Before the season, Wichita State volleyball head coach Chris Lamb said the team might have to win by “being better at defense and outlasting people.” That seemed to be the approach during the weekend’s Wooo Pig Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where the Shockers won one of two games.
Wichita State lost to the #21 University of Arkansas, 3-0, on Friday but beat the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 3-1, the next day.
Wichita State sits at 3-3, still searching for a marquee win after falling short last week against Indiana University and failing to take a set off of the #13 University of Kansas or Arkansas this week.
Vs. Arkansas
The Shockers faced their second consecutive ranked opponent on Friday night, taking on #21 Arkansas and losing in three sets by similar scores (25-19), (25-18), (25-18).
Wichita State set a new season-low in offensive efficiency, hitting just .114 in the game. It was the third-worst mark for the team dating back to last year.
The Shockers registered 33 kills on 114 attempts, good for a 29% mark which is the team’s worst in nearly a calendar year. The team added 20 errors for an ignominious offensive performance. Arkansas also doubled Wichita State in service aces, with eight to the Shockers’ four.
The Razorbacks set the tone early, taking a 6-1 lead in the first set. Wichita State would go on a run to close the gap to three, 22-19, but Arkansas closed the set with a kill and two consecutive blocks.
The first period was the worst offensive showing from both teams, as Wichita State hit .000 and Arkansas settled at .179.
The second set featured numerous big runs. Arkansas had a 7-2 stretch to open a 14-9 lead, followed immediately by an 8-2 Wichita State response to take a 17-16 lead of their own.
Arkansas would have the last laugh, closing the set with a 9-1 run that featured four Wichita State attack errors.
The third set never felt in doubt, as Arkansas ran out to a 7-2 lead they wouldn’t relinquish to close the game.
Senior middle blocker Morgan Stout led the way with 12 kills and three blocks. Freshman Gracie Morrow, seeing her first collegiate action, had six kills, albeit with four errors.
Wichita State’s outside hitters — Morrow, juniors Brooklyn Leggett and Emerson Wilford and redshirt freshman Alyssa Gonzales — combined for 18 kills, 16 errors and a .031 hitting percentage.
Vs. Little Rock
On Saturday afternoon, the Shockers saw some improved performances and outlasted Little Rock (25-19), (25-22), (21-25), (25-19).
Leggett matched her career-high kills with 15, and Gonzales set a new high with 13. Teams continued hitting at Wilford, who had eight kills, eight digs and four blocks. Stout, as consistent as ever, chipped in with 12 kills on a .333 percentage.
Senior libero Annalie Heliste put in a career performance with 22 digs, seven assists and three aces, all matching or exceeding her previous high marks. Fifth-year setter Izzi Strand also set season-high marks with 47 assists and eight digs.
Little Rock, undefeated at 5-0 going into the game, hit only .168 as a team.
Early in the first set, it looked like a repeat of the Arkansas loss. Wichita State committed a service error and three consecutive attack errors to fall behind, 8-4.
The Shockers rebounded, eventually taking the lead, 18-17, and closing the set with four straight blocks.
Fifth-year middle blocker Sarah Barham, making her return to the starting lineup after playing in only one set between the Kansas and Arkansas games, contributed to all of the rejections. She wound up leading the team with eight blocks.
The second set was close all the way through. It looked like Wichita State would be able to breathe easily, opening a 23-19 lead late, but Little Rock responded with three straight points. A Little Rock error and kill from Stout shut the door.
Little Rock avoided a sweep by taking set three, running out to a 9-3 lead early. The Shockers would pick away at the margin, eventually cutting the gap to 22-21, Little Rock. The Trojans finished the set with three straight points, however.
The fourth set mirrored the third. This time, the Shockers would run out to a 19-9 lead. On the brink, Little Rock responded with a 9-1 run. Gonzales stemmed the bleeding with a kill to take a 21-18 lead, and Wichita State closed out the game on a 5-1 run.
The Shockers will take on some top teams in one of the best volleyball stadiums in the country next week when they attend the Nebraska classic.
