Wichita State volleyball’s first American Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup was competitive for two sets before the Shockers took over. Wichita State beat the University of Memphis on the road, 3-1 (25-20), (24-26), (25-13), (25-16) on Wednesday night.
Wichita State, now 6-7 overall this season, beat the Tigers after hitting .333 as a team, the Shockers’ highest hitting percentage since August. Memphis’ record dropped to 6-7 on the season.
Wichita State opened up with a 3-point advantage in the first set but eventually trailed later on, 11-10. The Shockers then went on a 6-0 scoring run to take a 16-11 lead with the help of two service aces by senior libero Annalie Heliste as well as kills from junior outside hitters Brooklyn Leggett and Emerson Wilford.
The Tigers clawed back, eventually cutting Wichita State’s lead to 3 points three separate times, but the 5-point cushion created by the Shockers proved too much for the Tigers to handle. Wichita State took the set after hitting .324 as a team.
After trading 3-0 runs to start set two, the Shockers eventually led, 8-6, after a service ace from senior middle blocker Morgan Stout. Wichita State maintained its narrow advantage until Memphis went on a 3-0 run, taking a 16-14 lead.
Kills by freshman outside hitter Alyssa Gonzales and Wilford helped the Shockers tie the game at 18, but Memphis would go on a 3-0 run to take the lead. The teams continued trading the lead, eventually taking the set into extra points. Memphis ended the set on a 3-0 run to win it.
Memphis took an early 2-0 lead in set three, but the Shockers ripped off a 5-0 run of their own, taking a 5-2 advantage. A kill by fifth-year setter Izzi Strand helped Wichita State extend its lead to 6-points, 11-5.
Multiple big scoring runs for Wichita State helped the team take a 19-9 lead that eventually became a 12-point buffer for the Shockers, 23-11, as Wichita State ended the set hitting .481 and made 14 kills and a single attack error.
A Wilford kill helped the Shockers take a 5-0 lead out of the gates in set four, but the Tigers answered with a 3-0 run of their own. Kills by Wilford, Gonzales and Strand helped Wichita State open up a 6-point lead, 13-7.
The Shockers’ lead grew to 8-points after Strand’s seventh kill of the game, 20-12. Memphis came back and scored four unanswered points, 20-16, but Wichita State ended the game on a 5-0 scoring run capped off by Strand’s eighth kill of the game.
Wilford ended the game with a game and career-high 16 kills and hit .295 overall. Leggett was behind Wilford in kills with 10. Strand etched her fourth double-double of the season with 37 assists and a game-high 16 digs. She also added eight kills, tying her career-best mark.
With the win under its belt to start AAC play, Wichita State volleyball will play its first home conference game of the season on Friday, Sept. 27, against Temple University. The first serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Charles Koch Arena.
