Release #4: SMU February 24, 2021 2012 Sweet 16 | 11 NCAA tournaments | 7 Conference Regular-Season Titles | 4 Conference Tournament Titles | 11 All-Americans Contact: Ryan Anderson | (316) 252-7295 | [email protected] Shocker Schedule/Results (7-0, 2-0 American) Shockers Welcome SMU to Charles Koch Arena Feb. 26-27; Annual Pink Match Feb. 26 Fri., Jan. 22 vs. South Dakota # W, 3-0 Sat., Jan. 23 vs. Oral Roberts # W, 3-0 This Week: After being idle for two weeks, the Wichita State University volleyball team (7-0, 2-0 Sun., Jan. 24 at Missouri State # W, 3-2 American) returns to action this Friday, Feb. 26, and Saturday, Feb. 27, with a pair of American Athletic Thurs., Feb. 4 North Texas W, 3-0 Conference matches against AAC West Division Preseason Favorite SMU (4-2, 0-2 American) at Charles Koch Arena. Friday’s contest is a 6 p.m. first serve, while Saturday’s match is slated to begin at noon. Fri., Feb. 5 North Texas W, 3-1 Friday’s contest is the annual Pink Match for breast cancer awareness. Thurs., Feb. 11 at Tulsa* W, 3-0 Fri., Feb. 12 at Tulsa* W, 3-1 Media Coverage: Both matches against SMU will air live on ESPN+ with Shane Dennis on the call. Thurs., Feb. 25 at Kansas State Postponed Fans can sign up for ESPN+ at WatchESPN.com ($4.99/month subscription required) ... Both contests will feature free, live stats at ShockerStats.com ... No live audio will be available for the SMU matches. Fri., Feb. 26 SMU* 6 p.m. Sat., Feb. 27 SMU* 12 p.m. Series History: Friday and Saturday’s matches vs. the Mustangs will be the 10th and 11th meetings Sat., Feb. 27 Kansas State Postponed in the all-time series dating back to 1996. SMU holds a narrow 5-4 lead in the series and has won the last Fri., March 5 Memphis* 7 p.m. four meetings against the Shockers. WSU’s last victory against SMU was in 2017 -- a 3-0 victory in Dallas, Texas. Sat., March 6 Memphis* 1 p.m. Fri., March 12 at Tulane* 7 p.m. About the Shockers: Wichita State enters the week at 7-0 overall and 2-0 in The American after Sat., March 13 at Tulane* 1 p.m. winning at Tulsa Feb. 11-12, 3-0 and 3-1 ... Wichita State’s seven-match winning streak marks its longest Thurs., March 18 Kansas 6 p.m. winning streak since 2017 when it won its opening seven contests ... Through seven contests, WSU is paced by sophomores Sophia Rohling (63 kills, 2.62 kills/set, .271 attack pct.), Nicole Anderson (71 kills, 3.23 Sat., March 20 at Kansas 4 p.m. kills/set, 64 digs, 2.91 digs/set), Kayce Litzau (141 assists, 5.64 assists/set, 12 service aces) and Sinalauli’i Fri., March 26 Houston* 7 p.m. Uluave (100 digs, 4.00 digs/set), and seniors Brooke Smith (20 block assists, 1 block solo, 0.95 blocks/set, Sat., March 27 Houston* 1 p.m. 38 kills, .360 attack pct.) and Emma Wright (15 block assists, 2 block solos, 0.85 blocks/set) ... As a team, Apr. 1-3 American Athletic Conference tournament the Shockers lead The American in opponent hitting percentage (.119), are tied for second in service aces (1.68 per set), rank fourth in hitting percentage (.228) and fifth in blocks (2.06 per set) ... In the latest NCAA national statistics, WSU ranks 18th in opponent hitting percentage ... Overall, Wichita State is averaging Home matches at Charles Koch Arena. 13.2 kills, 12.1 assists, 1.7 aces, 17.7 digs and 2.1 blocks per set. * American Athletic Conference match # Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational (Springfield, Mo.) Scouting SMU: The SMU Mustangs enter the week at 4-2 overall and 0-2 in American Athletic Conference action after dropping a pair of home matches against Houston Feb. 11-12, 3-0 and 3-2 ... Through six matches, the Mustangs are led by sophomore outside hitter Jadyn Bauss (102 kills, 4.25 American Athletic Conference tournament held at Fifth kills/set, .285 attack pct., 5 service aces, 88 digs, 3.67 digs/set), junior setter Lily Heim (180 assists, 11.25 Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. assists/set, 41 digs, 2.56 digs/set), junior libero Bria’ Merchant (7 service aces, 88 digs, 3.67 digs/set) and sophomore middle blocker Alex Glover (19 block assists, 4 block solos, 0.96 blocks per set) ... Heim was named to the AAC Preseason All-Conference Team ... The Mustangs rank third in The American in both All times Central. hitting percentage (.238) and kills (13.67 per set) and are fourth in digs (17.96 per set) ... SMU is under the direction of 25th season head coach Lisa