After losses against the University of North Texas and the University of Texas at San Antonio to end its regular season, Wichita State volleyball got back on track in the American Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal game against the University of Tulsa in a 3-0 sweep (25-20), (25-22), (25-22) on Friday night.
The fourth-seeded Shockers improved to 16-13 overall this season after the win and the fifth-seeded Golden Hurricane’s season ended at 18-11 overall. Wichita State beat Tulsa for the third time this season.
Junior libero Katie Galligan said that going into the quarterfinal matchup against Tulsa, the team dawned the motto, “Start a new season.”
“Whistle to whistle was a mindset (we had) and we kind of stuck with that,” Galligan said. “Staying engaged from whistle to whistle each play and then throughout the whole match. And I think that was the mindset we brought into the game tonight.”
Despite an early 5-0 Wichita State run to go up 6-1 in the first set, Tulsa maintained composure and kept the set close. Trailing 10-7, the Golden Hurricane made a 5-0 run to take the lead, 12-10.
The Shockers turned around and went on a 3-0 run to gain a 13-12 lead, but Tulsa scored six unanswered points to take a 5-point cushion, 18-13. Two service aces from freshman libero Grace Hett and two kills from senior middle blocker Morgan Stout helped Wichita State knot the score at 20 apiece.
The Shockers won the set after a 6-0 run that was capped off by a kill from redshirt freshman outside hitter Alyssa Gonzales.
Wichita State ended the set hitting just .108, but held Tulsa to a .028 hitting percentage. Stout led the offensive charge for the Shockers with five kills.
There was no room for error as the teams settled into the second set. Junior outside hitter Emerson Wilford helped Wichita State open up a 4-0 lead, 9-5, but a 4-0 Golden Hurricane run later in the set helped Tulsa tie the score at 11.
After the 11-all tie, the Shockers led throughout the rest of the set but never by more than 3 points. A couple of Tulsa kills later tied the set at 21, forcing Wichita State to call timeout. Coming out of the break, the Shockers rallied for a 4-1 run capped off by a kill from fifth-year setter Izzi Strand to win the set.
Wichita State improved its hitting percentage in the second set as the Shockers hit .200 during the period.
The teams traded blows in the early parts of the third set, which played into the hands of Wichita State as the Shockers eventually opened up an 11-4 lead after a 3-0 run. Another 3-0 run from Wichita State opened up its cushion to 5 points, 15-10.
Trailing 16-11, the Golden Hurricane went on a 3-0 run to cut the Shockers’ lead to 2 points, 16-14, but Wichita State pushed its cushion back to 5 after a 4-1 run, 20-15. Tulsa didn’t back down and went on another run with four unanswered points, making the score 20-19.
Leading 23-22, Stout finished the game with a kill and an ace from the service line.
Galligan said maintaining control through defense was a huge aspect of the game.
“It’s something that we emphasize, especially in serve and pass,” she said. “Controlling how that’s going to go oftentimes leads to the result of the match and that way we can keep our offense in system.”
The Shockers made 14 digs and four block assists in the third set.
Wichita State ended the game hitting .193 to Tulsa’s .109. The Shockers made six service aces to the Golden Hurricane’s three.
Stout finished with a game-high 12 kills on a .312 hitting percentage. Gonzales was right behind her with 11 kills on a .357 hitting percentage and made just one attacking error.
Gonzales said if the set wasn’t there, she was going to “be smart, just play my game” leading to her match of one error on offense.
“Location-wise, late middle, something like that,” Gonzales said. “If I had a wide-open seam, I was just going to bounce it. I wasn’t going to let them touch it.”
Wichita State volleyball will face off against the top-seeded University of South Florida in the AAC semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 23. South Florida beat the Shockers earlier in the year, 3-1.
Gonzales said to win against the top-seeded opponent, the team will have to play together and score.
“Ultimately, South Florida is good,” Gonzales said. “But we can beat them.”
The first serve against the Bulls is set for 2 p.m. in Charles Koch Arena.
