WICHITA STATE (3-6, 0-0 American)
Thursday, Sept. 19 (7:00 p.m. CT) vs. Cal Poly (5-3, 0-0 Big West)
Wichita, Kan. (Charles Koch Arena)
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Friday, Sept. 20 (7:00 p.m. CT) vs. Northern Colorado (8-2, 0-0 Big Sky)
Wichita, Kan. (Charles Koch Arena)
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Saturday, Sept. 21 (4:00 p.m. CT) vs. Omaha (1-7, 0-0 Summit)
Wichita, Kan. (Charles Koch Arena)
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Wichita State returns to the friendly confines of Charles Koch Arena for the Shocker Volleyball Classic, welcoming Cal Poly, Northern Colorado and Omaha to The Roundhouse for six total matches September 19-21.
All matches will be streamed live on ESPN Plus. Live stats for all matches can be found at shockerstats.com.
SCENE SETTERS:
- After nine consecutive road matches to open the 2024 season, Wichita State finally returns to the ICT and Charles Koch Arena for the Shocker Volleyball Classic against Cal Poly, Northern Colorado and Omaha.
- The 2024 version is the 15th iteration of the Shocker Volleyball Classic, which began in 2004. WSU seeks their first undefeated home tournament since 2009, when the Shockers bested North Carolina, Grambling State and Oklahoma.
- Wichita State, Omaha and Northern Colorado are competing in a tournament against one another for the third consecutive season. The Shockers lost to Omaha and defeated Northern Colorado in Omaha in 2022, then defeated both opponents in Greeley last season. Wichita State has not played Cal Poly since 2019.
- Wichita State brings a 3-6 record into the tournament opener on Thursday, with five of the six losses coming against teams either ranked in the AVCA Top 25 or receiving votes. WSU was winless last week at the Nebraska Classic against #14 Arizona State, Long Beach State and #5 Nebraska.
- The Shockers were picked second in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll. Rice was tabbed as preseason favorite, garnering eight first place votes to Wichita State's four. South Florida was picked third and received the final first place vote. Middle blocker Morgan Stout and setter Izzi Strand were both named preseason all-conference.
- 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 511-242, good for a .679 winning percentage and the most wins in the American Athletic Conference.
LOOKING BACK:
- Wichita State struggled over the course of three matches in Lincoln at the Nebraska Classic, winning just one set against a trio of talented opponents in Arizona State, Long Beach State and Nebraska.
- WSU failed to break .100 in team hitting percentage in two of the three contests, finishing a .068 against Arizona State and .096 against Nebraska. The Shockers were unable to find supplementary scoring at the service line, notching just seven total aces over 10 sets of play.
- The Shockers were held to 20 or fewer points in all nine of the sets they lost in Lincoln. In the lone set win against Long Beach State, WSU hit a blistering .708.
- It was a tournament of Shocker debuts, as a trio of players saw their first Wichita State appearances. Redshirt sophomore middle blocker Maddie Wilson had been sidelined due to injury for the first six matches but played in all three contests in Lincoln, totaling seven kills and four blocks. Redshirt freshman middle Haley Wolfe made her collegiate debut against Long Beach State and recorded a service ace, and true freshman outside hitter Nadia Wasilewski also saw the floor for the first time against LBSU.
- Junior outside hitter Emerson Wilford bounced back from a subpar performance against Arizona State with two strong matches over the last two days in Lincoln. Wilford hit .225 and .206 against Long Beach State and Nebraska, respectively, leading the Shockers with 13 and 12 kills.
- Senior libero Annalie Heliste continued her solid play since donning the jersey, reaching double-digit digs in all three matches and finishing with a match-best 13 digs against Nebraska.
WSU-CAL POLYÂ SERIES:
- The Shockers and Mustangs have six previous meetings, with Cal Poly holding a 5-1 edge in the all-time series. The last match between the two programs took place in 2019, a 3-1 Cal Poly victory.
- Wichita State's only victory in the series is a significant one, a 3-2 decision to open the 2008 season. That reverse sweep was WSU's first victory over a top-10 team in program history.Â
- This will be Cal Poly's second trip to the Shocker Volleyball Classic. The Mustangs swept the Shockers in Charles Koch Arena in 2007.
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS:
- Cal Poly checks in to play on Thursday with a 5-3 record following a five-set win over fellow American Athletic Conference opponent North Texas. All three of Cal Poly's losses have come to teams either ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25.
- The Mustangs lead the Big West conference with 13.50 kills per set led by Indiana transfer Tommi Stockham, who has been named First Team All-Conference three consecutive years for Cal Poly.
- Redshirt junior setter Emme Bullis is top 20 nationally with 10.61 assists per set.
- Head coach Caroline Walters (6th season, 88-68) has been with the Cal Poly program for 16 years, working her way up from assistant to associate head coach and finally to the head coach role. Walters is one of the best players in Santa Clara history, ranking first in program history in digs per set.
WSU-NORTHERN COLORADOÂ SERIES:
- The Shockers and Bears have four previous meetings, most recently a 3-1 Wichita State victory in Greeley last season to secure the Northern Colorado Classic title.
- Natalie Foster led the Shockers with 14 kills and a .706 hitting percentage.
- After losing to Northern Colorado as part of the 2011 Rams Volleyball Classic in Fort Collins, Wichita State defeated Slovenian club Nova KBM Maribor in an exhibition match the following day.
SCOUTING THE BEARS:
- Northern Colorado boasts an 8-2 record that includes a trio of power conference victories. The Bears have already knocked off Michigan State and Ole Miss at home to go along with a road victory over in-state foe Colorado.
- UNC is led by All-American setter Syd Cole, who ranks third nationally in total assists with 406 and paces the conference with 10.15 helpers per set.
- The Bears rank third nationally as a team with 535 kills. Sophomore outside hitter Gabi Placide is the top attacking option at 3.03 kills per set, one of five Bears averaging better than two kills per frame.
- Longtime head coach Lyndsey Oates is in her 20th season at the helm in Greeley with a 355-228 record overall (.609).
WSU-OMAHAÂ SERIES:
- Despite the regional proximity, the Shockers and Mavericks have played just nine times in program history, with Omaha holding a 5-4 edge in the all-time series entering play on Thursday.
- Five of those seven matchups took place from 1976-1979, and the two teams did not play for 27 years between 1984 and 2011.
- Wichita State bested Omaha last season at the Northern Colorado Classic in a wild five-set affair. The Shockers took the first two sets comfortably but had to hang on for the victory after the Mavericks claimed sets four and five. Sophia Rohling delivered a match-high 16 kills to pace the Shockers.
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS:
- Omaha brings a 1-7 record to Wichita, though the Mavericks have played another challenging non-conference slate that includes Houston, Washington State and Oklahoma.
- The Mavericks began last season 0-9 but rallied in Summit League play to win the conference tournament and advance to the program's first NCAA tournament.
- Omaha has struggled to put points on the scoreboard, ranking 307th nationally with a .142 hitting percentage and 306th with 10.61 kills per set.
- Head coach Matt Buttermore is in his sixth season at the helm of the Mavericks, owning an 88-62 record (.587). Prior to his time with the Mavericks, Buttermore was an extremely successful coach at Hastings, where he won the NAIA National Championship in 2016.
UP NEXT:
- The Shockers open AAC play at Memphis on Wednesday, September 25 before returning home to battle Temple on Friday, September 27.
