WSU volleyball tested in opening tournament, wins two of three games – Sunflower

After a exhibition game against Kansas State last week, where the Wichita State volleyball team pulled away after falling behind, head coach Chris Lamb challenged the Shockers to respond to stress.

They faced plenty of them at the season-opening Kennesaw State Invitational weekend in Kennesaw, Georgia. After a 3-1 comeback victory in the first game on Friday against Kennesaw State University, the Shockers played two games on Saturday, both of which went to five sets.

Wichita State lost to Indiana University, but bounced back in the rematch against Kennesaw State. After the final game of the weekend, Lamb seemed pleased with the team’s performance.

“They got off to a bad start, but they hung in there, and look, we’re going to reflect on this game throughout this season because we held it together,” he said.

Game one

In the first match of the regular season, the Shockers rallied for three straight sets to win, 3-1 (21-25), (25-17), (25-16), (25-19), in face Kennesaw State.

Wichita State was efficient on offense, managing a .436 hitting percentage – higher than any game last season – and just seven errors. The Owls hit .255 with 21 errors.

Junior outside hitter Emerson Wilford led the way with no errors and a career-high 15 kills. Fifth-year setter Izzi Strand played a complete game with six kills, four blocks, seven digs and 42 assists.

In the first set, the Owls held Wichita State to within 2 to 3 points throughout. It was by far the home team’s most effective offensive set, hitting .533. The Owls did not hit over .200 in either of the remaining sets as the Shockers raced out to a 6-2 lead in the second that they would not relinquish.

Kennesaw State fought back to take a 12-11 lead in the third frame, but a 7-0 Wichita State run put the set away. Again, the Owls started with their backs against the wall in set four, taking a 6-1 lead. The Shockers slowly chipped away at the lead, ending the game on an 11-2 run to open the season with a win.

Game two

Taking on an Indiana University team that received votes in the American Volleyball Association preseason poll. Wichita State fought valiantly but dropped the game in five sets (14-25), (25-18), (21-25), (25-12), (15-13).

Senior libero Annalie Heliste set a new career high with 16 digs, while senior middle blocker Morgan Stout led the way in kills (14) and blocks (5) with a .393 hitting percentage.

Wilford, redshirt freshman Alyssa Gonzales, junior outfielder Brooklyn Leggett and fifth-year middle blocker Sarah Barham were less effective, combining for a .167 hitting percentage and 16 errors. Lamb said he still wants to see improvement from a scoring standpoint.

“We held on for a while against Indiana, but as the game went on, the points went in their favor and we stayed because of defense, service and passing … we’re still looking for points,” he said. .

Wichita State continued the momentum of the Kennesaw State game in the first set, dispatching Indiana for a win. In the second frame, the teams were tied until Indiana went on a 7-1 run to open up a 20-14 lead.

In the third set, the Shockers took the lead back with five service aces, including two from Strand and Reagan Anderson’s free. Indiana responded with a blowout win in the fourth set to make it a close five.

Indiana went on a 6-0 run, aided by two hitting errors by Gonzales, to take a 9-6 lead. The Shockers battled back but were unable to tie it again as Indiana closed out the game with a kill by junior Candela Alonso-Corcelles.

Game three

Two hours after the nail-biter against Indiana, the Shockers found themselves in a second war against Kennesaw State. Unlike the morning game, the Shockers prevailed in a five-set victory (20-25), (24-26), (25-18), (25-17), (15-12).

Unlike the first game, both teams’ shots struggled to get through the defense. The Shockers hit .229 for the game while the Owls hit .173. Most points came down to long rallies waiting for one team to blink first.

Heliste broke her career high in digs set in the morning with a new high of 18. Leggett also set a career high with 17 kills on a .323 hitting percentage. Stout remained consistent with 15 kills and three errors.

Wilford also cracked double figures with 12 kills, albeit with seven errors and a team-leading .135 hitting percentage on 37 attempts.

The Shockers cruised through the first set with as many errors as kills. In the second set, the team performed better, but a 5-0 Owls run highlighted by two Wilford errors tied the period at 17, and the Owls eventually took the close set to pull away with victory.

The Shockers regained much more energy and cruised through the third and fourth sets to tie the game. The climactic fifth set, however, was tight throughout.

The Shockers benefited from two late calls, taking a 13-11 lead after an official review concluded that a Kennesaw State spike did not scratch Barham’s hand before landing out of bounds.

Two points later, the Shockers went to match point after the officials ruled that a Leggett kill narrowly touched the back line. After a long rally, the Shockers won the final point on another Leggett kill.

Lamb said scheduling challenges forced Wichita State to play a dumb doubleheader with one game against a team it had already played.

“Any coach would tell you that you put your team in a tough spot,” he said.

The Shockers will look to build on their resilient win on Wednesday, September 4 when they take on Kansas University in Lawrence. The match will start at 18:30