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Volleyball Preview: Rice, Tulane

11/6/2024 4:18:00 PM

WICHITA STATE (14-10, 9-3 American)

Friday, Nov. 8 (6:00 p.m. CT) at Rice (15-6, 10-2 American)
Houston, Texas (Tudor Fieldhouse)
Live Stats // Watch

Sunday, Nov. 10 (1:00 p.m. CT) at Tulane (14-10, 6-6 American)
New Orleans, La. (Avron B. Fogelman Arena)
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On the heels of two victories against longtime rival Tulsa, Wichita State hits the road for crucial matches against conference favorite Rice and Tulane on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

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

SCENE SETTERS:
  • Wichita State begins a crucial road swing with matches at Rice on Friday night and Tulane on Sunday afternoon.
  • The Shockers have won four consecutive matches to keep pace with the conference leaders. WSU enters the week at 9-3 in AAC play, good for a tie for third place with East Carolina. The Shockers will need help down the stretch to secure a regular season title, as the three teams ahead of them in the standings (South Florida, Rice and East Carolina) currently hold head-to-head tiebreakers over WSU.
  • Following a slow start offensively in non-conference play, Wichita State has gained steam since the start of AAC action. WSU hit just .188 in the non-con but are scoring at a .240 clip since. Outside hitters Brooklyn Leggett (.174-.260) and Alyssa Gonzales (.137-.223) have sparked the surge, while middle blocker Morgan Stout has bumped her percentage from .273-.328.
  • After not winning AAC player of the week for the first eight weeks of the season, the Shockers have claimed three over the last two weeks. Stout brought home consecutive Offensive PotW awards, while Katie Galligan was tabbed Defensive PotW. Galligan took over at libero this past week and averaged 6.0 digs per set. 
  • The Shockers check in second in the AAC in the latest RPI rankings. Rice tops the conference at 36, while Wichita State jumped 23 spots to 52 in the rankings. South Florida (62), East Carolina (84) and Tulsa (94) are also in the top 100.
  • 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 522-246, good for a .680 winning percentage and the most wins in the American Athletic Conference.
LOOKING BACK:
  • Brooklyn Leggett produced a career-high 22 kills and Katie Galligan had 27 digs as Wichita State topped Tulsa for the second time in three days, 25-19, 23-25, 25-23, 25-21 on Sunday afternoon at Charles Koch Arena.
  • WSU has now beaten the Golden Hurricane 21 consecutive times in Wichita and 12 straight times overall.
  • In the opening set, WSU led just 14-12 midway through after a 6-0 Tulsa run but fired back by scoring eight of the next 12 points to stretch their advantage to 22-16. Two more Leggett kills sandwiched around a Tulsa attack error helped salt away the first frame, 25-19.
  • Set two was tight throughout, as Wichita State faced an 18-17 deficit following a mini 4-1 Tulsa flurry. But a pair of Leggett kills helped right the ship and put WSU back in front, 20-18, a lead they managed to hold the rest of the way. Maddie Wilson delivered a crucial termination to help reach set point, and one sideout later Tulsa's Marta Pecalli served into the net for a 25-23 victory.
  • The Shockers grabbed a 17-11 edge in the third set, but another big run from the Golden Hurricane quickly erased the deficit. Tulsa  scored seven of the next eight points to pull level at 18-apiece, then took the lead outright via a Beth Bayless kill that made it 21-20. The Shockers cut the margin back to one twice before Tulsa's Tatum Tornatta sent the match to a fourth set with a kill.
  • WSU managed to separate late after another tense fourth set. With the Shockers clinging to a 22-21 lead, Morgan Stout managed to push a ball to the back row for a kill, giving WSU a two-point edge. The Golden Hurricane followed with a pair of misfires, one from Tatum Tornatta and another from Arianna Mongare to get the Shockers over the finish line, 25-21.
WSU-RICE SERIES:
  • The Shockers and Owls have met seven times in program history, with the Owls holding a 4-3 edge following a win in Wichita on October 6.
  • The first meeting this season was a tense, five-set affair that Rice claimed, 23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 15-25, 10-15.
  • The Owls hit .417 and .550 over the last two sets, respectively, after the Shockers held Rice below .200 in each of the first three frames. Samarah Hill finished with 18 kills and 15 digs to lead the Owls, while libero Gaby Mansfield piled up 31 digs for match-best honors.
  • One of the Wichita State victories in the all-time series 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.
  • 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.
SCOUTING THE OWLS:
  • Like the Shockers, the Owls enter the matchup on Friday as winners of four straight to check in at 15-6 overall and 10-2 in conference play. Rice is currently tied with South Florida atop the AAC standings, but the Bulls hold the tiebreaker by virtue of a sweep on October 16.
  • The Owls are in their second season in The American after a strong tradition of success in Conference USA. Rice reached the NCAA tournament five consecutive seasons prior to 2023, which finished 18-11 (12-7). The 18 wins were the fewest in a season for Rice since the 2013 club went 11-19.
  • Like the Shockers, Rice played a challenging non-conference schedule that included three ranked teams (Baylor, Creighton, TCU).
  • Junior middle blocker Lademi Ogunlana is hitting .395 (best in the AAC) and earned a spot on the AAC Honorable Mention list this past week.
  • Freshman setter Savannah Skopal is on pace to earn the top freshman honor in the conference. Skopal was named AAC setter of the week on Monday and directs an offense that leads the circuit in kills per set (13.89).
  • Head coach Genny Volpe is responsible for turning Rice into a perennial power. The 21st-year head coach has led the Owls to eight NCAA tournament appearances; Rice had never reached the tournament prior to Volpe's arrival. Her 409-215 career record is good for a .655 winning percentage.
WSU-TULANE SERIES:
  • The Shockers lead the all-time series 7-6, with all but one of the meetings taking place in AAC play.
  • Tulane won the only non-conference meeting in 1986, a 3-1 decision in Tulsa, Oklahoma as part of the Oral Roberts Invitational.
  • Wichita State defeated Tulane twice last season in New Orleans, hanging on for a thrilling five-set victory before sweeping the Green Wave the following day. 
  • In the first meeting, Brylee Kelly poured in 20 kills, including the match-winner in a 15-13 fifth set. Izzi Strand set a new career high with 60 assists as the Shockers rallied from a 2-1 deficit.
  • The Shockers hit .370 in the rematch, including a dominant 25-9 third set to secure the victory.
SCOUTING THE GREEN WAVE:
  • Tulane has improved significantly after posting a 6-25 (2-17) record a year ago, entering play on Friday at 14-10 overall and 6-6 in conference play. The Green Wave are coming off a 1-1 home weekend, sweeping UTSA before falling five sets to Charlotte.
  • Alabama grad transfer Sami Jacobs leads the Tulane attack, averaging 3.43 points per set on the strength of 278 kils and 34 aces, a mark that ranks second in the conference.
  • The Green Wave are second in the conference with 205 blocks, paced by the middle tandem of Sabrina Skyers (0.93 blocks per set) and Jordan White (0.92).
  • Sophomore Avery Burks was named AAC Freshman of the Year in 2023, a campaign highlighted by a career-best 24 kills against Wichita State. Burks averages 2.66 kills per set this season.
  • Tulane totals just 12.25 kills per set as a team, a mark that ranks 10th in the  AAC and 210th nationally.
  • Head coach Jordana Price is in her third season in New Orleans after five seasons as associate head coach at Florida State. Price owns an overall record of 29-57 after a 9-22 debut season in 2022 and the 6-25 mark last year.
UP NEXT:
  • The Shockers go on the road to square off with North Texas on Friday before closing out the regular season at home against UTSA on Sunday.
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