A clash between undefeated American Athletic Conference teams ended with Rice University taking a hard-fought five-set win in Charles Koch Arena.
Wichita State dropped to 8-8 overall and 3-1 in the AAC after the Sunday afternoon loss (25-23), (18-25), (22-25), (25-15), (15-10). Rice improved to 9-4 overall.
“We had our chances,” WSU head coach Chris Lamb said. “And when it was time to sort of get it right, we did it. They (Rice) switched some things around and then in the … fourth and fifth (sets), they hit .417 and .550 … so when they switched their offense, they definitely ran away.”
The Shockers finished with a .189 hitting percentage for the game, their first mark under .300 in conference play. Rice was at a similar pace for most of the game before the strong displays in sets four and five put them at .246 for the game.
A kill from sophomore middle blocker Maddie Wilson helped spark a 4-0 run for Wichita State in the first set, but the Owls matched it with a 5-0 run to take an advantage, 8-6. Senior middle blocker Morgan Stout ended the Rice run with a kill to cut the deficit to a single point.
Rice eventually opened up a 4-point advantage, 12-8, but the Shockers made another 3-0 run to cut the deficit back to a point again. The Owls took another 4-point lead, 16-12. Still, Wichita State never was out of it as they rallied to tie the game at 20.
The teams tied the game three more times in the set, but Rice scored the final two points to win it despite nine assists and seven digs from Strand.
Strand ended the game with a team-high 14 digs and said her increased numbers in the category have come from more teams hitting at her and her focusing on her defensive abilities.
“(I’ve been) working a lot on my defense, making my range bigger,” she said. “Working on making things easier when they’re in my lap … I think the strategy of volleyball should always be to take the setter out, because why wouldn’t you want to be out of system all the time, or the other team out of system all the time?”
A heads-up defensive play from junior libero Katie Galligan led to a kill from junior outside hitter Brooklyn Leggett, opening up a slim, 3-2 lead for Wichita State to start the second set. The Shockers’ lead grew to 4 points, 11-7, after a Stout service ace, two kills from redshirt freshman outside hitter Alyssa Gonzales and a block assist from Wilson and junior outside hitter Emerson Wilford.
Wichita State’s lead grew to 21-14 after a 4-0 run that was capped off with a Gonzales kill, which proved too much for the Owls as three Leggett kills and a kill from Wilford helped Wichita State close out the set with a win.
Rice called a timeout early in the third set after the Shockers tore off a 4-0 run. Wichita State’s lead grew to 9-3, after two Stout kills and a kill from Strand.
The Owls scratched their way back with a 3-0 run which Stout cut off with a kill, 11-8. A 4-1 scoring run helped Rice tie the game at 12. The Shockers took an 18-14 lead before Rice called its second time-out of the set.
Adjustments were made by the Owls coming out of the break as they eventually tied the game at 21, but another heads-up play from Galligan led to a Wilford kill that helped Wichita State take the set.
Lamb called just his second time out of the game during the fourth set after Rice went on a 3-0 scoring run, taking a 9-5 advantage. Coming out of the break, the Owls looked like the most composed team on the court, leading to Lamb’s second time out of the set as Wichita State trailed, 13-6.
Rice maintained control and opened up a 10-point, 17-7 lead, accompanied by a 7-1 scoring run. Wichita State found a little offensive rhythm after trailing 22-10, going on a 4-0 run. Too little was too late for the Shockers, as Rice ended the set on a 3-1 scoring run, finished by a bad set from Strand.
Wichita State trailed by a point to open up the final set, but a 3-0 run from the Owls helped Rice take a 7-3 lead, forcing Lamb to call his first time out. Coming out of the break, the Shockers answered with a 3-0 run, capped off by a Gonzales kill cutting the Owls’ lead to a point.
Lamb called his second time out of the set after Rice took a 10-7 lead, but the Owls ended the set on a 5-3 run to win the match. Wichita State hit just .190 during the final set.
Stout ended the game with 13 kills, eight digs and a .379 percentage, a team-high. Gonzales tied Stout in kills but hit for just .143.
Strand said the loss put a “sweet and sour” taste in her mouth.
“I’m proud of us,” she said. “I really am proud of how we played. I feel like this is one of our top performances. Sometimes the ball can’t bounce the right way and you lose one.”
Lamb said he has moved past the loss against Rice and has shifted focus to the next game against the University of South Florida — another undefeated AAC team.
“I can’t wait to watch tape all day tomorrow and pick a handful of things that we need to be able to execute to beat them,” he said. “So I’m motivated (and) we’re motivated.”
That game will take place on Friday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m. in Charles Koch Arena.
