WICHITA STATE (0-0, 0-0 American)
 
Friday, Aug. 26 (1 p.m. CT) at Wyoming (0-0, 0-0 Mountain West)
Laramie, Wyoming (UniWyo Sports Complex)
Live Stats // Mountain West Digital Network
 
Friday, Aug. 26 (6 p.m. CT) vs. Creighton (0-0, 0-0 Big East)
Laramie, Wyoming (UniWyo Sports Complex)
Live Stats // Mountain West Digital Network

Saturday, Aug. 27 (2 p.m. CT) vs. Iowa State (0-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Laramie, Wyoming (UniWyo Sports Complex)
Live Stats // Mountain West Digital Network
 

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The Shockers open the 2022 season with three matches in Laramie, Wyoming at the Rumble in the Rockies, battling host Wyoming, Creighton and Iowa State.

Track live scoring throughout the weekend at shockerstats.com. Video is available on the Mountain West Digital Network.
 

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SCENE SETTERS:

• Wichita State begins the 2022 campaign at the Rumble in the Rockies, a three-match tournament in Laramie, Wyoming. The Shockers open the season Friday against host Wyoming before tangling with familiar foes Creighton and Iowa State on Friday night and Saturday, respectively.
• The Shockers are coming off a 19-10 (13-7) season in 2021, good for a fifth-place finish in the American Athletic Conference. Wichita State was picked to finish eighth in the 2021 preseason poll, but used an eight-match conference winning streak to put together their winningest season since 2017.
• Head coach Chris Lamb returns an experienced roster in 2022. Wichita State brings back 95% of their blocks, 91% of their assists, 89% of their kills, and 78% of their digs from a season ago. The Shockers lost DS Bryn Stansberry (graduation), OH Lexi Hogan (graduation), OH Skylar Goering (grad transfer to George Mason), S Lauren Phillips (transfer to North Texas) and OH Kailin Newsome (transfer to Southeastern Louisiana) from the 2021 roster.
• The returners are highlighted by a trio of all-conference performers. Middle blocker Natalie Foster, outside hitter Brylee Kelly, and setter Kayce Litzau all were postseason All-AAC a year ago, and each also snagged a spot on the Preseason All-Conference Team in 2022. Kelly was a unanimous selection to both squads, while Foster and Litzau were Second Team selections.
• Wichita State eagerly anticipates a return to full health for the squad's middle blockers, a unit that was decimated by injuries in 2021. Freshman Addy Badley missed the entire season due to injury, freshman Lauren McMahon was sidelined after just six matches, and freshman Morgan Stout battled through leg injuries that limited her exclusively to playing in games. All told, only Foster was able to play in every match among the Shocker middles.
• While the roster is littered with experienced players, the coaching staff surrounding head coach Chris Lamb is completely new. Longtime assistants Sean Carter and Chelsea Scott accepted positions at Idaho State over the offseason, and Lamb's wife Shannon Lamb stepped down as director of operations after a 22-year stint with the program. In their place, the Shockers added former Baylor head coach and Texas assistant coach Brian Hosfeld, former Wichita State All-American Katie Zimmerman (then Reilly), and new director of operations Ashleigh Houlton to the staff.
• The 2022 schedule is one of the most challenging slates in recent program history, beginning with an 11-match road trip all against foes with a better than .500 record a season ago. Four 2022 opponents reached the NCAA tournament, including opening weekend adversaries Creighton and Iowa State. Wichita State will not play at home until the American Athletic Conference opener on September 23 vs. Temple.
• The Shockers were picked to finish fourth in the 2022 AAC preseason poll, garnering one first place vote and 74 total points. Defending champion UCF topped the poll, receiving the other ten first place votes and 100 points. Houston and Cincinnati ranked second and third, respectively, while SMU, Tulsa, Tulane, Memphis, East Carolina, South Florida and Temple rounded out the voting.

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WSU-WYOMING SERIES:

• Wichita State and Wyoming have met just three times in program history, with the Cowgirls claiming all three matchups. Friday's season opener will be the first-ever meeting between the two clubs in Laramie.
• The Shockers and Cowgirls have played one another in early season tournaments each of the last two full seasons, with Creighton also taking part in each tournament.
• Wyoming dominated last season's matchup in Wichita, holding the Shockers to hitting percentages of .091 and .000 in the first two sets. Brylee Kelly posted her first career double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs, but the Cowgirls used 11 service aces (six from Teresa Garza) to pull away.

