (12 block assists, 1.09 blocks/set, 21 kills, .488 attack pct.) ... As a team, the Shockers lead The American in opponent hitting percentage (.113), and rank third in blocks (2.41 blocks/set) and fifth in hitting percentage (.225) ... Anderson was named the American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week for her performance in the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational Jan. 22-24 ... Smith leads the conference in hitting percentage (.488) through three contests ... Overall, Wichita State is averaging 12.1 kills, 10.6 assists, 1.4 aces, 15.6 digs and 2.4 blocks per set.
 
Scouting North Texas: The North Texas Mean Green will play their first matches of the season when they visit Wichita Thursday and Friday ... UNT was originally supposed to play home matches in Denton, Texas, against SMU to open its season Jan. 22 and 23, but those contests were canceled due to COVID-19 issues ... The Mean Green compiled an overall record of 17-11 in 2019, finishing third in the 13-team Conference USA with a league tally of 10-4 ... UNT is picked to finish second in the Conference USA West Division Preseason Poll ... North Texas is under the direction of seventh season head coach Andrew Palileo.
 
All-Tournament Team Honors: Sophomores Nicole Anderson, Sophia Rohling and Sinalauli'i Uluave were named to the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational All-Tournament Team. Anderson was also tabbed the overall tournament MVP after averaging 3.36 kills and 3.36 digs per set in WSU's three victories. She also compiled double-doubles against South Dakota (13 kills, 11 digs) and Missouri State (10 kills, career-best 19 digs).
 
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 one block solo and seven block assists for eight total blocks in eight sets this season.
 
Leading the Attack: Redshirt junior outside hitter Megan Taflinger ranks 11th in career kills per set (2.80) going into WSU's contests against North Texas.
 
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 165-47 (.778) 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 335-175-1 (.657) 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 vote 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 439-197.
 
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: The Shockers travel to Tulsa, Okla., to face the Tulsa Golden Hurricane for their first American Athletic Conference matches of the season Thursday, Feb. 11, at 2 p.m. and Friday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m.