In 2023, Wichita State volleyball played back-to-back matches against SMU in the same week. The Shockers were swept in the first game but rallied to win the second.
A similar scenario has emerged after Friday night against Tulsa.
WSU lost to the Golden Hurricane at home for the first time since 1980 and simultaneously snapped a 13-game winning streak in four sets, 3-1.
“This game and this feeling reminds me a lot of my sophomore year,” libero Gabi Maas said, referring to the SMU games in 2023. “We played SMU, and we played them back-to-back, and we lost that first game on a Friday — we were brutal. I mean, we did not play well.
“The team had some words for each other after the game, and we were like, ‘We have to do better.’ We came out (and) beat SMU. This really reminds me of that, and the conversation we just had in the locker room.”
The Shockers (10-5, 2-1 American) travel to Tulsa (12-3, 2-1 American) Sunday to play their second-consecutive match against it. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m.
WSU won the first set by a score of 25-16, but faltered for three-straight frames to take the loss. After the first set, the Shockers’ energy drained as Tulsa piled it on.
The stats after the opening-set win speak for themselves. The Golden Hurricane led in multiple categories across the board.
Tulsa out-hit WSU .261-.203. Tulsa recorded 12 more assists at 60-48. It made 15 more digs at 69-54. It made 13 more kills than the Shockers, at 64-51.
“Honestly, we felt a little dead tonight, and just not really ourselves,” Maas said. “(McKenzie Jones) just said that we need to have more energy and not act like we died out there.”
A key turning point was when Tulsa switched to a 5-1 rotation at the beginning of the second set. The switch helped it win the next three sets by scores of 25-19, 32-30 and 25-14.
“This is the best Tulsa team I’ve seen,” WSU coach Chris Lamb said. “I don’t know how they were selling it to their players, but when they got the lead and they won that second set, they saw it like the Super Bowl and kept on going.”
The Golden Hurricane went on two 5-0 runs to take the second set, including one that ended it. WSU pushed set three into overtime, and the teams tied for the lead 13 times throughout it before Tulsa managed to pull away. Tulsa’s freshman Maegan Mills smacked three-straight kills in the final frame to end the match.
The switch to a 5-1 was unexpected for the Shockers, something Lamb said he hadn’t seen yet on film.
“They also were searching for something after the first set,” he said. “I’m sure they’ve been training for it, but this was the first time they’re like, ‘Let’s give this one a whirl.’ And look, it won three straight sets against us.”
It may have been the Golden Hurricane’s Super Bowl, but Maas believes it came down to WSU not looking like itself after the strong start. The team hit a combined .089 after it and made 18 of its 20 errors.
“I think that we just didn’t play up to our potential,” Maas said. “We know that Sunday, coming out, we just have to play our brand of volleyball, and continue to work at the things we know we need to get better at, and not take this loss as, ‘Our season’s over,’ but as this is the beginning of what we can really get to work on.”
There were bright spots, however. The Shockers did hit .429 with 17 kills and two errors in the first set, and it felt like the game was going to be short-lived.
WSU used multiple runs of 5-0 or greater to keep its advantage. Jones, a freshman outside hitter, provided sparks off the bench. She rattled off four kills in the first frame alone.
Jones ended the night with seven kills on a .385 hitting percentage. Lamb said she’s been developing swiftly over the past couple of weeks in practice.
“I couldn’t be more proud of how she’s just going out there, and she just seems unbreakable,” Lamb said.
Maas shared the sentiment.
“Kenzie surprises me every day,” she said. “I mean, you don’t see leadership and people talking out on the court as freshmen. It’s honestly really rare.”
Box score breakdown
Set wins 1 2 3 4 5
WSU X
Tulsa X X X
Scorelines
S1: 25-16 (WSU)
S2: 25-19 (Tulsa)
S3: 32-30 (Tulsa)
S4: 25-14 (Tulsa)
Leaders
Kills — WSU: Sydney Dunning (14), Brooklyn Leggett (10), Jenna Cubbage (7), Maddie Wilson (7), McKenzie Jones (7). Tulsa: Maegan Mills (20), Kat Cooper (14), Olivia Vance (11), Jill Hanson (9), Beth Bayless (8)
Assists — WSU: Jordan Heatherly (28). Tulsa: Brayden Hipp (52)
Digs — WSU: Gabi Maas (14), Sydney Dunning (10), Jordan Heatherly (6), Grace Hett (5), Sarah Musial (4). Tulsa: Brayden Hipp (19), Lauren Patterson (18), Brittany Bacorn (14), Lauren Eitler (5), Jill Hanson (4)
Points — WSU: Sydney Dunning (15.5), Brooklyn Leggett (12), Maddie Wilson (9.5), Jenna Cubbage (7), McKenzie Jones (7). Tulsa: Maegan Mills (22), Kat Cooper (15), Olivia Vance (12.5), Jill Hanson (11), Beth Bayless (8.5)
