When Wichita State hits the road during volleyball season, senior Katie Galligan admitted she sometimes wonders if the team is actually there for a match. More often than not, the gym is empty enough that you can hear shoes squeak.
“We go to so many different gyms, and there will be times where I’m like, ‘Are we practicing right now?’” Galligan said. “There’s just no one there.’”
That’s why nights like Tuesday stand out.
Even in a 3-0 loss to No. 17 Kansas in their only home game this month, the Shockers found something worth celebrating: 2,681 fans, the most at a single match since the last time the teams faced each other. Through three home matches, WSU is averaging an attendance of 1,756 — on pace for the program’s highest average in the past eight seasons.
When asked about what it means to have this kind of crowd back them for every set at home, WSU head coach Chris Lamb — an often outspoken voice — was left with few words.
“Isn’t that great?” he said.
Lamb said he doesn’t mind the loss either, especially to a team like the Jayhawks. They came into the game ranked third in the NCAA with 542 total kills. After Tuesday night, their total is 585 on the season.
“My favorite way to watch my team play is when the other side of the net’s got real good players,” Lamb said. “We’re not always winning, and those are the ones I want to watch that helps me think of the next thing that we have to do.”
The 2,681 fans showed how loud a quarter-full Roundhouse can get, as the Shockers (6-3, 0-0 American) pushed the first set to the brink, forcing a KU timeout to the delight of a standing ovation and roars. A kill from junior Jordan Heatherly and a Jayhawks attacking error threatened a 3-0 run that would’ve given WSU the frame.
But the Jayhawks (7-4, 0-0 Big 12) regained composure out of the timeout and fought back to steal the set, 28-26. From there, KU took control of the game, but the Shockers showed fight.
A kill from senior Brooklyn Leggett and a block by her and junior Maddie Wilson helped keep WSU in the game during the second set, but KU went on a massive 7-0 run that stole any momentum from the Shockers.
WSU took a brief lead in the third set, 6-5, that sparked the crowd again following a 6-1 run. Kills from freshmen McKenzie Jones and Jenna Cubbage later helped tie the game at 12. The Jayhawks kept chipping away and WSU eventually ran out of steam, 25-16.
The fight from the Shockers, and energy from the stands, wasn’t lost on Lamb.
“A big part of us taking this match is because I want it for my players and for the crowd,” Lamb said.
Regardless of the results, Galligan knows that the fans will rally behind them. It’s a reason why she, and a lot of others on the team, decided to attend WSU in the first place.
“It’s an environment like no other,” Galligan said. “I’m happy I get the opportunity to play here.”
