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Annalie Heliste

Volleyball Preview: Rice

11/14/2023 3:47:00 PM

WICHITA STATE (19-7, 13-3 American)

Friday, Nov. 17 (6:00 p.m. CT) at Rice (17-9, 11-5 American)
Houston, Texas (Tudor Fieldhouse)
Live Stats // Watch

Saturday, Nov. 18 (2:00 p.m. CT) at Rice (17-9, 11-5 American)
Houston, Texas (Tudor Fieldhouse)
Live Stats // Watch
 

Wichita State looks to strengthen their at-large resume with two crucial matches at Rice on the final road trip of the regular season.

Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+. Track live scoring throughout the weekend at shockerstats.com.

SCENE SETTERS:
  • Following a pair of home victories against UTSA, the Shockers embark on their final road trip of the 2023 regular season with two matches against Rice in Houston. Friday's match is scheduled for 6:00 pm with a 2:00 pm first serve on Saturday.
  • The Shockers have moved back into sole possession of second place in the American Athletic Conference standings by virtue of the two wins over UTSA and Rice's two losses at North Texas. SMU can clinch the regular season championship and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament by winning any one of their final three conference matches, as the Mustangs hold the tiebreaker against both Wichita State and Rice.
  • The Shockers need to win one of their final three matches to secure a 20-win season, a mark the program has not reached since the 2017 club went 29-4. Wichita State has won 19 and 18 matches in the last two years, respectively.
  • Head coach Chris Lamb won his 500th career match on Friday. Now in his 24th season leading the Shockers, Lamb is the 19th active head coach with 500 wins at the Division I level, and just the ninth to reach 500 at one school. The Shockers have won at least 15 matches in 19 of Lamb's 24 seasons at the helm.
  • Wichita State's RPI jumped 13 points last week up to 55 in the latest rankings announced Monday. SMU leads the conference at 25, while this week's opponent Rice checks in at 61.
  • The Shockers and Owls both rank near the bottom of the NCAA leaderboard in aces per set. Wichita State enters play on Friday averaging 1.04 aces per stanza (323rd nationally), while Rice averages 1.01 aces (326th).
LOOKING BACK:
  • Wichita State picked up a pair of victories against UTSA in Charles Koch Arena, defeating the Roadrunners 25-23, 21-25, 25-18, 25-18 on Friday night and 25-21, 25-16, 25-20 on Saturday afternoon.
  • It was a weekend of milestones for the Shockers. In addition to Lamb's 500th career win, three Wichita State players reached personal landmarks on Saturday; Brylee Kelly moved into the program's top-10 career kills list with 1,122 terminations, Natalie Foster recorded the 1,000th kill of her career, and Izzi Strand notched 1,000 assists for the season.
  • The Wichita State offense was carried by outstanding performances from Foster and Sophia Rohling. Foster set a new career high on Saturday by hitting .800 (12 kills on 15 attempts, no errors) and finished the series with a .500 hitting percentage and 3.71 kills per set. Rohling committed just two errors in 63 total attempts against UTSA, hitting .444 while leading the team with 4.29 kills per set.
  • Rohling was named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll on Monday, her third such recognition this season.
  • Sophomore Katie Galligan spearheaded the WSU defensive effort, highlighted by a career-best 18 digs in Friday's victory. As a team, Wichita State racked up 29 digs in the first set on Saturday, the most in any set this season.
  • UTSA entered the series ranked 32nd nationally with 1.83 aces per set but managed just 10 over seven sets against the Shockers (1.42 per set) while piling up 17 service errors. The Roadrunners 13 service errors on Friday are tied for the most by a Wichita State opponent this season (Memphis, Oct. 29).
WSU-RICE SERIES:
  • The Shockers and Owls have met just four times in program history, with the series even at two matches apiece.
  • One of the two Wichita State victories is among the most memorable in program history. The Shockers and Owls squared off in the first round of the 2008 NCAA tournament, with WSU claiming a 21-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-20 win. The 3-1 victory secured the first 30-win season in program history.
  • The Shockers bested Rice again the following season as part of the Mizuno Invitational in Houston, rallying once more for a 19-25, 25-16, 25-21, 25-21 win. Emily Stockman had 17 kills and 20 digs on her way to tournament MVP honors.
  • Rice claimed the first two meetings, knocking off the Shockers 3-1 in 1990 before sweeping Wichita State in 1995 as part of the Kansas State Invitational. The Owls and Shockers have never played in Wichita.
SCOUTING THE OWLS:
  • Rice heads into play on Friday with an overall record of 17-9, including an 11-5 mark in American Athletic Conference play. The Owls dropped both matches last week at North Texas, each in five sets.
  • The Owls are in their first season in The American after a strong tradition of success in Conference USA. Rice has reached the NCAA tournament five consecutive seasons and is the reigning CUSA tournament champion.
  • Senior libero Nia McCardell is one of the nation's best players at her position. The 2022 Conference USA Libero of the Year and an Honorable Mention All-American, McCardell leads the conference with 4.83 digs per set. As a team, the Owls lead the nation with 18.45 digs per set.
  • The talented group of littles and a blocking unit that averages 2.42 rejections per set combine to form the stingiest defense in the American Athletic Conference. Rice holds opponents to a .156 hitting percentage, 13th best in the country.
  • On the outside, Rice is led by a pair of veteran attackers. Senior Danyle Courtley leads the club with 3.64 kills per set, while USC grad transfer Emilia Weske had a season-best 28 terminations in the Friday defeat at North Texas.
  • Head coach Genny Volpe is responsible for turning Rice into a perennial power. The 20th-year head coach has led the Owls to eight NCAA tournament appearances; Rice had never reached the tournament prior to Volpe's arrival. Her 393-207 career record is good for a .655 winning percentage.
UP NEXT:
  • Wichita State concludes the regular season with Senior Day against UAB on Wednesday, November 22. First serve against the Blazers from Charles Koch Arena is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
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