Match 1: Wichita State (8-3, 3-3 American) at Tulane (5-8, 3-3 American)
Friday, March 12 | 6 p.m. | New Orleans, La. (Avron B. Fogelman Arena)
TV: ESPN+

Match 2: Wichita State at Tulane
Saturday, March 13 | 1 p.m. | New Orleans, La. (Avron B. Fogelman Arena)
TV: ESPN+

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This Week: The Wichita State volleyball team (8-3, 3-3 American) is scheduled to travel to New Orleans, La., for a pair of crucial American Athletic Conference matches against the Tulane Green Wave (5-8, 3-3 American) Friday, March 12, at 6 p.m. and Saturday, March 13, at 1 p.m. inside Avron B. Fogelman Arena.

Media Coverage: Both matches at Tulane 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 TulaneGreenWave.com ... No live audio will be available for the Tulane matches.

Series History: Friday and Saturday's matches in New Orleans will mark the sixth and seventh meetings in the all-time series that dates back to 1986. The Shockers have a slim 3-2 lead in the series. Last season, WSU and Tulane split the season series, with the Green Wave downing the Shockers in five at Charles Koch Arena, and Wichita State sweeping Tulane in NOLA.

About the Shockers: Wichita State enters the week at 8-3 overall and 3-3 in The American after dropping two home matches against the Memphis Tigers March 4-5, 3-2 and 3-1 ... Through 11 contests, WSU is paced by sophomores Sophia Rohling (133 kills, 3.17 kills/set, .319 attack pct., 29 block assists, 2 block solo), Nicole Anderson (97 kills, 2.49 kills/set, 100 digs, 2.56 digs/set), Kayce Litzau (253 assists, 5.88 assists/set, 15 service aces) and Sinalauli'i Uluave (187 digs, 4.35 digs/set), and seniors Brooke Smith (45 block assists, 1 block solo, 1.15 blocks/set, 64 kills, .338 attack pct.) and Emma Wright (27 block assists, 2 block solos, 0.85 blocks/set) ... As a team, the Shockers lead The American in opponent hitting percentage (.131), rank second in blocks (2.37 per set), third in service aces (1.48 per set) and digs (17.74 per set), and fifth in hitting percentage (.210) ... In the latest NCAA national statistics, WSU ranks 14th in opponent hitting percentage and 29th in digs per set ... Overall, Wichita State is averaging 13 kills, 12.1 assists, 1.4 aces, 17.7 digs and 2.3 blocks per set.

Scouting Tulane: The Tulane University Green Wave enter the weekend at 5-8 overall and 3-3 in The American after splitting two matches at SMU March 4-5 in Dallas, Texas, winning on March 4, 3-1, before falling March 5, 3-1 ... Through 13 matches, Tulane is led by senior outside hitter Lexie Douglas (169 kills, 3.84 kills/set, 13 service aces, 116 digs, 2.64 digs/set, 1 block solo, 22 block assists), junior setter Amanda Giardina (208 assists, 5.47 assists/set, 10 service aces, 89 digs, 2.34 digs/set), freshman libero Sophia Ervanian (163 digs, 4.66 digs/set) and junior right side hitter Yvette Burcescu (4 block solos, 29 block assists, 0.69 blocks/set, 89 kills, 1.85 kills/set) ... As a team, the Green Wave are averaging 13.1 kills, 12.2 assists, 16.8 digs and 2.2 blocks per set ... Tulane was picked to finish second in The American West Division preseason poll ... The Green Wave are under the direction of fifth season head coach Jim Barnes.

Rohling Rolling: Sophomore opposite hitter Sophia Rohling hit .356 with 43 kills on 90 attempts with only 11 errors in nine sets in the Shockers' two matches against Memphis March 4-5. In WSU's five-set loss to the Tigers March 4, she posted a career-high 27 kills and hit .328 with eight errors on 58 swings. The 27 kills marked the ninth-most on the Wichita State home court records list. March 5 vs. Memphis, Rohling tallied a team-best 16 kills and hit .406 with three miscues on 32 attempts. She added a career-best-tying six block assists and one block solo in the match.

Uluave Thriving New Role: After serving as an attacking player all of 2019, sophomore Sinalauli'i Uluave has thrived in her new role as a libero in 2021. Through 11 matches and 43 sets, she leads the Shockers with 187 digs and is averaging 4.35 digs per set, which currently ranks 14th in single-season program history.

Block Assist Milestone: Brooke Smith's career-high nine block assists vs. SMU Feb. 26 are tied for seventh on the WSU volleyball block assist single-match record list.

At the Top: Sophomore setter Kayce Litzau leads the American Athletic Conference with 15 services aces in 11 matches. The Greendale, Wis., native has compiled at least one ace in nine of Wichita State's 11 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 0.91. The Phoenix, Ariz., native has two block solos and 27 block assists for 29 total blocks in 34 sets this season.

Leading the Attack: Redshirt junior outside hitter Megan Taflinger ranks 11th in career kills per set (2.81) going into WSU's matches at Tulane.

Friendly Confines: The Shockers are an impressive 168-50 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 338-178-1 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 444-200.

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 returns home to Charles Koch Arena for a non-conference match against the Kansas Jayhawks Thursday, March 18, at 6 p.m.