Volleyball faced two ranked opponents and another strong foe in a weekend tournament hosted in one of the best volleyball stadiums in the country, taking only one set from three games.
After the losses against #14 Arizona State University, Long Beach State and #5 University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Wichita State dropped to 3-6 on the season.
The Shockers have played the 18th toughest schedule in the country this season, having competed against four ranked opponents so far.
Vs. Arizona State
The Shockers were stifled in all three sets against #14 Arizona State on Thursday night (25-19), (25-12), (25-13).
Offensive efficiency, which has been a struggle for the team all season, continued to be an issue against the Sun Devils. Wichita State managed a .068 hitting percentage, the worst single-game mark for the Shockers since 2019.
The Shockers converted on just 25% of their attacks and committed 16 errors. No Wichita State player earned more than five kills, a mark reached by junior outside hitter Brooklyn Leggett.
Sophomore middle blocker Maddie Wilson made her much-awaited return to the court after being out with an injury last year. She finished the game with one kill and one block in two sets.
Wichita State took a 5-2 lead in the first set and remained competitive throughout the period, leading 15-13 later on. From there, ASU went on a 12-4 run to close out the set which would be the best chance Wichita State had to get something from the game.
Arizona State showed some dominance in the second set, running out to a 17-5 lead and closing the frame with five consecutive points. The third set followed a similar tone as the Sun Devils took a 14-5 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
After being stifled offensively in the first set, Arizona State combined for a .455 hitting percentage in the second and third sets, committing only three errors.
Vs. Long Beach State
The Shockers had their most winnable game on Friday afternoon against a Long Beach State team that, while 3-2 coming into the tournament, had not lost to an unranked team.
That run continued as the Beach beat Wichita State, 3-1 (25-19), (18-25), (25-20), (25-15).
While the Shockers regained some offensive form in the game, service errors were a problem. Wichita State committed 13 service errors, a season-high and most as a team since 2022. Wilson, making her first start as a Shocker, committed four such errors.
Junior outside hitter Emerson Wilford led the Shockers in offensive output and volume, racking up 13 kills on 40 attempts. Senior Morgan Stout had 10 kills on 21 attempts. Freshman outside hitter Gracie Morrow, making her first career start, set a career-high with eight kills.
Fifth-year setter Izzi Strand, facing off against a former Big West Conference foe, registered her first double-double of the season with 38 assists and 10 digs.
The Beach broke open the first set with a 5-0 run to take a 13-10 lead. The Shockers tied the set two times later on but were never able to regain the advantage. Long Beach State closed it out with a 4-0 run capped off by attack errors from Leggett and Wilson.
Wichita State attacked with efficiency in the second set, hitting a blistering .708 on 24 attempts. Long Beach State also set a game-high in hitting percentage during the set, but it wasn’t enough to withstand the Shocker barrage.
The teams traded leads in the third set before a 6-1 run gave the Beach a 21-17 advantage they wouldn’t relinquish. The Shockers beat themselves with seven service errors during the set.
Long Beach State took an 8-3 lead in the fourth set. Wichita State fought back, but a 5-0 run from the Beach gave them a seven-point advantage that they would only expand in the remainder of the frame.
Vs. Nebraska
Wichita State was squashed by the tournament hosts, #5 Nebraska, in front of a 8,541-person crowd on Saturday afternoon to close the tournament. The Shockers were swept by a similar score in all three sets (25-13), (25-12), (25-12).
The Cornhuskers were more efficient and better throughout the game, hitting .477 to the Shockers’ .096. The Nebraska hitting percentage is the highest from a Wichita State opponent since October 2021.
Wichita State never took a lead or tied in any set. The Shockers showed their best fight in the third set when they closed the deficit to 11-9, but Nebraska would rip off a 10-1 run to remove any doubt about the game’s outcome.
Wilford totaled 12 kills on a .206 percentage. She was the only Shocker to finish above four kills in the game. Wilford also led the way in blocks with four.
The other WSU outside hitters — Leggett, Morrow and redshirt freshman Alyssa Gonzales — had eight kills and eight errors for a .000 hitting percentage.
Senior libero Annalie Heliste led the team in digs across all three games, totaling 41 during the tournament.
Up next for Wichita State is three games against unranked opponents next weekend during the home Shocker Volleyball Classic in Charles Koch Arena.
