COMPLETE NOTES • 2017 STATISTICS
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Four American Athletic Conference volleyball teams made postseason appearances in 2017 with No. 23 Wichita State advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament—hosting for the first time in program and conference history. UCF, SMU and Temple competed in the first National Volleyball Invitational Tournament since 1995, as the Knights and Owls each advanced to the second round.  Numerous records were broken and several milestones were reached by multiple programs across the conference this season.  
   
In their inaugural American Athletic Conference season, the Shockers became the second team to go undefeated in conference play, earning their 11th trip to the NCAA Tournament. In his 18th year at the helm of the program, head coach Chris Lamb guided his team to a record 20 conference victories. The Shockers won 32 consecutive sets from Oct 27 through December 1, which is the longest streak in league history. After being voted this year’s American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Lamb became the first coach in conference history to be named a regional ACVA Coach of the Year.
 
Wichita State’s explosive offense equated to multiple conference records. The Shockers were atop the league with 14.70 kills, 13.81 assists and 2.60 blocks per set. Their kills and assists per set broke the previous American records and ended the season ranked in the nation’s top 10. Wichita State also averaged a league-high .301 hitting percentage, while holding its foes to hitting a league-low .150—both of which are conference records.
 
The Shockers’ senior middle blocker Abbie Lehman was crowned conference Player of the Year and became the conference’s first Senior CLASS Award All-America honoree. Lehman set a conference record after hitting .541 in league play and also led The American with 1.55 blocks and 5.09 points per set. Lehman’s .441 overall hitting percentage through 33 matches ranks second all-time in The American and is at the top of the list in all-time career records. Wichita State senior setter Emily Hiebert was named unanimous Setter of the Year after leading the league with 12.11 assists per set. Her overall 11.50 assists per set rank third all-time in both single season and career records in the conference.
 
The Shockers’ legacy extended into their postseason when they earned the No. 16 seed and became the first American program to host an NCAA tournament match. Wichita State additionally became the second conference team to advance in the tournament after defeating Big South champion Radford 3-0 in the opening round. Wichita State then fell to Missouri in four sets to conclude its season with a 29-4 record.  
   
Posting a 15-5 conference record, SMU and Temple tied for second place in The American standings. Temple traveled to Morgantown, W.Va., for its first postseason appearance in 15 seasons. The Owls swept Campbell in the first round of the NIVC before falling to West Virginia in three sets to wrap up the year. Ending its season with a 20-10 record, Temple secured its fourth consecutive campaign with at least 20 wins. Four Owls earned all-conference nods. Senior setter Kyra Coundourides capped her career ranked third all-time in The American, averaging 10.66 assists per set throughout her career.
 
After competing in the NIVC, SMU (21-11) has made a postseason appearance for three straight years, while winning at least 20 matches for five consecutive seasons. The Mustangs capped their year with a 3-0 loss to Texas Tech in the NIVC first round. The Mustangs led the conference with 17.93 digs per set, which ranks second in conference history. Four SMU players made this year’s all-conference list.
 
UCF (20-14) won its final six conference matches to propel itself into the league’s top five and return to the postseason for the first time in two years. The Knights carried the energy into the first round of the NIVC to capture its second straight 20-win season with a 3-0 victory over UNC Greensboro. UCF then suffered a 3-0 loss to Georgia in the second round to end its year.
 
A first team all-conference honoree, senior outside hitter Kia Bright left her mark in conference history, ranking second all-time with 1,388 career kills. Classmates Taylor Wickey and Jordan Pingel joined her in The American history book. Wickey finished fourth with a .365 career hitting percentage, while Pingel is ranked third with 1,663 career digs. UCF led the league with 298 blocks, which is third all-time.
   
Originally picked to finish 11th in the American Athletic Conference preseason coaches’ poll, ECU registered a 13-7 conference record to take fourth place in league standings. The Pirates enjoyed a sensational year, earning their first 20-win season since 2005 and its first major conference award with setter Shelby Martin voted The American Freshman of the Year. Head coach Julie Torbett became the winningest coach in program history and surpassed the 400-win milestone. With a 22-11 overall record, ECU earned its most wins since the 1982 season. Senior middle blocker Natalie Montini earned a spot on this year’s first team all-conference list, as classmate Aston Mares moved to No. 1 in conference history with 101 career service aces.
   
Tulsa put up some big numbers on both offense and defense this year. Tulsa sophomore libero Taylor Horsfall broke the league record with 755 digs. Horsfall also averaged 6.04 digs per set, which is second all-time, fueling her team’s back row to a league-high 2,229 digs—the third-most in conference history. Horsfall was named The American Libero of the Year, as both her defensive marks ranked in the NCAA’s top 10 to end the year. 
 
In the front row, junior outside hitter Emily Thorson knocked down 525 kills and averaged 4.20 kills per set to lead the conference. Both these stats ended the year ranked in the nation’s top 30, as she joined Horsfall on the conference’s first team all-conference list. Her kills are the third-most recorded in an American season, while her kills per set rank fifth all-time. Thorson had a 30-kill performance against Memphis on Nov. 19, which are the most kills recorded in a four-set match in conference history.