On paper, it looked like Wichita State’s volleyball team was going to take care of Tulane. 

The Shockers rank third in the American Conference in kills; the Green Wave ranks ninth. Wichita State ranks fourth in points, Tulane ranks 11th.

But the game on Friday night was a competitive match between the teams, with the Shockers winning in four sets, 3-1.

After losing a heartbreaker to Rice last weekend, Wichita State head coach Chris Lamb was impressed with the team’s performance.

“It’s a lot to send me home going, ‘Okay, we found something. We’re good at it. We’re going to be tough to beat,’” Lamb said. “Tonight, it was like, ‘Don’t forget you’re doing sports for a living,’ and anything can happen.”

The Shockers’ record grew to 14-7 overall and 6-3 in the American Conference. Tulane’s record sank to 9-11 and 1-8.  

Wichita State narrowly won the hitting margin by .027. But the Shockers got more swings in, totaling 170 total attacks to Tulane’s 153. They also made eight more kills.

Redshirt senior right side Brooklyn Leggett hit a game-high 20 kills on a .474 hitting percentage. Averaging 0.74 kills a set this season, junior setter Jordan Heatherly snuck across three against the Green Wave and made a game-high three service aces.

“I thought that everyone behind me was giving me good ideas on where to score,” Leggett said about her performance. “Sometimes there’s some big blocks in front of me and I just have to figure out different ways to score off of that. But I have a great setter, Jordan, that sets me up for good situations.”

Wichita State will stay home for its next match against North Texas. First serve against the Mean Green is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m.

Tulane jumped out to an early lead in the first set, using a 4-1 run at the start to take an 11-8 advantage. A block by senior outside hitter Brooklyn Leggett and sophomore middle blocker Allie Paulsen amid a 4-1 Shockers run gave the home team its first lead of the match, 12-11. 

Wichita State maintained its lead throughout the remainder of the set, and a kill by junior middle blocker Maddie Willson ended it, 25-20. 

The beginning of the second set was played closely, with neither team gaining momentum. 

Then, the Shockers found a spark. A 5-0 scoring run helped Wichita State distance itself, 10-6. Tulane found life of its own and used a 5-0 run to take a 12-11 lead. 

Lamb called a timeout in the hope of ending the run, but the Green Wave scored two more unanswered points before it ended, 14-11. The Green Wave held on and surged for a 25-20 win.

Tulane kept its momentum from the second set midway through the third, taking a 15-14 lead. The Shockers immediately went on a 4-1 run to take the advantage, 16-15, and later used a 6-1 run to set up set point, 24-19.

After the Green Wave staved off Wichita State twice to stay alive, they committed an attacking error, 25-21.

The Shockers took a 13-8 lead in the fourth set, but Tulane went on a 6-1 run to tie the score at 14 and make Wichita State call its first timeout. Tulane scored four of the six points out of the timeout and forced another Shockers timeout. 

Out of it, Wichita State caught fire and went on a 7-0 run to retake the lead and get them on the doorstep of winning the match, 23-18. 

Lamb said he doesn’t remember doing anything unique out of the timeout, just remembering the scouting report.

“Nothing, no voodoo,” he said. “It was just, ‘This is what we’re seeing. Let’s just not be surprised.’”

Kills from Leggett and redshirt sophomore middle blocker Allie Paulsen later won the match, 25-20.  

Box score breakdown

Set wins       1   2   3   4   5

WSU              X       X   X 

Tulane               X              

Scorelines

S1: 25-20 (WSU)

S2: 25-20 (Tulane)

S3: 25-21 (WSU)

S4: 25-20 (WSU)

Leaders

Kills — WSU: Brooklyn Leggett (20), Sydney Dunning (14), Maddie Wilson (8). Tulane: Avery Burks (14), Lauryn Mack (12), Ava Derbes (7), Maddy McLin (7). 

Assists — WSU: Jordan Heatherly (35), Sarah Musial (7), Grace Hett (5). Tulane: Zoe Rachow (30), Dayla Ortiz (10), Lily Wedman (3)

Digs — WSU: Katie Galligan (17), Grace Hett (14), Jordan Heatherly (12). Tulane: Zoe Rachow (19), Dayla Ortiz (12), Avery Burks (11). 

Points — WSU: Brooklyn Leggett (21), Sydney Dunning (15), Maddie Wilson (11.5). Tulane: Avery Burks (14.5), Lauryn Mack (12), Ava Derbes (9).