Good morning, Shocker Nation.

Director of Athletics Kevin Saal is bullish on the year ahead! In a wide-ranging conversation with Denning Gerig, Saal outlined bold goals and shared updates on roughly $100 million in athletics capital projects.

What else are we mixing into today’s piping hot edition of the Shocker Brew? Find out below!

📈 Ranked & Ready
🎙️ Season Begins
🌾 And much, much more!

🔼 Ranked & Ready. Wichita State women's tennis opens the season with national recognition! Senior Xin Tong Wang enters 2026-27 ranked No. 117 in the ITA singles preseason rankings after a junior campaign that saw her climb to No. 73 and earn American Conference Player of the Year as a unanimous all-conference pick. Wang and partner Roselli also check in at No. 50 in doubles after claiming American Conference doubles champion honors last season!

🔼 Season Begins. Wichita State volleyball assistant coaches Ashleigh Houlton and Katie Zimmerman get fans ready for the season-opening Shocker Volleyball Classic, from breaking down the liberos and middle blockers to Chris Lamb's texting buddies and the mystery items in his famous fanny pack. It’s all on the latest episode of The Roundhouse Podcast.

🔼 Staff Promotion. Wichita State men's basketball head coach Paul Mills announced the promotion of Dusan Vicentic to assistant coach after the Serbia native spent last season as a graduate assistant. Vicentic brings five years of professional playing experience from Greece, Slovakia, and Japan, including leading Greece's National League 1 in scoring in 2024-25 at 23.4 points per game.

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How many times have Xin Tong Wang and Roselli appeared in the ITA doubles rankings?

Think you know the answer? Scroll to the bottom to find out!

*All times CT

Friday, Aug. 28
🏐 Volleyball vs. Stephen F. Austin | Shocker Volleyball Classic @ 6 p.m. | Tickets

Saturday, Aug. 29
🏐 Volleyball vs. Idaho State | Shocker Volleyball Classic @ 6 p.m. | Tickets

Sunday, Aug. 30
🏐 Volleyball vs. Missouri State | Shocker Volleyball Classic @ 12 p.m. | Tickets

Friday, Sept. 4
🏐 Volleyball @ Colorado @ 7 p.m. (Boulder, Colo.)

Saturday, Sept. 5
👟 Cross Country vs. JK Gold Classic | Men’s 6K @ 8 a.m. | Women’s 5K @ 8:30 a.m. | Meet Info
🏐 Volleyball vs. Northern Colorado @ 2 p.m. (Boulder, Colo.)

Tuesday, Sept. 8
🏐 Volleyball @ Kansas @ 6 p.m. (Lawrence, Kan.) | Live Stats

Friday, Sept. 11
🏐 Volleyball vs. Florida Gulf Coast @ 4 p.m. @ Missouri Tournament (Columbia, Mo.)

Saturday, Sept. 12
🏐 Volleyball vs. Arkansas State @ 10 a.m. @ Missouri Tournament (Columbia, Mo.)
🏐 Volleyball @ Missouri @ 4 p.m. @ Missouri Tournament (Columbia, Mo.) | Live Stats

🌾 Click here to see the full Wichita State Athletics Calendar

Answer: Four.

🌾 Have a great weekend, Shockers!