Volleyball loses to Florida Atlantic, bounces back with win against Memphis

Jacob Unruh, Reporter • November 2, 2023

Morgan Weber cheers from the sidelines after the Shockers score a point in the fourth set. Weber scored 14 digs throughout the four sets she played on Oct. 20.

Wichita State volleyball played twice on the road this weekend, losing to Florida Atlantic on Friday but beating Memphis on Sunday.

Vs Florida Atlantic

The Shockers’ seven match win streak came to an end against Florida Atlantic on Oct. 27, as they dropped a tight five-set match against the Owls (25-23 FAU, 25-21 WSU, 25-22 FAU, 25-18 WSU, 15-10 FAU).

The first set was tied 23-23 before consecutive Florida Atlantic kills clinched a win. The second set was another close one, but ended with a Wichita State win after a 7-1 Shocker run.

Wichita State continued their momentum by taking a lead early in the third set, but FAU came back to take a 2-1 lead in the match. The Shockers ran away with the fourth set with help from 4 kills by junior blocker Morgan Stout. However, FAU controlled the decisive fifth set from the jump, clinching the match victory.

Sophomore hitter Emerson Wilford led Wichita State with a new career-high 15 kills, while junior blocker Natalie Foster tallied 14. Senior setter Izzi Strand led the team with 51 assists and sophomore libero Gabi Maas had 20 digs.

Vs Memphis

On Oct. 29, the Shockers bounced back from the earlier disappointing loss by coming out on the winning side of a five-set affair against Memphis (25-14 WSU, 25-22 Memphis, 27-25 WSU, 25-19 Memphis, 15-11 WSU).

While the first set was controlled by the Shockers and the second by Memphis, the third set provided some back-and-forth action. Stout registered her first ace of the season to give Wichita State a 25-24 lead and after Memphis evened the score, Wilford clinched the set with consecutive kills.

The Tigers won the fourth set despite a late Wichita State charge. The Shockers were able to seal the match in the final set with a 7-1 run, being helped by a few Memphis errors.

Stout had a career day during the match. She registered a career-high 17 kills, including 8 in the second set, a new set-high for all Shockers on the season. It was also a relatively mistake-free day for Stout because she had only one error.

Wilford clinched a double-double with 13 kills and 14 digs. Senior opposite Sophia Rohling contributed with 14 kills of her own, and Strand yet again led the way with 50 assists.

The Shockers are now 16-6 on the season and 10-2 in conference play. A four-match homestand awaits the team, with North Texas first up. Wichita State plays them on Friday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m.

About the Contributors

Jacob Unruh, Sports Editor

Jacob Unruh is the sports editor for The Sunflower. He is a senior at Wichita State, majoring in journalism and minoring in political science. Unruh is pursuing journalism after graduation. This is his second year on staff. He goes by he/him pronouns.

Kristy Mace, Photographer

Kristy Mace is a photographer for The Sunflower. Mace served as the photo editor during the 2023-2024 year. She's majoring in psychology. Mace hopes to go on to get her Ph.D. and become a neuropsychologist. She does professional photography aside from The Sunflower.