Wichita State (8-5) vs. Kansas (8-10)
Thursday, March 18 | 6 p.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Charles Koch Arena)
TV: ESPN+

Wichita State at Kansas
Saturday, March 20 | 4 p.m. | Lawrence, Kan. (Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena)

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This Week: Wichita State volleyball (8-5, 3-5 American) will look to snap a five-match skid when it hosts in-state foe Kansas (8-10, 7-9 Big 12) Thursday, March 18, at 6 p.m. inside Charles Koch Arena before traveling to Lawrence to take on the Jayhawks Saturday, March 20, at 4 p.m. inside Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

Media Coverage: Thursday's match against Kansas in Wichita 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 ... No live audio will be available.

Series History: Thursday and Saturday's contests against the Jayhawks will mark meetings 54 and 55 in the all-time series that dates all the way back to 1975. The Jayhawks lead the series, 40-13. Wichita State and Kansas have not met on the volleyball court since 2013, when the Shockers fell to the Jayhawks, 3-1, in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Lawrence.

About the Shockers: Wichita State enters the week at 8-5 overall and 3-5 in The American after dropping a pair of road matches at Tulane March 12-13, 3-1 and 3-2 ... The Shockers have dropped their last five matches after winning their opening eight contests ... Through 13 contests, WSU is paced by sophomores Sophia Rohling (157 kills, 3.08 kills/set, .310 attack pct., 31 block assists, 2 block solo), Kayce Litzau (302 assists, 5.81 assists/set, 18 service aces) and Sinalauli'i Uluave (211 digs, 4.06 digs/set), redshirt junior Megan Taflinger (108 kills, 2.35 kills/set, 2 block solos, 21 block assists) and senior Brooke Smith (48 block assists, 1 block solo, 1.09 blocks/set, 67 kills, .318 attack pct.) ... As a team, the Shockers rank second in The American in opponent hitting percentage (.147) blocks (2.16 per set), third in hitting percentage (.214), fourth in service aces (1.37 per set) and fifth in digs (17.12 per set) ... In the latest NCAA national statistics, WSU ranks 33rd in opponent hitting percentage and 44th in digs per set ... Overall, Wichita State is averaging 13 kills, 12.1 assists, 1.4 aces, 17.1 digs and 2.2 blocks per set.

Scouting Kansas: The University of Kansas Jayhawks enter the week at 8-10 overall and 7-9 in Big 12 Conference action after winning a pair of conference road matches at TCU March 12-13 in Fort Worth, Texas ... Through 18 contests, Kansas is paced offensively by senior outside hitter Jenny Mosser (189 kills, 3.44 kills/set, .245 attack pct., 21 service aces, 130 digs, 2.36 digs/set, 6 block solos, 20 block assists), freshman setter Elise McGhie (505 assists, 7.54 assists/set, 8 service aces, 101 digs, 1.51 digs/set, 1 block solo, 19 block assists), sophomore libero/defensive specialist Kennedy Farris (224 digs, 3.15 digs/set, 12 service aces) and junior middle block Rachel Langs (3 block solos, 52 block assists, 0.86 blocks/set, 93 kills, 1.45 kills/set, .299 attack pct.) ... The Jayhawks rank second in the Big 12 in service aces (1.29 per set), fourth in blocks (2.22 per set) and hitting percentage (.220) and fifth in opponent hitting percentage (.223) ... As a team, Kansas is averaging 11.6 kills, 10.8 assists, 1.3 aces, 13 digs and 2.3 blocks per set ... The Jayhawks are under the direction of 23rd season head coach Ray Bechard.

Rohling Rolling: Sophomore opposite hitter Sophia Rohling leads the Shockers and currently ranks seventh in The American with a .310 hitting percentage in 51 sets of actions this spring. Rohling has a team-best 157 kills on 355 attempts with 47 errors in 13 matches. Against Memphis March 4, the Thayer, Kan., native tallied a career-high 27 kills and hit .328 with eight errors on 58 attempts. Rohling has hit at least .300 in five of her last six matches.

Uluave Excelling in New Role: After serving as an attacking player all of 2019, sophomore Sinalauli'i Uluave has excelled in her new role as a libero in 2021. Through 13 matches and 52 sets, she leads the Shockers with 211 digs and is averaging 4.06 digs per set, which currently ranks 15th in single-season program history.

Service Ace: Sophomore setter Kayce Litzau is tied for second in the American Athletic Conference in overall service aces with 18 in 13 matches. The Greendale, Wis., native has compiled at least one ace in 11 of Wichita State's 13 contests, including a career-high five at Missouri State Jan. 24 and three against 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 31 block assists for 33 total blocks in 40 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 match against Kansas.

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.
 
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 444-202.

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 wrap up the regular season with a pair of conference home matches at Charles Koch Arena against current American Athletic Conference West Division leader Houston March 26-27.