Shockers prepare for 3-match weekend in Nebraska

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Easton Thompson

Shocker’s starting lineup prepares for their first set against Kansas University on Aug. 17 in Charles Koch Arena.

The Wichita State volleyball team travels to Nebraska this weekend for another set of marquee matchups with nationally-ranked teams.

Last weekend, the Shockers saw two top-25 teams, No. 3 Texas and No. 13 BYU, in the Shocker Volleyball Classic. This weekend, WSU travels to Omaha to participate in the Creighton Classic with matches against No. 15 Creighton and Wyoming. The team will travel from Omaha to Lincoln on Saturday with a matchup against the No. 1 team in the country, Nebraska.

After this weekend, the Shockers will have faced a total of five top-25 teams so far in the young season. Overall, WSU has a 24-40 record against the three teams they will play this weekend.

Here’s what to know about the team’s the Shockers will be seeing in the Cornhusker state:

 

No. 15 Creighton

The first team Wichita State will see in the Creighton Classic is the hosts themselves. The Bluejays enter the tournament with a 5-3 overall record and ranked as the No. 15 team in the country.

Through eight matches, Creighton is led on offense by outside hitter Keeley Davis who has recorded 83 kills on .184 hitting. Setting up the hitters is senior Madelyn Cole who has 325 assists and racks up 10.48 assists per set. Senior libero Brittany Witt has a team-high 154 digs.

As a team, the Bluejays are out hitting their opponents 413-376. They’re also hitting .197 as a team. Defensively, Creighton has tallied 48.5 blocks this season.

 

Wyoming

A matchup with Wyoming rounds out the Creighton Classic for the Shockers. The Cowgirls come into the match with a 4-5 overall record with their biggest wins against Northern Colorado and Buffalo.

Through nine matches, the Cowgirls are led by outside hitter KC McMahon who has 90 kills on the year. Setter Mackenzie Coates leads the team with 288 assists and libero Madi Fields leads the team with 152 digs. On defense, middle blocker Faith Waitsman has 26 blocks this year.

As a team, the Cowgirls are hitting .225 on the season and are being out hit by their opponents 475-426.

 

No. 1 Nebraska

The Shockers wrap up their weekend with a marquee matchup against the No. 1 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday. Nebraska comes into the weekend with a 7-1 overall record after losing to No. 2 Stanford on Wednesday.

Through their first seven matches, the Cornhuskers are led by outside hitter Lexi Sun who has recorded 105 kills on .287 attacking. Setter Nicklin Hames has 259 assists and true freshman libero Kenzie Knuckles has a team-high 106 digs. On defense, middle blocker Lauren Stivrins four solo blocks and 28 block assists. She also has 56 kills herself.

As a team, Nebraska was hitting .245 through seven matches and were out hitting their opponents 338-290.