WICHITA STATE (5-6, 0-0 American)
Friday, Sep. 23 (7:00 p.m. CT) vs. Temple (6-5, 0-0 American)
Wichita, Kansas (Charles Koch Arena)
Live Stats // Watch
Sunday, Sep. 25 (12:00 p.m. CT) vs. East Carolina (5-7, 0-0 American)
Wichita, Kansas (Charles Koch Arena)
Live Stats // Watch
SCOUTING THE OWLS:
SCOUTING THE PIRATES:
The Shocks cannot afford to lose to either one of these teams. If they do, then this will be a long season.
Friday, Sep. 23 (7:00 p.m. CT) vs. Temple (6-5, 0-0 American)
Wichita, Kansas (Charles Koch Arena)
Live Stats // Watch
Sunday, Sep. 25 (12:00 p.m. CT) vs. East Carolina (5-7, 0-0 American)
Wichita, Kansas (Charles Koch Arena)
Live Stats // Watch
SCOUTING THE OWLS:
- After struggling to a 7-24 campaign a season ago, Temple is off to a strong start in 2022 with a record of 6-5 entering conference play. The Owls have one common opponent with the Shockers, falling in straight sets against then-20th-ranked Kansas in early September.
- Head coach Linda Hampton-Keith is in her first season in Philadelphia, succeeding longtime Owls head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam. Hampton-Keith comes to Temple after a successful stint as an assistant coach at Louisville, where she helped the Cardinals reach the 2021 NCAA Final Four. She also has previous head coach experience at North Carolina State.
- The Owls have battled to a winning record despite struggling to get on the scoreboard consistently. As a team, Temple ranks last in the American Athletic Conference with a .172 hitting percentage, eight points worse than the next-lowest team. Taylor Davenport supplies most of the offensive firepower, averaging better than four kills per set.
- Samantha Jo Mikosky paces the conference with 1.22 blocks per set, and former AAC Libero of the Year Falanika Danielson is top ten in digs per set.
SCOUTING THE PIRATES:
- The Pirates enter the weekend with a record of 5-7, coming off a 1-2 showing at the Virginia Tournament in Charlottesville. East Carolina seeks to bounce back from a 9-20 mark in 2021, including a 5-15 record in AAC play.
- ECU picked up wins against Furman and Norfolk State at their home tournament to open the season, then added a pair of W's against Navy and Old Dominion in Norfolk before wrapping up the Virginia Tournament with a victory over Mercer.
- Like Temple, East Carolina's offense is in search of a spark. The Pirates head into play on Friday last in the conference in both assists per set (10.09) and kills per set (11.00).
- The Pirates do supplement a lack of conventional scoring prowess with excellent serving numbers and a strong block. Payton Evenstad leads the circuit with 20 service aces (0.44 per set), and the Pirates are second in the AAC as a team in that category. ECU is third in blocks per set at 2.37, just 0.06 behind Wichita State.
- Head coach Adler Augustin is now in his third season at the helm of the Pirates following a stint as an assistant at Stephen F. Austin.
The Shocks cannot afford to lose to either one of these teams. If they do, then this will be a long season.
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