WICHITA STATE (3-0) at the KANSAS INVITATIONAL
Lawrence, Kan. / Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena
Friday, 11 a.m. CT // vs. Kent State (3-4) // Live Stats
Friday, 7 p.m. CT // at Kansas (2-3) // Live Stats // ESPN+
Saturday, 11 a.m. CT // vs. Delaware (5-1) // Live Stats
 

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Wichita State (3-0) looks to regain its momentum after some unscheduled time off when it travels to Lawrence this weekend for Kansas Invitational.
 
The Shockers face Kent State (11 a.m. CT) and Kansas (7 p.m.) on Friday and finish up Saturday vs. Delaware (11 a.m.).
 
WSU will not have a radio broadcast, however fans can track live scoring throughout the weekend via ShockerStats.com.
 
Friday evening's match against the host Jayhawks will air on ESPN+. For more information about subscriptions, which start at $6.99/month, visit plus.espn.com.
 

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SCENE SETTERS:         

• The Shockers withdrew from last weekend's scheduled tournament at South Dakota State due to COVID-19-related issues within the program. Friday's matches will end a 13-day layoff.
• WSU opened its season with a 3-0 weekend in Jonesboro, Ark., Aug. 27-28, defeating Missouri State (3-0), UT Martin (3-0) and host Arkansas State (3-2).
• The Shockers rank among the top-25 nationally in opponent hitting percentage (23rd, .131) and digs-per-set (25th, 17.18).
• Sophomore Lily Liekweg – the A-State Invitational MVP and Aug. 30 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week – ranks 28th nationally in digs-per-set (5.18).
• The Shockers are hitting .247 as a team. Six different players average at least a kill-per-set, led by outside hitters Brylee Kelly (3.45 k/s, .341 attack percentage) and Kailin Newsome (3.27, .173).
• A pair of second-time freshmen middle blockers are off to solid starts. Natalie Foster ranks fifth in the American Athletic Conference in hitting percentage (20-4-43-.372) and Lauren McMahon enters the weekend at No. 4 in blocks-per-set (1.22).
• WSU utilized a 6-1 rotation on opening weekend and a pair of setters saw time. Freshman Lauren Phillips (a redshirt last year) started all three matches and averaged 8.6 assists and 2.3 digs-per-set. Sophomore incumbent Kayce Litzau did not see action in either of the first two matches but came on in relief to spark the Shockers' five-set win at A-State, averaging 8.0 assists and 2.6 digs.
• WSU was picked eighth out of 11 teams in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll but enters this weekend as one of just three unbeatens, joined by Houston (6-0) and Memphis (6-0).
• WSU is 3-0 for the fourth time in the last five seasons and for the seventh time in 22 years under head coach Chris Lamb, joining teams from 2020 (8-0), 2018 (4-0), 2017 (7-0), 2008 (29-0), 2006 (4-0) and 2002 (3-0).
• This is WSU's second appearance at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena (the other came back in March of this year). The $12 million facility, which made its debut in September of 2019, seats 2,265 fans.
• The Shockers are 3-23 against the Jayhawks in Lawrence. Their last victory came in the second round of the 2012 NCAA tournament inside Allen Fieldhouse.
• WSU meets Kent State for the first time since 1997 and Delaware for the first time ever.
• Lamb has never faced Delaware or Kent State. He's beaten 119 different opponents, including first-time foes A-State and UTM back on opening weekend.
• Lamb is 1-6 against KU and its head coach, Ray Bechard. Notably, each of the three Division I programs in the state of Kansas have had the same head coaches in place for more than two decades. This is Lamb's 22nd season at WSU and Bechard's 24th at KU. K-State's Suzie Fritz is in her 21st year.

 

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WSU-KENT STATE SERIES:     

• This is the second meeting all-time and the first in 34 years.
• On Sept. 6, 1997, the Shockers dropped a road match in Kent, Ohio as part of the Golden Flash Classic. WSU would go on to finish that weekend at 2-2 with neutral court victories over Seton Hall and Mississippi State.

 
SCOUTING KENT STATE:        

• Kent State is picked second in the MAC's six-team Eastern Division behind unanimous favorite Bowling Green. The Golden Flashes return the entire starting lineup from last spring's 12-9 squad.
• Redshirt senior setter Alex Haffner (a two-time honorable mention All-MAC pick) and junior outside hitter Savannah Matthews were named to the seven-member Preseason All-MAC East Division Team.
• The Golden Flashes are out to a 3-4 start but dropped nine of 10 sets during an 0-3 weekend at the Fairfield Invitational.
• KSU is averaging a MAC-best 3.50 blocks-per-set, and Danie Tyson is the conference's individual leader in that category (1.15).
• Haffner is averaging a team-best 3.39 kills-per-set.

