One of the hardest feats to accomplish in volleyball is to come back and force a fifth set after falling in the first two. What’s even harder is to win the fifth set and come out victorious.
Wichita State accomplished one of those tasks Sunday afternoon against North Texas, as it rallied to win sets three and four and force a tiebreaker. But the Shockers couldn’t complete the reverse-sweep, losing the match 3-2 (23-25, 20-25, 25-14, 25-23, 16-14).
“We’re all getting in the car today, acting completely different,” head coach Chris Lamb said. “They might be dumping water on me if it’s the other way around.”
Wichita State (14-8, 6-4 American) looked out of sorts for the first two sets, hitting .195 and .114 in both of them. The Shockers tallied only 26 of their 62 kills — and nearly half of their errors — during them.
Then, they made the switch from a 6-2 rotation to a 5-1 and backed North Texas (17-5, 7-3) into a corner to win the next two. During the third and fourth sets, Wichita State hit .270 and .158 and held the Mean Green to hitting percentages of -.044 and .149, respectively.
The Shockers used multiple 6-0 runs in the third set to open up a 23-12 advantage. Junior outside hitter Sydney Dunning sent it to set point and a North Texas attack error won Wichita State the set, 25-14.
The fourth set was highlighted by a kill from redshirt sophomore middle Allie Paulsen, which erupted the home crowd, 23-22. The Shockers eventually won the set on the tail end of a 4-1 scoring run, 25-23.
“I’m proud of the 5-1,” Lamb said. “I mean, we were below 17 points a game after one and two … We played better volleyball (in the third and fourth sets) and the 5-1 was a part of that.”
Statistically, the teams were evenly matched in hitting and assists, but North Texas’ blocking — especially in high-pressure moments — proved to be the difference.
The Shockers hit .178 for the game, and North Texas hit .162. Wichita State made five fewer assists (64-to-59) and had more service aces (5-to-3).
But over the course of the game, the Mean Green made three more total blocks than Wichita State, 15-12. Nearly half of the Shockers’ errors came from North Texas blocks.
“When you consider that half of our errors are getting blocked — our ratio needs to be a third,” Lamb said. “That’s an issue for Wichita State.”
The Shockers took a 6-1 lead to start the fifth set, but during an 8-1 North Texas run, the Mean Green blocked an attack that tied the game at six. North Texas later went up by two points, 12-10, following another block.
Redshirt senior right side Brooklyn Leggett admitted that that can get frustrating.
“It also comes back to like it’s in our control,” she said. “So, can’t really be too frustrated about it when you’re the one swinging. I thought they made some good plays, so that’s always frustrating, no matter what team you’re playing.”
Despite the loss, Leggett said the team can use it as a rallying point going into the remainder of the schedule.
“A lot of teams at this point in the season are either going up in their practices or down,” Leggett said. “And I feel like this honestly could motivate our team, and I could see this really taking our practices up and helping improve the rest of our season.”
Getting by blocks next week will be a step forward. Getting more players involved in the offense will be another.
“There were just some critical moments that we failed to handle,” Leggett said. “I think we’re going to be ready for FAU and South Florida next week after this. I think we’re ready to come back.”
Lamb thought the offense took a baby step forward in regard to getting more players involved against North Texas, however.
“Emerson (Wilford) played a really good match. Her hitting .242, that’s helping us a lot,” Lamb said. “I thought while we didn’t set her enough, Maddie’s (Wilson) .364 today — 12 (kills) on 22 (attacks), over 50% kills as an M1 half the match — that was a bright spot.”
Wichita State’s match against FAU is scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m. in Boca Raton, Fla. It plays against South Florida Sunday at noon in Tampa, Fla.
Box score breakdown
Set wins 1 2 3 4 5
WSU X X
North Texas X X X
Scorelines
S1: 25-23 (UNT)
S2: 25-20 (UNT)
S3: 25-14 (WSU)
S4: 25-23 (WSU)
S5: 16-14 (UNT)
Leaders
Kills — WSU: Sydney Dunning (18), Brooklyn Leggett (16), Maddie Wilson (12), Emerson Wilford (11). UNT: Lilly Croshaw (17), Jahniya Jackson (15), Reagan Bedell (14).
Assists — WSU: Jordan Heatherly (49), Sarah Musial (4), Katie Galligan (3), Grace Hett (3). UNT: Sidney Soria (32), Alexa Washington (21), Dakota Mitchell (8).
Digs — WSU: Grace Hett (23), Brooklyn Leggett (16), Katie Galligan (12). UNT: Alessandra Romo (17), Dakota Mitchell (12), Reagan Bedell (12), Alexa Washington (12).
Points — WSU: Sydney Dunning (18.5), Brooklyn Leggett (18), Maddie Wilson (15), Emerson Wilford (12). UNT: Lilly Croshaw (19), Jahniya Jackson (18), Reagan Bedell (16), Loredana Fouonji (11), Ryann Vik (10).
