Four Wichita State volleyball players tallied five or more blocks as the Shockers pulled off a road win against the University of Tulsa on Friday night, 3-1 (25-13), (22-25), (25-19), (25-23).
The game was played with tons of energy from both sides, befitting a rivalry game between teams that came into the matchup tied in the American Athletic Conference standings at 7-3.
“That was really intense,” said middle blocker Morgan Stout after the game on ESPN+. “I did notice that their bench was kind of crazy, but so was ours. We just matched their energy, and I think we just put up a really good fight.”
The Shockers, riding a three-game winning streak, improved to 13-10 on the year and sit one game back of first place in the AAC.
Wichita State notched 15 blocks as a team while being blocked 13 times by Tulsa. Both were the second-most of the season for the Shockers. The 28 total blocks were the most in a Wichita State game since 2022.
The block party caused the teams to struggle for offensive efficiency, as both squads finished with a hitting percentage below .200.
Stout led the way for WSU with seven rejections. She added 20 kills, continuing a stretch of three consecutive games in which Stout has scored 25 or more points on a .300+ hitting percentage. She credited that success to the Shockers’ passers, setters and coaches.
“I really want to do this for my team, for everyone else who supports us,” Stout said. “So just having that and having that energy behind me just kind of feeds me even more.”
The first set was close for the first 16 points, but the Shockers rode a 12-1 run to take the frame going away.
The second set was the inverse of the first, as the Golden Hurricane rattled off two 4-0 runs to lead, 15-9. Wichita State closed the gap to 22-21 after a 4-0 run of its own, but Tulsa rallied to take three of the final four points and the set.
The teams tied or traded the lead 14 different times in the third set. After not leading by more than three points in the set, WSU finally opened up an advantage at the very end. The Shockers went on a 4-0 run to close the period, ending with a kill from Stout.
The teams initially repeated the same script in the fourth set. Wichita State took the lead, 23-19, and looked like it would run away with the win. Tulsa rallied for a 4-1 run to cut the lead to 24-23 before Stout finished the game with a kill.
Junior libero Katie Galligan featured on the defensive side for Wichita State, notching 21 digs and five assists, both career-highs.
Junior outside hitter Brooklyn Leggett, fifth-year middle blocker Sarah Barham and sophomore middle blocker Maddie Wilson all had five blocks, with Leggett adding 11 kills to finish behind Stout.
The Shockers will get a chance to make it two in a row against Tulsa when the teams play a rematch on Sunday, Nov. 3, in Charles Koch Arena. The opening serve is scheduled for 1 p.m.