 
SCOUTING WYOMING:

• Wyoming returns eight players from a squad that finished 16-14 in 2021, including an 8-10 mark in Mountain West play.
• The Cowgirls were picked seventh out of 11 teams in the Mountain West preseason poll.
• Outside hitter KC McMahon provides the firepower in the Wyoming offense, returning as a graduate student after ranking tenth in the conference with 3.01 kills per set in Mountain West play. McMahon was an All-MWC selection in 2019.
• Wyoming seeks to fill a void at setter following the departures of Payton Chamberlain and Abby Olson, who combined for more than 1,000 assists a year ago. Transfers Macey  Boggs and Kasia Partyka are the two leading candidates for the position.
• Head coach Chad Callihan returns for his tenth season at the helm of the Cowgirls. He arrived in 2012 from Georgia Southern to inherit a program that had just seven 20-win seasons all time, and has since produced five such seasons during his stay in Laramie.
• The Cowgirls play their home matches at the UniWyo Sports Complex, a facility dedicated to volleyball and wrestling. Official capacity for the venue is 1,200.

 
WSU-CREIGHTON SERIES:

• The Shockers and Bluejays have played 51 times, with Creighton holding a 28-23 lead in the all-time series. The Bluejays have won nine of the last 11 meetings.
• The series dates back to the 1980 season, though the two programs did not play again until 1994. Wichita State and Creighton have met at least every other season since resuming the series in 1994.
• The Shockers 3-1 win over #8 Creighton on September 15, 2017 is the highest-ranked win in Wichita State history.

SCOUTING CREIGHTON:

• Creighton is ranked #18 in the the AVCA preseason poll following a 31-4 season a year ago that ended in the second round of the NCAA tournament with a loss to future Shocker opponent Kansas.
• The Bluejays maintained their dominance of the Big East, rolling to an eighth consecutive conference championship with a 16-2 mark in league play. Creighton swept six consecutive matches to end conference action, breezing through DePaul and Marquette to secure the Big East Tournament Championship.
• Creighton is picked to repeat as Big East champs in 2022, with three players earning a spot on the preseason all-conference team. Sophomore Norah Sis is the preseason Big East Player of the Year, while teammates Kendra Wait and Jaela Zimmerman also secured recognition.
• Head Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth enters her 20th season at the helm of the Bluejays. She owns an impressive 414-179 mark, good for a .698 winning percentage, and has taken Creighton to the NCAA tournament in 11 of the last 12 years.

WSU-IOWA STATE SERIES:

• The Shockers have never beaten the Cyclones in 11 all-time meetings, though Wichita State did manage a tie in the second-ever contest in 1977.
• Iowa State has made several trips to Wichita for the Shocker Classic, most recently in 2017 when the two teams combined for a 72-point marathon of a second set in a 3-0 Cyclones win.
• The most high-profile matchup came in 2009, when Wichita State advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament before the Cyclones ended their season with a 3-0 win in Ames.

SCOUTING IOWA STATE:

• Iowa State was picked third in the Big 12 preseason poll after a 16-12 campaign in 2021, including an 8-8 finish in Big 12 play. The Cyclones reached the NCAA tournament a season ago, but were bounced in the opening round by Stanford.
• Fifth-year senior Eleanor Holthaus leads the charge for Iowa State, a three-time honoree on the All-Big 12 First Team. The talented outside hitter led Iowa State with 291 kills at 3.23 per set in 2021.
• Second Team All-Big 12 setter Jaden Newsome has several other offensive weapons to choose from, most notably outside hitters Annie Hatch and Kenzie Mantz, plus returning middle blocker Alexis Engelbrecht.
• Head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch has led Iowa State to the NCAA tournament in 14 of her 17 seasons in Ames, producing a 330-179 overall record. Under Johnson-Lynch's direction, Iowa State reached the Regional Final in both 2008 and 2011.

 

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UP NEXT:

• The Shockers open the month of September with a short trip north to Omaha, Nebraska for the Omaha Challenge, featuring a match against the host Omaha Mavericks on September 1 (7:00 pm) and a neutral site contest against the Northern Colorado Bears (5:00 pm) the following day.