 
WSU-KANSAS SERIES:

• KU leads the series 44-13.
• Note: WSU's record keeping dates to 1974 when the program moved under the athletic department's oversight. KU began keeping volleyball records in 1975. KU won two 1974 meetings, which accounts for the difference in all-time series records.
• Last year's home-and-home marked the first regular season meetings between the programs since 2002. The Shockers and Jayhawks split a pair of NCAA tournament matches in 2012 and 2013. WSU won the former to punch its first Sweet 16 ticket with middle blocker Ashley Andrade recording 18 kills and a .438 hitting percentage.

 
SCOUTING KANSAS:  

• Kansas is out to a 2-3 start after taking two of its three matches at Lipscomb's LUV Invite.
• Two of the team's three losses have come to nationally-ranked squads (No. 8 Purdue and No. 15 Western Kentucky).
• This is the first of back-to-back home tournament weekends for the Jayhawks, who have Kansas City, Missouri State and Albany scheduled for Sep. 16-18.
• The Jayhawks are picked fourth out of nine volleyball-playing programs in the Big 12 Conference, behind Texas, Baylor and Kansas State.
• 16 letterwinners return from a squad that won seven-straight and nine of its last 10 matches on the way to a 12-10 finish.
• Caroline Crawford – a 6-3 sophomore middle blocker – was named preseason all-conference.
• Super-senior outside hitter, Jenny Mosser is hitting .238 with a team-high 3.33 kills-per-set.

 
WSU-DELAWARE SERIES:      

• The Shockers have never faced the Blue Hens.

 
SCOUTING DELAWARE:         

• The Blue Hens (4-6 in last spring's abbreviated season) tied for sixth out of nine teams in the CAA preseason coaches poll.
• Fifth-year head coach Sara Matthews returns 12 of her 14 players, including sophomore setter Lily Rodgers, a second team All-CAA selection. Sophomore outside hitter Savannah Seemans joined her this fall on the preseason all-conference squad.
• Delaware is off a 5-1 start after sweeping all three matches at its home invitational last weekend. The Blue Hens also own a four-set road win over WSU's AAC rival, Temple. Their lone loss came at Villanova.
• Junior outside hitter Lani Mason hit .311 and averaged 3.89 kills last weekend to earn tournament MVP and conference player of the week honors.
• Delaware ranks fourth nationally in opponent hitting percentage (.083) and second in aces-per-set (2.74).
• Siemens (2nd, 0.79) and Mason (24th, 0.63) are each among the top-25 individually in aces-per-set, and Kirah Johnson's 1.58 blocks is No. 13 on the leaderboard.

 
A-STATE TOURNAMENT LEFTOVERS:           

• Friday sweeps of Missouri State and UT Martin both took exactly 85 minutes to complete, however Saturday's finale against A-State had a decidedly different feel to it. The Shockers found themselves training two-sets-to-one but bounced back to win the last two. Tied 8-8 in the fifth set, they ran off seven-straight points to seal the victory.
• Southeastern Louisiana transfer Kailin Newsome and redshirt sophomore Brylee Kelly joined MVP Lily Lieweg on the all-tournament team.
• Newsome averaged 3.27 kills-per-set and recorded her first double-double as a Shocker in the win over ASU (17 kills, 10 digs).
• Kelly hit .341 and averaged a team-high 3.45 kills. She needed just three sets to establish a new career-high for kills (16) in the opener against Missouri State and added 12 kills in three errorless sets versus UT Martin later in the day.
• Liekweg averaged 5.18 digs-per-set.
• Freshman Lauren Phillips (who redshirted last year) made a surprise start at setter after a strong performance in preseason practices. She put up 34 assists in her collegiate debut against MSU and added 35 more against UTM.
• Lamb credits incumbent setter Kayce Litzau for helping spark WSU's comeback against ASU. The sophomore entered late in the first set with the Shockers struggling and went on to record 40 assists and 13 digs. She served the last six points in WSU's 7-0 run to close out the match.

 
GREAT OUT OF THE GATE:    

• Seven Shockers teams have opened 4-0 or better. Five of them were coached by Lamb.
• Four Shockers teams have reached 5-0. Three of them were coached by Lamb.
• Three Shockers teams have hit 6-0 – all in the Lamb Era.

 
TAKING TOURNEYS:  

• WSU's A-State Invitational title marked the 16th time under Lamb that the Shockers have run the table at a weekend tournament. WSU's 2008 squad did it three different times during its undefeated regular season. The 2013 Shockers went 3-0 at tournaments hosted by Portland and Tennessee, and the 2017 squad enjoyed back-to-back weekend sweeps at events put on by Lipscomb and IUPUI.

 
UP NEXT:

• WSU makes its home debut next weekend when it hosts the annual Shocker Volleyball Classic, Presented by Aspen Heights. Creighton, South Dakota and Wyoming make up the rest of the field.
• Season ticket packages are on sale now, starting at just $55 for youth and senior general admission and $65 for adults. Fans can call the Shocker Ticket Office at 316-978-FANS or visit goshockers.com/tickets to purchase.