Volleyball finishes 4-1 in Shocker Classic

The Wichita State volleyball team came out of the Shocker Volleyball Classic 4-1, defeating all opponents except No. 7 Illinois.

The Shockers opened the tournament Thursday afternoon against South Dakota State, winning three sets 25-9, 25-9 and 25-22.

Middle hitter Abbie Lehman led the charge against the Jackrabbits with 11 kills and hitting .647 percent.

Later that evening, the Shockers continued the tournament against Northern Illinois. The shockers fell in the first set 24-26, but came back to win three consecutive sets 25-23, 25-16 and 25-17. At the forefront of the match was outside hitter Jenny Whitledge, who racked up 16 kills and 19 digs. Four Shockers hit double-digit kills against the Huskies.

The tournament resumed the following day with the Shockers facing off No. 21 Kentucky. While the Shockers came back from behind to win the first set of the match and fighting to win a close second set, Kentucky came back to win the third set 25-15. Neither team lost momentum in the fourth set; the Shockers managed to pull out a 25-23 victory, leading to a fifth set.

Kentucky captured an early 4-1 lead in the fifth set, prompting the Shockers to take a timeout. The Shockers returned with energy and managed to bring a 12-11 lead, leading to a Kentucky timeout. Two aces by sophomore setter Emily Hiebert and a kill by senior middle blocker Katie Reilly brought the shockers to a 15-12 victory.

The Shockers started off Saturday, the final day of the tournament, sweeping Texas State in three sets, 25-25, 25-22 and 25-18.

Wichita State entered their final match later in the day against Illinois. The Shockers could not seem to keep their momentum up against the Illini and fell 19-25, 13-25 and 13-25.

The Shockers are expected back on the court this Friday at the Marquette Invitational in Milwaukee.