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Volleyball Preview: Memphis, UAB

10/24/2024 1:45:00 PM

WICHITA STATE (10-10, 5-3 American)

Friday, Oct. 25 (7:00 p.m. CT) vs. Memphis (10-10, 4-4 American)
Wichita, Kan. (Charles Koch Arena)
Live Stats // Watch

Sunday, Oct. 27 (1:00 p.m. CT) vs. UAB (8-11, 3-5 American)
Wichita, Kan. (Charles Koch Arena)
Live Stats // Watch
 

Wichita State returns to Charles Koch Arena, squaring off with Memphis on Friday night at 7:00 pm and UAB on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 pm.

Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+. Live stats for both matches can be found at shockerstats.com.

SCENE SETTERS:
  • Wichita State attempts to bounce back from a frustrating road defeat at East Carolina with a pair of home matches, hosting Memphis on Friday night and UAB on Sunday afternoon at Charles Koch Arena.
  • After winning both of their opening week conference matches against Memphis and Temple, the Shockers have gone 1-1 in each of the last three weeks. 
  • Following a pair of upset wins from Florida Atlantic over the conference leaders, the AAC standings have become muddled at the top. South Florida still leads the way at 7-1, while Rice stands alone in second at 6-2. East Carolina's win over Charlotte on Wednesday has the Pirates in third at 6-3, while the Shockers sit in a four-way tie for fourth at 5-3 alongside Tulsa and North Texas.
  • Wofford transfer Sarah Barham is just 11 kills away from 1,000 for her collegiate career. Barham put together her best offensive match of the season on Sunday, racking up 13 kills on just 18 attempts, producing a .667 hitting percentage.
  • Redshirt junior Brooklyn  Leggett not only established a new career high with 21 kills on Sunday against East Carolina, but also became the first Shocker to reach 20 kills in a match this season. Leggett scored on half of her 42 swings.
  • The Shockers rank third in the AAC in the latest RPI  rankings. Rice tops the conference at 39, while South Florida checks in at 60. Wichita State is 78, just ahead of Tulsa at 81.
  • Head coach Chris Lamb is in his 25th season at the helm of the Shockers. Known affectionately as "Lambo," the veteran head coach owns a career record of 518-246, good for a .678 winning percentage and the most wins in the American Athletic Conference.
LOOKING BACK:
  • Wichita State battled back to force a fifth set but committed several costly errors in the deciding frame as East Carolina claimed a 25-22, 18-25, 21-25, 25-18, 10-15 victory on Sunday afternoon at Minges Coliseum.
  • East Carolina separated from a 9-9 tie down the stretch as the Shockers committed three consecutive attack errors. A service ace from Kenzie Beckham brought the Pirates to match point, and one sideout later ECU's Aulie Huff produced the match-winning kill.
  • The Shockers surged out of the gates, piling up a 17-11 advantage in the first set thanks largely to the efforts of Leggett, who produced five kills, and Stout, who was a perfect four-for-four on attacks. But ECU stormed back to take a 21-20 lead, inching in front after two straight WSU attack errors. Wichita State righted the ship, sandwiching a pair of Leggett kills around an ace from Annalie Heliste. Reagan Anderson polished off the frame with an ace of her own, as WSU snatched a 25-22 win.
  • Wichita State never found their footing in the second set, falling into a quick 11-6 hole. WSU got as close as four down the stretch when an Izzi Strand kill cut the ECU advantage to 19-15. The Pirates scored the next three points and cruised to a 25-18 victory.
  • WSU let a crucial third set slip away, squandering a 17-15 edge. ECU's Ellie Pate racked up three kills to help the Pirates erase the deficit and a Carlia Northcross termination secured a 25-21 win and 2-1 advantage for ECU.
  • The Shockers poured in 17 kills in the fourth frame, highlighted by a perfect five-for-five set from Barham. After East Carolina pulled to within 13-12, WSU unleashed an 8-2 run for a comfortable 21-14 lead that they held the rest of the way. Another Leggett termination sent the match to a fifth set.
WSU-MEMPHIS SERIES:
  • The Shockers hold a 11-4 all-time advantage against the Tigers, including a 10-3 mark in American play.
  • Wichita State has not lost in Memphis in six tries.
  • The series dates back to the 1976 season, just the third season of Wichita State volleyball history. The Shockers took down Memphis 15-12, 15-7 in that first meeting.
  • Wichita State defeated Memphis in the AAC opener this season, 25-20, 24-26, 25-13, 25-16 on September 25, thanks in large part to a career-high 16 kills from Emerson Wilford. The Shockers also fired 10 aces, reaching double-digits for the first time since 2022.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS:
  • Memphis arrives in Wichita with a 10-10 overall record including a 4-4 mark in AAC action.
  • The Tigers are coming off an impressive road sweep at North Texas on Sunday, hitting .333 to topple the Mean Green in straight sets.
  • In non-conference play, the Tigers went 2-1 at a pair of home tournaments at the Larry O. Finch Center and 1-2 in two tournaments away from Memphis.
  • Memphis went 11-20 (7-12) last season but finished the year on a three-match winning streak, capped off by a road sweep against North Texas.
  • The Tigers were picked ninth in the 2024 American Athletic Conference preseason poll.
  • Memphis is one of the conference's most lethal squads from the service line, where the Tigers rank 23rd nationally with 1.90 aces per set. Setter Jordan Heatherly leads the conference with 32 aces.
  • Heatherly orchestrates the Tigers 5-1 offense to the tune of 9.35 assists per set. Sophomore Hannah Jones is the top attacking option with 3.09 kills per set.
  • Head coach Sean Burdette is in his seventh season with Memphis after previous stops at Bradley and Green Bay. Burdette's career record stands at 168-232, including a 85-101 mark at Memphis.
WSU-UAB SERIES:
  • Wichita State has played UAB just twice since the Blazers joined The American ahead of the 2023  season. WSU emerged victorious in both meetings.
  • The Shockers swept the Blazers this season in Birmingham, 25-15, 25-22, 25-22 on October 4. Alyssa Gonzales spearheaded the WSU attack with 10 kills on just 21 swings, hitting .476.
  • The Shockers defeated UAB in the first meeting between the two teams last season at Charles Koch Arena, 25-13, 25-12, 25-10.
  • Wichita State out-hit the Blazers, .374-.012 and trailed for just a single point in the match.
SCOUTING THE BLAZERS:
  • After limping to a 5-26 (3-16) mark in 2023, UAB is off to a significantly better start in 2024. The Blazers enter the week 8-11 (3-5), having already matched their previous season's conference win total.
  • UAB is coming off a five-set win over Tulane on Sunday. Rising star Jorda Crook poured in 20 kills to lead the Blazers, while Mia Reese added 16 terminations.
  • The crown jewel of the UAB non-conference slate was a win over Cincinnati, the program's first win against a Big 12 opponent in 16 years.
  • Do-everything junior Kelsey Smith has already registered two triple-doubles on season, including 12 kills, 18 digs and 21 assists in the conference opener against Tulsa.
  • Senior middle Madison Page ranks second in the conference in blocks per set (1.07).
  • Head coach Betsy Freeburg is in her fifth season at the helm of the Blazers. A former assistant at both Samford and Georgia State and an all-conference middle at Florida, Freeburg owns a 44-74 record during her time in Birmingham.
UP NEXT:
  • The Shockers have a split series against Tulsa next week, traveling to Oklahoma on Friday before hosting the Golden Hurricane on Sunday.
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