Seifert. Weekly Honors: Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Brylee Kelly and sophomore libero Sinalauli’i American Standings Uluave were both named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll Feb. 15. Kelly averaged a team-best 3.43 kills and four points per set and hit .315 with 24 kills in Wichita State’s two wins at Tulsa, while Uluave averaged a team-high 4.86 digs per set and compiled 44 digs in WSU’s pair of victories over Division American Overall the Golden Hurricane. West Houston 4 0 1.000 7 1 .875 At the Top: Sophomore setter Kayce Litzau is tied for the American Athletic Conference lead with 12 Wichita State 2 0 1.000 7 0 1.000 services aces in seven matches. The Greendale, Wis., native has compiled at least one ace in six of Wichita Tulane 2 2 .500 4 7 .364 State’s seven contests, including a career-high five at Missouri State Jan. 24 and three vs. North Texas Feb. 4. SMU 0 2 .000 4 2 .667 Memphis 0 2 .000 3 3 .500 On the Wright Track: Senior middle blocker Emma Wright enters the week ranked 12th in career Tulsa 0 2 .000 0 2 .000 blocks per set at 0.91. The Phoenix, Ariz., native has two block solos and 15 block assists for 17 total blocks in East 20 sets this season. UCF 2 0 1.000 8 0 1.000 Cincinnati 2 0 1.000 4 3 .571 Leading the Attack: Redshirt junior outside hitter Megan Taflinger ranks 11th in career kills per set USF 3 1 .750 5 3 .625 (2.84) going into WSU’s contests against SMU. Temple 1 3 .250 5 3 .625 ECU 0 4 .000 1 4 .200 SHOCKER VOLLEYBALL 2 Pronunciations 2020-21 Wichita State Volleyball Roster 16 Marriah Buss – Like “bus” 1 Skylar Goering – Gearing No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown (Previous School) 1 Skylar Goering OH/OPP 5-11 R-Fr. Wichita, Kan. (Maize South) 5 Kayce Litzau – LITZ ow 2 Lexi Hogan OH 5-11 R-Jr. Garden City, Kan. (Hutchinson CC) 4 Lily Liekweg – LICK way 3 Brylee Kelly OH 6-1 R-So. Monee, Ill. (Peotone) 24 Hailey Plugge – PLUG-ee 4 Lily Liekweg L/DS 5-5 So. Janesville, Iowa (Janesville) 21 Megan Taflinger – TAFF ling er 5 Kayce Litzau S 5-10 So. Greendale, Wis. (Greendale) 10 Sina Uluave – U luh wah vey 6 Emma Wright MB 6-3 Sr. Phoenix, Ariz. (Sunnyslope) 14 McKayla Wuensch – Winsch 7 Nicole Anderson OH/OPP 6-0 So. Richardson, Texas (Plano East) 9 Sophie Childs RS/OH 6-3 Fr. Tulsa, Okla. (Bixby) 10 Sinalauli’i Uluave OH/OPP 5-11 So. La’ie, Hawaii (Punahou School) AAC Weekly Honors 11 Natalie Foster MB/RS 6-4 Fr. Mattawan, Mich. (Mattawan) Nicole Anderson -- Offensive Player of the Week, Jan. 25 12 Lauren McMahon MB 6-3 Fr. Dallas, Texas (Highland Park) Sophia Rohling -- Weekly Honor Roll, Feb. 8 13 Lauren Phillips S 6-0 Fr. Stillwater, Okla. (Stillwater) Brylee Kelly -- Weekly Honor Roll, Feb. 15 14 McKayla Wuensch S 5-9 Sr. Algonquin, Ill. (Nevada) 15 Morgan Stout MB 6-1 Fr. Fowler, Kan. (Nickerson) Sinalauli’i Ulave -- Weekly Honor Roll, Feb. 15 16 Marriah Buss OH 6-0 Fr. Lincoln, Neb. (Lincoln Lutheran) 17 Kylie Marneris L 5-5 Fr. Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (Timberlake) 20 Sophia Rohling OPP 6-3 So. Thayer, Kan. (Neodesha) 21 Megan Taflinger OH 6-0 R-Jr. Leona Valley, Calif. (Quartz Hill) General 22 Morgan Weber OH 5-11 Fr. Dike, Iowa (Dike-New Hartford) Name of School: Wichita State University 23 Shea Lauria L/DS 5-5 R-Fr. Colgate, Wis. (Brookfield East) City/Zip: Wichita, Kansas 67260-0018 24 Hailey Plugge S 6-0 Fr. Bakersfield, Calif. (Frontier) Founded: 1895 (as Fairmount College) 25 Brooke Smith MB 6-3 Sr. Goddard, Kan. (Eisenhower) Enrollment: 15,500 (fall 2020) 26 Bryn Stansberry L 5-3 Jr. Bennington, Neb. (Iowa Western CC) Nickname: Shockers Head Coach: Chris Lamb (Sonoma State, 1998/21st season) School Colors: Black and Yellow Associate Head Coach: Sean Carter Arena Name: Charles Koch Arena Assistant Coaches: Chelsea Scott, Mike Steele Affiliation/Conference: NCAA Division I/American Director of Operations: Shannon Lamb Interim President: Dr. Richard Muma Athletic Trainer: Kat Hollowell Athletics Director: Darron Boatright Athletic Dept. Phone: (316) 978-3251 New Faces: Wichita State has 10 newcomers to the 2020-21 roster, including nine freshmen and one junior transfer. Freshmen include Sophie Childs (RS/OH), Natalie Foster (MB/RS), Lauren McMahon (MB), Lauren Phillips (S), Morgan Stout (MB), Marriah Buss (OH), Kylie Marneris (L), Morgan Weber History (OH) and Hailey Plugge (S). Bryn Stansberry (L) is WSU’s junior transfer.