After a grueling offseason with departures from many top players, the Wichita State volleyball team will be tested both at home and on the road this season with nationally-known talent.

In total, the Shockers will host 12 home games and have 12 non-conference matchups. The team will play 16 American Athletic Conference matches, and nine games against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament a year ago. This includes non-conference home clashes with 2018 Final Four participant BYU, Sept. 12, and top-five ranked Texas on Sept. 14.

On the road, WSU will face national power Penn State on Aug. 31, and will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska for a chance to knock off the Cornhuskers, who lost in last season’s national title game.

Before starting the official season with six straight road matchups, Wichita State will host Kansas on Aug. 17 for its preseason exhibition match.

WSU will participate in three non-conference tournaments, the Penn State Classic, Cal Poly Tournament, and the Shocker Volleyball Classic. The Shocker Volleyball Classic runs from Sept. 12-14, and features BYU, Texas, VCU, and Wichita State.

Conference play gets started on Sept. 27 against Tulsa in Oklahoma. The Shockers conference home opener is against Cincinnati, who qualified for the NCAA Tournament a year ago, on Sept. 29. WSU will also host last season’s AAC undefeated champion UCF on October 18.

The inaugural AAC Conference Tournament is scheduled for Nov. 22-24 in Orlando, Florida.