While it may not have had the same implications for their season as last year’s American Conference Championship, Wichita State volleyball still put on a display at the Golden Eagle Invitational.
Much like last November’s conference championship run, however, the Shockers didn’t drop a set in the three games on Thursday and Friday against Radford, Samford and tournament host Tennessee Tech.
Wichita State (6-2, 0-0 American) extended its winning streak to four and hit a combined .401 the entire tournament. The Shockers also tied a program record by giving up four points in a set against Tennessee Tech on Thursday evening.
After the dominant performance, Wichita State returns to Koch Arena for a game against in-state rival Kansas on Tuesday. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.
vs. Radford
The Shockers put on an offensive masterclass Thursday morning in a 3-0 win against Radford. The sweep marks their first of the season on the winning-end.
WSU hit .409 for the game, the first time it hit above .400 since last year’s season-opener against Kennesaw State. The Shockers doubled-up Radford’s kills for the game with a margin of 48-24.
Junior Sydney Dunning continued her strong start to the season, racking up 15 kills on 24 attacks, good for a .583 hitting percentage. Seniors Brooklyn Leggett (11) and Emerson Wilford (10) each contributed double-digit kills. The trio combined for a .516 hitting percentage for the game.
A huge 9-1 run gave the Shockers an 11-point lead in the first set, as they eventually took the opening frame, 25-17. WSU started the second set with an 8-1 run and never looked back to win it, 25-11.
Tied at seven in the third set, Wilford sparked a 7-1 run with a kill and back-to-back service aces to open a 14-8 cushion. Wilford and Leggett combined for seven more kills the rest of the way and the Shockers closed the match on a 7-0 run, 25-12.
vs. Tennessee Tech
Wichita State picked up where it left off in its second game on Thursday evening, sweeping tournament host Tennessee Tech. The Shockers tied a program record for fewest points allowed in a set, giving up just four to the Golden Eagles in set one.
The team hit a season-high .451, the first time it hit above .450 since 2017. Wichita State also held Tennessee Tech to a .039 hitting percentage, the lowest allowed since Nov. 22, 2023, against UAB. The Shockers’ nine service aces during the game are the most since a win at Memphis last season.
Dunning made a game-high 13 kills, and Leggett followed suit with 11 of her own on a career-high .786 hitting percentage. Leggett didn’t commit an error on 14 attacks the whole game.
A 10-0 run in the first set helped the Shockers get out to a 12-1 lead. The Shockers continued their routing and won the set 25-4, which tied for the lowest points they allowed in a single set in program history.
Junior Jordan Heatherly made back-to-back service aces in the second set to help Wichita State parade to an 11-5 lead. The Golden Eagles found a little life late in the set, going on a 4-1 run, but a 3-0 Shockers run closed it, 25-10. Heatherly made four aces, and Leggett swung free for five kills in the set.
Wichita State started the third set with multiple 4-0 runs to jump out to a 12-4 lead. Tennessee Tech found its most momentum of the match, bringing the set within two points, 17-15. The Shockers weren’t phased by the drama, closing the frame and match on a 5-0 run to win, 25-17.
vs. Samford
Wichita State closed out its tournament with another sweep, 3-0, over Samford on Friday morning. Despite the sweep, the Bulldogs kept most of the frames competitive.
Dunning led the team in kills for the sixth time this season, with 12 on a .545 hitting percentage. Heatherly recorded eight herself, while adding 32 assists. Samford hit .155 for the game, which was the highest hitting percentage against the Shockers all tournament.
Wichita State raced to a 14-4 lead early in the first set on the back end of an 8-0 run. Their lead grew to as many as 11 by the end of it and won, 25-15.
After Wichita State took a 12-5 lead in the second set, Samford clawed back within three points, 18-15. Even with the hiccup, the Shockers pulled away the rest of the frame, 25-20.
A 7-1 run at the beginning of set three gave Wichita State a 9-4 lead. The Shockers matched it with a 6-0 run shortly after to up their cushion to 10 points, 15-5. Samford never scored more than two points consecutively the rest of the frame, as Wichita State closed the set and match, 25-12.
