WICHITA STATE (4-14, 1-5 American) vs. UTSA (12-6, 3-4 American)
Friday, Oct. 16, 2026 | 6:00 p.m.
Wichita, Kan. | Charles Koch Arena
TV: ESPN+
Dig Pink Game/Alumni Night
 
WICHITA STATE vs. RICE (10-8, 4-2 American)
Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026 | 1:00 p.m.
Wichita, Kan. | Charles Koch Arena
TV: ESPN+

SCENE SETTERS
The Shockers return home for a Friday evening matchup with UTSA before a Sunday afternoon rematch with Rice.
Wichita State is coming off an 0-2 weekend, falling in three sets to Rice and dropping a five-set heartbreaker to Tulsa, both on the road.
The Shockers finished their non-conference schedule with a 3-9 record.
Wichita State is coming off a 19-11 season in 2025, including a 10-6 record in American Conference play. The Shockers beat No. 4 seed North Texas to advance to the semifinals of the American Conference Championship where they fell to No. 1 seed Rice in five sets to end the season.
Three of the Shockers' early losses have come to AVCA Top-25 teams, falling in three sets once to No. 23 Colorado and twice to No. 22 Kansas.
Wichita State leads the American Conference in digs per set, averaging 15.83, led by Gabi Maas, who leads the conference 3.8 per set.
The Shockers also lead the conference in attacks per set with 37.55.
Maddie Wilson has been the Shockers' most efficient attacker, hitting .354 this season to rank fifth in the conference. In conference play, she is hitting .408 with 63 kills. Wilson also ranks sixth in the conference in blocks per set, averaging 1.05 per set, including a career-high tying 10 in the win over Florida Gulf Coast.
McKenzie Jones is leading the Shockers in kills per set with 2.84. Janaya Weitkemper (2.48), Wilson (2.35), Jenna Cubbage (2.13) and Olivia Cohee (2.03) give the Shockers a balanced attack.
The Shocker offense is orchestrated by setters Jordan Heatherly and Addie Oeth, who are averaging 5.72 and 4.34 assists per set, respectively.
 
STREAKS AND TRENDS
Jones has finished with double-digit kills in six of the last seven outings.
Maas has led the Shockers in digs in the last 10-straight matches, posting 20 or more in the last two.
Weitkemper has recorded eight or more kills in the last six matches.
Wilson has hit above .500 four times this season and over .400 seven times.

LAST TIME OUT
Wichita State volleyball battled back to force a fifth set but came up short in a 3-2 (17-25, 27-25, 15-25, 25-22, 14-16) loss to Tulsa Sunday afternoon at the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Wichita State (4-14, 1-5 American) showed its resilience throughout the five-set contest, rallying to even the match at two sets apiece after falling behind 2-1. The Shockers claimed a hard-fought second set, 27-25, before taking the fourth set, 25-22, to force a decisive fifth. Janaya Weitkemper led the Shockers with a career-high 18 kills, adding eight digs and three blocks. Maddie Wilson turned in an efficient offensive performance, recording a career-high tying 17 kills on a .441 hitting percentage while contributing six block assists. McKenzie Jones added 12 kills and five block assists, while Olivia Cohee finished with nine kills and 12 digs. Setter Jordan Heatherly dished out 32 assists, and libero Gabi Maas paced the defensive effort with 25 digs.

SERIES VS. UTSA
The teams meet for the 11^th time in program history with Wichita State leading the series, 7-3, including a 3-1 record since joining the American Conference and a 3-2 record at home. Wichita State has won three of the last four, most recently claiming a four-set win a season ago in San Antonio.
 
SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
Led by 11^th-year head coach, Carol Price-Torok, UTSA is 12-6 (3-4 American), coming off back-to-back homes wins, defeating South Florida in five sets and sweeping North Texas. The Roadrunners rank fourth in the American Conference in attack percentage, hitting .235 as a team this season. Ledisi Kpea ranks third in the conference in blocks per set, averaging 1.14, and Sydney Bryant ranks sixth in the conference in kills per set with 3.17. UTSA was picked seventh in the American Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
SERIES VS. RICE
The teams meet for the 13^th time in program history with Rice leading the series, 9-3, including a 6-1 record since joining the American Conference. The Owls have won the last seven-straight meetings, four of which went to five sets, most recently sweeping the Shockers in Houston last Friday.

