WICHITA STATE (6-16, 3-7 American) vs. NORTH TEXAS (11-10, 4-6 American)
Friday, Oct. 30, 2026 | 6:00 p.m.
Wichita, Kan. | Charles Koch Arena
TV: ESPN+
Monster Match: Pre-match trick-or-treating on the concourse, free candy bucket provided by AR Roofing for the first 300 kids
 
WICHITA STATE vs. FLORIDA ATLANTIC (14-7, 7-3 American)
Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026 | Noon
Wichita, Kan. | Charles Koch Arena
TV: ESPN+
Serve Up Thanks: $8 general admission tickets and canned food drive supported by Dillons for the Shocker Support Locker

SCENE SETTERS
The Shockers return home with an opportunity to climb the American Conference standings as they are set to face North Texas on Friday and Florida Atlantic on Sunday in Charles Koch Arena.
Wichita State is coming off a 1-1 weekend in North Carolina where they pushed one of the top teams in the conference to five sets at East Carolina before picking up a four-set win at Charlotte.
Three of the Shockers' early losses came 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 15.71, led by Gabi Maas, who leads the conference with 321 digs and an average of 3.87 per set.
Maas was named the American Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 26 following a 49-dig weekend where she averaged a conference-high 5.44 digs per set.
Maddie Wilson has been the Shockers' most efficient attacker, hitting .366 this season to rank third in the conference. In conference play, she is hitting .407 with 113 kills. Wilson also ranks seventh in the conference in blocks per set, averaging 1.04 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 2.90, ranking 11^th in the conference. Wilson (2.45), Janaya Weitkemper (2.38), Olivia Cohee (2.10) and Jenna Cubbage (1.93) give the Shockers a balanced attack.
The Shocker offense is orchestrated by setters Jordan Heatherly and Addie Oeth, who are averaging 5.80 and 4.29 assists per set, respectively.
 
STREAKS AND TRENDS
Jones has finished with double-digit kills in 10 of the last 11 outings, including the last seven straight.
Wilson has hit above .500 four times this season and over .400 eight times.
Maas has recorded 20 or more digs in four of the last six matches and has led the team in digs in 13 of last 14 matches.

LAST TIME OUT
Wichita State volleyball picked up its first road win of the season, earning a four-set victory over Charlotte Sunday at Halton Arena, taking the match 25-17, 25-23, 21-25, 25-19. The Shockers finished with 60 kills and a .202 hitting percentage while limiting the 49ers to a .135 clip. Wichita State also recorded nine total blocks and 88 digs. Maddie Wilson and Olivia Cohee led the Shockers with 13 kills apiece, a career high for Cohee. Wilson hit .379 and added five blocks, while Cohee contributed five blocks and 10 digs for her third double-double of the season. McKenzie Jones added 11 kills, and Janaya Weitkemper finished with 10. Jordan Heatherly paced the offense with 26 assists and added 18 digs, her sixth double-double of the season. Gabi Maas led the back row with 24 digs, while Addie Oeth chipped in 21 assists.
 
SERIES VS. NORTH TEXAS
The teams meet for the 20^th time in program history with Wichita State leading the series, 12-7, including a 1-3 record since joining the American Conference and a 5-3 record in Wichita. North Texas won the first matchup of 2025 in five sets in Charles Koch Arena, but the Shockers came back and swept the Mean Green in the quarterfinals of the 2025 American Conference Tournament.
 
SCOUTING THE MEAN GREEN
Led by 22^nd-year head coach (second at UNT), Dave Fleming, North Texas is 11-10 (4-6 American), coming off a 1-1 home weekend where they fell to Rice in five sets before defeating UAB in five sets. The Mean Green are led by Jahniya Jackson, who ranks seventh in the conference in kills per set with 3.07. North Texas was picked sixth in the American Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, and Loredana Fouonji was named to the preseason all-conference team.
 
SERIES VS. FLORIDA ATLANTIC
The teams meet for just the fifth time in program history with Wichita State leading the series, 3-1, including a 2-0 record in Charles Koch Arena. The Owls' one win over Wichita State came in 2023 when they claimed a five-set win in Boca Raton.
 
SCOUTING THE OWLS
Led by 15^th-year head coach, Fernanda Nelson, Florida Atlantic is 14-7 (7-3 American), coming off a 1-1 weekend where they fell to South Florida in five sets on the road before defeating Memphis in five sets at home. The Owls rank second in the conference in team assists (1,051), averaging 12.22 per set, and team kills (1,137), averaging 13.22 per set. Setter Maya Van Heyst ranks second in the conference in total assists with 824, averaging third third-most per set with 9.58. Libby Ashline holds the second-best attack percentage in the conference, hitting .373 this season. Florida Atlantic was picked fifth in the American Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, and Olivia Hart was named to the preseason 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, Olivia Cohee, and Janaya Weitkemper have stepped into prominent roles. Jones, who appeared in 16 matches and recorded 67 total kills in 2025, now leads the Shockers. Cubbage appeared in just eight matches in 2025, recording 30 kills during the whole season, Cohee appeared in six matches in 2025 and recorded 16 kills, and Weitkemper appeared in six matches, recording 12 kills in 2025.
 
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 15 times this season, including a season-high 25 at Tulsa and again at East Carolina.
 
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 (551-277, .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.