Wichita State and Rice University are about as evenly matched as two volleyball teams can be — but so far this season, the Owls have the Shockers’ number.
When the teams met on Oct. 6 in Charles Koch Arena, the Owls scored a narrow five-set victory. On Friday night in Houston, another barnburner ended with the same result. Rice won, 3-2 (20-25), (25-22), (25-22), (22-25) (16-14).
The loss almost certainly eliminates Wichita State from American Athletic Conference regular season championship contention. The Shockers remain tied for third place in the AAC at 9-4. To move up in the standings, Wichita State would need to win out and hope Rice and the University of South Florida, both at 11-2, lose all or their remaining three games.
The loss snapped Wichita State’s four-game winning streak while Rice upped its own winning streak to five games.
Senior middle blocker Morgan Stout was, once again, the most dominant offensive player on the Wichita State side of the court. She led the road team with 20 kills on a .267 percentage, added four blocks and didn’t sit out a point after taking a shot to the face on a powerful Rice kill in the third set.
The 20-kill performance is Stout’s third time eclipsing the 20-kill mark in the last four games.
Junior libero Katie Galligan followed up her first AAC Defensive Player of the Week award by leading the team with 20 digs.
Nearly every statistic was tight between the two teams. Wichita State hit .214 to Rice’s .255 and scored 80 points to the Owls’ 82.
Wichita State never trailed in the first set, either tying or leading Rice by fewer than 5 points the whole way. The Owls jumped out to its first lead of the game with a 4-0 run to start the second set. The teams were knotted throughout the period, but Rice rallied for four of the last six points of the set to win.
The third set was a mirror of the second, down to the winning Rice margin after the Owls ended the set with a 4-2 run.
It looked as though the fourth set would end without drama as WSU led, 18-12. Rice proceeded to go on a 6-0 run, including two blocks of Stout. Wichita State recovered, however, to win the set.
Rice had the momentum for most of the fifth set. That appeared to change when senior libero Annalie Heliste earned a dig and kill on the same play. The ball bounced off her arms, over the entire Rice team and landed right in front of the end line.
That sparked a 6-2 Wichita State run that gave the Shockers the lead, 13-12. Rice recovered to take the next two points, but the Shockers tied it at 14 to extend the game. However, Rice won the final two points to earn the victory.
Fifth-year middle blocker Sarah Barham put up one of her better performances of the season with nine kills on a .533 percentage and four blocks. Redshirt freshman Alyssa Gonzales added 14 kills.
The Shockers needed those performances as junior outside hitters Brooklyn Leggett and Emerson Wilford combined for 14 kills, 11 errors and a .054 hitting percentage.
Wichita State will travel to New Orleans to take on Tulane University on Sunday, Nov. 10. Tulane, currently seventh in the conference, will be looking to stay in the top eight places needed for qualification to the AAC Tournament. The first serve is scheduled for 1 p.m.
