The 33 Wichita State volleyball alumni who attended Friday night’s game in Charles Koch Arena saw something that had never happened in Shocker volleyball history: a loss to the University of South Florida (USF).
Wichita State fell on a night meant to celebrate head coach Chris Lamb’s 25th year with the team, 3-1 (25-13), (22-25), (25-18), (27-25).
Lamb said the Shockers are still struggling to score points and replace the offensive production of players who graduated and transferred last year.
“We’ve got to get to 17 points a game, and that still might not be enough for these guys,” Lamb said. “We’re (at) 13. We need four more points a game, and that might not be enough.”
The Shockers dropped to 8-9 on the year and 3-2 in the American Athletic Conference, losing consecutive games to undefeated AAC teams. The Bulls remained perfect in the conference at 5-0 and improved to 9-7 overall.
The first set went south for the Shockers as the Bulls took a 13-4 lead on an 8-0 run and never looked back.
Wichita State was constantly disoriented, giving USF easy kills and settling for weak attacks. Shocker players who attempted kills repeatedly missed the court, as Wichita State committed 10 attack errors during the frame and hit -.073, both season-worst marks.
Lamb said he didn’t know why the team struggled to begin the game.
“I thought we had a really neat week of practice,” he said. “I thought the girls liked each other, and I don’t mean that literally, but it was a good feeling among the team. I thought we looked good.”
WSU came out much stronger in the second set, keeping a tight lead for most of the frame. Leading 16-14, fifth-year setter Izzi Strand appeared to tap in a kill, but the officials said she pushed the ball and reversed the point, leading to boos from the crowd.
The play helped spark a 6-1 run for the Bulls that gave them the lead, 19-17. The Shockers didn’t fold, going on a 4-0 run to retake the lead. That momentum carried through the rest of the set as Wichita State punctuated the win with a block assist from Strand and fifth-year middle blocker Sarah Barham.
The Bulls took a 9-4 lead in the third set, one they would later expand to 20-14. The Shockers responded with a 3-0 run, but USF closed the period on a 5-1 stretch to seal the set.
Wichita State kept the final set close before a 5-1 USF run opened up a 16-11 lead. The Shockers hung around, going on a 3-1 run to close the gap to 23-21 and excite the crowd, forcing a Bulls timeout.
Redshirt freshman outside hitter Alyssa Gonzales notched a kill, but senior middle blocker Morgan Stout mishandled a return to put the Bulls on match point, 24-22. An emphatic block by junior outside hitter Brooklyn Leggett and another block from Leggett and Barham tied the set at 24 and forced the USF’s final timeout.
The Shockers won the first point after the timeout to put themselves at set point, but the Bulls closed the game with three consecutive points, ending with a return error on a serve by Gonzales.
Gonzales said going through a rally like the one in the fourth set “builds confidence for the whole team.”
“Some girls that find emotion in the game that, like, fuels their fire,” Gonzales said. “It’s just like lighter fluid, just pour it on them, you know, and … just keep us going and give you a boost of confidence, like, ‘We got this.’”
Both teams improved their hitting percentage in every set. South Florida hit .268 for the game, the highest mark for a WSU opponent in conference play, while WSU hit .167, its lowest mark against an AAC opponent.
Gonzales led the way offensively with 13 kills on a .297 percentage. Sophomore libero Reagan Anderson led the team with 15 digs, a career-high, but also came up short on a few diving attempts and committed three service errors.
Stout, Leggett and sophomore middle blocker Maddie Wilson combined for 10 kills, nine errors and a .020 kill percentage.
Lamb said the offensive production is a “work in progress” because the team doesn’t know what they’re going to get from players on a day-to-day basis. Gonzales concurred.
“We need to finish on all ends, attacking-wise,” Gonzales said. “Emerson (Wilford) and I did the best we could tonight, but I think other areas need to score as well.”
The Shockers will look to rebound on Sunday when they take on Florida Atlantic University in Charles Koch Arena. The first serve is scheduled for 1 p.m.
