Last year, Southern Methodist University (SMU) and Wichita State finished at the top of the American Athletic Conference volleyball standings. A year later, the Shockers will take on the Mustangs in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
SMU moved to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the offseason, finishing fourth in the regular season standings at 16-4 in the ACC and 24-7 overall. The Mustangs were ranked #10 nationally to close the season and received a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Wichita State will travel to SMU’s home court, Moody Coliseum in Dallas, for the game, which will take place on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.
Wichita State and SMU are tied, 8-8, in their all-time series, with the teams splitting wins in their two annual games in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The Shockers knocked off the Mustangs, 3-1, in their last matchup in Dallas. That was SMU’s only conference loss last season. The Mustangs went on to win a game in the NCAA Tournament and were knocked out in the second round.
The game will see SMU middle blocker Natalie Foster reunited with her former WSU teammates. Foster played her first three seasons at Wichita State. After leading the Shockers in points and hitting percentage last year, she transferred to Dallas for her final year of eligibility.
This year, Foster racked up 119 blocks and 193 kills on a .359 hitting percentage, a mark better than any Wichita State hitter this year.
The Shockers struggled to replace Foster and other departing players’ offensive production for much of this season. The team limped into the AAC Tournament on two consecutive losses to close an underwhelming regular season but swept all three games of the tournament in Charles Koch Arena to clinch an NCAA bid.
Wichita State ranks 121st nationally in hitting percentage, while SMU ranks 28th.
The winner of the WSU/SMU game will take on the winner between the University of Missouri and Texas State University on Friday at 7 p.m.
