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Lily Liekweg

Volleyball Preview: Beavercreek Invitational

9/14/2022 3:37:00 PM

WICHITA STATE (4-5, 0-0 American)
 
Friday, Sep. 16 (5:00 p.m. CT) at Dayton (6-4, 0-0 A-10)
Dayton, Ohio (Frericks Center)
Live Stats // Watch
 
Saturday, Sep. 17 (10:00 a.m. CT) at Wright State (5-3, 0-0 Horizon)
Dayton, Ohio (CJ McGlin Gymnasium)
Live Stats // Watch
 

The Shockers conclude the non-conference portion of the regular season in Dayton, Ohio at the Tru by Hilton Dayton Beavercreek Invitational. WSU plays at Dayton on Friday night and at Wright State on Saturday morning.

Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+.

Track live scoring throughout the week at shockerstats.com. 


SCENE SETTERS:
  • Wichita State wraps up the non-conference schedule and a season-opening 11-match road swing at the Tru by Hilton Dayton Beavercreek Invitational in Dayton, Ohio. The Shockers tangle with Dayton on Friday night and Wright State on Saturday morning, both true road contests.
  • The Shockers will be playing each opponent for the first time in program history.
  • Wichita State enters play on Friday at 4-5 overall, following a 1-3 trip through Lawrence and Kansas City. WSU was swept in three consecutive matches against UNLV, Kansas, and Northern Illinois, but returned the favor against host Kansas City with a straight set victory on Saturday.
  • Wichita State has now played five straight matches of exactly three sets, going 2-3 in those contests.
  • No Shocker reached double-digit kills in the losses against UNLV, Kansas and Northern Illinois, a streak that was snapped in emphatic fashion against Kansas City. Brylee Kelly matched a season-high for kills in a three-set match with 15, while Natalie Foster chipped in 11 while hitting .556.
  • Kelly needs 13 more kills to reach 700 in her Wichita State career.
  • The Shockers will need to defeat both Dayton and Wright State to secure a third consecutive winning non-conference schedule (6-3 in 2021, 5-2 in 2020).
  • September 8 was the 22nd anniversary of Chris Lamb's first victory as Wichita State's head coach. He picked up a victory against Louisiana Tech to open his Shocker account, and has since gone on to record 468 wins to become the program's all-time wins leader over the course of his 23 seasons.
LOOKING BACK:
  • The Shockers fell in straight sets against Northern Illinois by scores of 25-16, 25-22 and 25-19, but rebounded to sweep Kansas City 25-22, 25-19 and 31-29 on Saturday at the Swinney Center in Kansas City.
  • Statistically, the two matches were mirror opposites of one another. The Shockers had their worst sideout percentage of the season against Northern Illinois (.472, 35-74), then followed it up with their best mark of the season a few hours later against the Roos (.667, 48-72). WSU managed a season-low 41 digs against NIU, then set a new season high with 61 in the nightcap with Kansas City.
  • The win over Kansas City was the Shockers tenth straight victory over the Roos, all under the direction of Chris Lamb. Nine of those ten wins have come in straight sets.
  • For the first time this season, four different Wichita State players recorded double-figure digs in a match as the Shockers downed Kansas City: Lily Liekweg (13), Brylee Kelly (12), Morgan Weber (12) and Kayce Litzau (11).
  • The third set against Kansas City (31-29) featured the most total points in a set this season for Wichita State. There were 15 ties in the third set alone, more than in the entire match against Northern Illinois combined (10).
  • The Shockers fended off six total set points in the third, including a 24-22 Kansas City lead.
  • Morgan Weber and Brylee Kelly were each named to the KC Roos Classic All-Tournament team.
  • Middle blocker Morgan Stout recorded three solo blocks and seven total rejections against Kansas City, the most solo blocks in a match this season for WSU.
WSU-DAYTON SERIES:
  • This will be the first meeting between the Shockers and Flyers.
SCOUTING THE FLYERS:
  • Dayton brings a 6-4 record into the weekend despite a challenging non-conference schedule. The Flyers have already played two ranked teams (#5 Georgia Tech, #25 Illinois) and two others receiving votes (Florida State, Ball State).
  • On Tuesday night the Flyers picked up a gutsy five-set win on the road at Ball State, overcoming an 11-10 deficit late in the fifth set to steal a win against the preseason MAC favorites.
  • Dayton was picked to repeat as Atlantic-10 champions in the league's preseason poll after a dominant run through the circuit in 2021. The Flyers went 16-0 in A-10 play on their way to a 26-6 overall record and a trip to the NCAA tournament. Dayton defeated Marquette in the opening round and took the first two sets against region host Purdue before ultimately falling in five.
  • The Flyers are one of the most talented blocking teams in the country, ranking 12th nationally with 97.5 total blocks. Amelia Moore leads the nation with 59 total blocks and 1.44 per set.
  • Notre Dame transfer Grace Dynda leads the Flyers with 105 kills. The senior has notched six double-doubles already this season.
  • Head coach Tim Horsmon is in his second stint at the helm of the Flyers after leading the program to unprecedented heights in the early-to-mid 2000s. He moved on to Maryland for six seasons before returning to Dayton for the 2014 campaign.
WSU-WRIGHT STATE SERIES:
  • This will be the first meeting between the Shockers and Raiders.
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS:
  • Wright State began the season 5-0, sweeping through the Marshall Invitational and Western Michigan Invitational. The Raiders found the going much tougher at the Cardinal & Gold Challenge in Ames, Iowa, dropping all three contests to Iowa, Drake, and previous Wichita State opponent Iowa State. Wright State will play Dayton to open the Beavercreek Invitational on Thursday night.
  • The Raiders were picked third in the Horizon League preseason poll behind Northern Kentucky and Milwaukee. Wright State is coming off a 23-8 (14-3) season in 2021, one that ended in the Horizon League semifinals against Northern Kentucky.
  • Wright State has posted strong defensive numbers across the board through the first eight matches of 2022, ranking ninth nationally with 17.24 digs per set and 96th at 2.27 blocks per set. Libero Jenny Story led the nation in total digs last season and ranks fourth in digs per set this year.
  • Veteran setter Lainey Stephenson is off to an excellent start, posting more than 40 assists in five of her first six matches of the season. She enters play on Friday averaging 10.48 assists per set, tops in the conference and 29th nationally.
  • Head coach Travers Green is in his first season in Dayton after four seasons as the associate head coach at Mississippi State. Green has experience in the American Athletic Conference after a previous coaching stop at South Florida. Wright State is his first head coaching position.
UP NEXT:
  • The Shockers open American Athletic Conference play with their first home matches of the season, hosting Temple and East Carolina at Charles Koch Arena on September 23 and 25, respectively.
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