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Sophia Rohling

Volleyball Preview: North Texas

11/2/2023 1:59:00 PM

WICHITA STATE (16-6, 10-2 American)

Friday, Nov. 3 (7:00 p.m. CT) vs. North Texas (14-11, 8-4 American)
Wichita, Kansas (Charles Koch Arena)
Live Stats // Watch

Saturday, Nov. 4 (2:00 p.m. CT) vs. North Texas (14-11, 8-4 American)
Wichita, Kansas (Charles Koch Arena)
Live Stats // Watch
 

Wichita State looks to take advantage of a rare extended stay at home, kicking off a four-match homestand with a pair against North Texas at The Roundhouse.

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

SCENE SETTERS:
  • After splitting a pair of road matches, the Shockers return to Charles Koch Arena to battle North Texas on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
  • Wichita State's seven-match winning streak came to an end with a loss on Friday night at Florida Atlantic, but the Shockers bounced back to best Memphis in five sets on Sunday.
  • The Shockers (10-2) are all alone in second place in the American Athletic Conference standings entering play on Friday. Wichita State will need outside help to catch SMU (12-1) and secure the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA tournament; the Mustangs hold the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Shockers, meaning WSU would need to win out and have SMU lose at least two matches.
  • Wichita State slipped 13 spots in the RPI after the loss to Florida Atlantic, dropping to 61 in Monday's rankings. The Shockers are ranked 50 in the KPI and 63 in the Massey Rating, two other significant metrics that the selection committee considers. North Texas enters play on Friday with an RPI of 117.
  • The West Division dominated play against the East Division last week, going 13-1. The top two teams in the East, East Carolina and South Florida, both lost twice on the road and previously winless Tulane defeated both UAB and Charlotte.
  • Head coach Chris Lamb is now just two wins shy of reaching 500 victories over the course of his 24-year career at Wichita State. The Shockers have won at least 15 matches in 19 of Lamb's 24 seasons at the helm.
  • The Shockers have lost just one set in five home conference matches this season (2nd set vs. Tulsa on October 20).
LOOKING BACK:
  • Wichita State played a pair of five-set matches last week, falling in Boca Raton to Florida Atlantic 25-23, 21-25, 25-22, 18-25, 15-10 before responding with a hard-fought road win over Memphis, 25-14, 22-25, 27-25, 19-25, 15-11.
  • The Shockers alternated wins and losses in all ten sets last week, beginning with a set one defeat on Friday and ending with a fifth set victory on Sunday.
  • Wichita State has never lost in Memphis, improving to 5-0 at the Larry O. Finch Center.
  • Sophomore outside hitter Emerson Wilford continued her recent surge with two double-doubles. On Friday she recorded a new career-high 15 kills to go along with 10 digs, then followed up that performance on Sunday with 13 kills and 14 digs to match a career best. Wilford hit .262 and .244 in the two matches, respectively.
  • Middle blocker Morgan Stout has put herself firmly in the discussion for postseason accolades with an outstanding season, highlighted by two strong showings this past week. The redshirt junior scored a combined 35.0 points in the two matches (15.0 at Florida Atlantic, 20.0 at Memphis) and had a career-high 17 kills against the Tigers. She also added her first service ace of the season with the score tied at 24-24 in the third set.
  • Middle blocker Natalie Foster reached double-digit kills in both matches, terminating 14 times at FAU and 12 at Memphis. The junior leads the conference with a .401 hitting percentage.
  • The Shockers struggled in serve receive against both the Owls and Tigers. The two foes racked up a total of 21 aces, including 12 from Memphis on Sunday. The Tigers did commit 13 service errors, most by a Shocker opponent in any match this season.
WSU-NORTH TEXAS SERIES:
  • The Shockers hold a 10-4 all-time advantage against the Mean Green, including a 6-3 mark under head coach Chris Lamb.
  • Wichita State is 4-1 at home against North Texas, 2-1 in Denton, and 4-2 in neutral site matches.
  • The series dates back to the 1975 season, just the second season of Wichita State volleyball history. The Shockers dropped that first meeting in straight sets as part of the Oklahoma Invitational in Norman, Oklahoma.
  • The Shockers and Mean Green played one another three times in 2018, twice in the regular season as part of a home-and-home series and then once more in the NIVC. North Texas claimed the final two showdowns, including the postseason contest, by the score of 3-1.
  • The two teams met most recently in the spring of 2021 (due to the COVID-altered 2020 season), playing twice at Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers won both matches, 3-0 and 3-1.
SCOUTING THE MEAN GREEN:
  • North Texas brings an overall record of 14-11 into The Roundhouse, including an 8-4 mark in American Athletic Conference play. The Mean Green have won three straight matches, all against teams from the East Division (South Florida, Temple, Charlotte).
  • The Mean Green share two common non-conference opponents with the Shockers. North Texas was swept at Colorado and defeated Texas Tech at home in five.
  • North Texas is seeking their first postseason appearance since their 2018 NIVC run. The Mean Green are in their first season as part of The American after joining the circuit from Conference USA.
  • The Mean Green boast one of the conference's most active middle blockers in junior Truli Levy. Levy ranks second in the AAC with 99 total blocks and third with a .361 hitting percentage.
  • Texas A&M transfer Treyaunna Rush paces the Mean Green attack, averaging 2.82 kills per set. McNeese transfer Aryn Johnson also provides firepower on the outside, checking in with 2.33 kills per set.
  • Head coach Kristee Porter is in her second season at the helm after coaching at McNeese the previous two seasons. A four-time All-American at UCLA and a member of the USA Women's National Team from 2001-2004, Porter owns a career record of 70-85 in six total seasons as a head coach.
UP NEXT:
  • Wichita State continues their four-match homestand with two battles against another new conference foe in UTSA. First serve on Friday is scheduled for 7:00 pm, and Saturday's match is set for 2:00 pm.
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