Volleyball | 10/1/2026 5:18:00 PM
By
Paul Suellentrop
It took, in
Janaya Weitkemper's memory, 10 good minutes of volleyball to put her on track to play for Wichita State.
Her club team rotated to a court overseen by Shockers coach
Chris Lamb in Kansas City. He worked with her and started recruiting her almost immediately. After a campus visit, she signed with Wichita State.
"Everything happens for a reason," she said. "I just happened to get on Lambo's court. That's something, if it had never happened, I wouldn't be where I am today and I'm so grateful for that moment."
That moment is turning out well for Wichita State, which plays Tulsa (10-3, 2-0 American) at 6 p.m., Friday at Koch Arena. At 1 p.m., Sunday, the Shockers (4-1-, 1-1) play at Tulane.
Weitkemper, a sophomore middle blocker from Columbia, Mo., is coming off her best weekend as a Shocker. She played right-side earlier this season before moving back to the middle to give WSU's scoring a boost. On Friday, she recorded nine kills for a .444 attack percentage, plus four blocks, in a win over Memphis. She backed that up in Sunday's loss to USF with 10 kills, a .333 attack percentage and four blocks.
Weitkemper's ability to score against both sides of the block are needed, especially when passes force the ball off the net and make quick sets to the middle difficult.
"She's gotten really good at being a good, quick attacker," Lamb said. "I'm not surprised. Janaya can do this for a long time. They're going to have to plan for her, that's for sure."
Weitkemper considers herself a middle, although she has played pin positions throughout her career. When Lamb started recruiting her, she and her parents watched Wichita State games. WSU used former middles Natalie Foster and Morgan Stout as focal points of the offense. Assistant coach
Katie Zimmerman is a former middle for the Shockers.
When the team needed her to play on the right, she happily moved. Now, she is just as happy to return to the middle.
"I knew that in college you're going to have to do some things that put you in an uncomfortable position," she said. "I want to be the best I can be for the team."
Weitkemper swam and ran track as a youngster and didn't start serious volleyball training until age 16. She knew she needed a college with coaches who could take her athletic ability and sharpen her skills.
"I liked that he was somebody who develops players, and that's what I needed," she said.
She played in six matches last season in the middle. She focused on improving her positioning to be a better blocker during the off-season.
"There's a crazy difference from my first year," she said. "The main goal is to be fast and be up quick and make the job easier for my teammates behind me."
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
Season tickets are on sale now, and season ticket renewals are available as well. To purchase, visit
GoShockers.com/Tickets, dial 316-978-FANS (3267) or stop by the Shocker Ticket Office, located inside Charles Koch Arena, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