SCOUTING THE OWLS
Led by 23^rd-year head coach, Genny Volpe, Rice is 10-8 (4-2 American), coming off a 2-0 home weekend with a 3-0 win over Wichita State and a 3-1 win over Memphis. Rice ranks second in the American Conference in digs per set with 14.91 and third in kills per set with 13.06. Sydnee Peterson ranks fourth in the conference in kills per set with 3.43. Sydnee Peterson averages 3.54 kills per set, good for third in the conference and leads the American in attacks. Rice was unanimously picked to win the conference in the American Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, while setter Kaia Mateo, outside hitter Aaliyah Smith and middle blocker Arissa Smithe were named the American Conference All-Conference Team.

BATTLE-TESTED FROM DAY ONE
Wichita State's non-conference schedule was ranked the 28^th-toughest in the NCAA by supervolley.org, featuring six 2025 NCAA Tournament teams: Stephen F. Austin, Colorado, Northern Colorado, Kansas (x2), Arkansas State and Northern Iowa (x2). The Shockers concluded their non-conference slate with a 3-9 record, picking up wins over Southland Conference preseason favorite Stephen F. Austin, Missouri State and ASUN preseason favorite Florida Gulf Coast.
 
RELYING ON YOUNG PINS
Between Sydney Dunning (injury), Brooklyn Leggett (graduation) and Emerson Wilford (graduation), the Shockers lost 64.5 percent of their kills from 2025. The trio accounted for 1,011 of Wichita State's 1,567 kills last season, making Maddie Wilson the team's returning kills leader with 202 in 2025. While the Shockers bring back a veteran back row, as well as preseason all-conference setter Jordan Heatherly, they look to a group of young hitters to help carry the offense.
 
Sophomores McKenzie Jones, Jenna Cubbage and Olivia Cohee have stepped into prominent roles early. Jones, who appeared in 16 matches and recorded 67 total kills in 2025, leads the Shockers with 173 kills, averaging 2.84 kills per set. Cubbage appeared in just eight matches in 2025, recording 30 kills during the whole season and has recorded the third-most kills on the team this season with 132. Cohee appeared in six matches in 2025 and recorded 16 kills and has already reached 132, tying Cubbage for No. 3 on the team.
 
1K CLUB
Fifth year DS/L, Gabi Maas, joined the 1,000 career digs club earlier this season against Missouri and has led the Shockers in digs 12 times this season, including a season-high 25 at Tulsa.
 
SHOCKER VOLLEYBALL CLASSIC
The Shockers won two of their first three matches on opening weekend, sweeping Southland Conference reigning champion and preseason favorite, Stephen F. Austin, and Missouri State and falling to Idaho State in four sets. McKenzie Jones and Maddie Wilson were named to the Shocker Volleyball Classic All-Tournament Team, combining for 60 kills.
 
HEATHERLY NAMED PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE
Wichita State senior setter, Jordan Heatherly snagged a spot on the preseason all-conference team after finishing third in the conference in total assists with 1,020 and fourth in assists per set with 8.95 last season. The Western Springs, Ill. native started all 30 matches for the Shockers in 2025, appearing in all 114 sets, and recorded 33 service aces, good for second on the team. In the American Conference semifinal against Rice, Heatherly recorded a season-high 57 assists and 15 digs.
The Shockers were picked fourth in the American Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, while reigning regular season champion, Rice, was unanimously picked to win the conference.
 
THE COACH
Head coach Chris Lamb, WSU's all-time wins leader (549-275, .666), is in his 27^th season on the sideline. Lamb's 549 wins rank 19^th among active NCAA Division I coaches and first in the American Conference.
The 2017 national coach of the year, affectionately known as "Lambo", has guided the Shockers to 12 NCAA tournaments, highlighted by a run to the 2012 Sweet 16.
WSU has captured seven conference regular-season titles under Lamb's watch, most recently in 2017 when the Shockers finished conference play with a perfect 20-0 mark.
In 2023, Lamb led Wichita State to its first national postseason championship with a dominant run to the NIVC title.
Lamb recently guided the Shockers to a complete sweep of the 2024 American Conference Championship.