Wichita State’s volleyball team concluded its non-conference schedule by winning two out of three matches in the South Dakota Classic from Thursday to Saturday.
The Shockers (8-4, 0-0 American) beat old-Missouri Valley Conference opponent Drake (4-6, 0-0 MVC) for the 35th-consecutive time, handled South Dakota (7-4, 0-0 Summit) in four sets, and took Vanderbilt (9-2, 0-0 Big East) to five sets, but lost.
Wichita State will start its schedule in the American Conference on the road for the third consecutive season against UAB (7-4, 0-0 American) on Friday, Sept. 26. The first serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
vs. Drake
After a performance in which nobody on the Shockers eclipsed double-digit kills against in-state rival No. 17 Kansas earlier in the week, three different Shockers made more than 10 kills against Drake on Thursday afternoon.
The 3-1 win marked the 35th-straight win over the Bulldogs.
Wichita State used a 6-1 run in the first set to take a five-point lead, 7-2. A kill by senior outside hitter Emerson Wilford later gave the Shockers a double-digit lead, 22-12, as the team cruised the rest of the way, 25-14.
The teams traded points to start the second set, but the Shockers were able to take a 12-5 lead, making Drake call their first timeout. The Bulldogs later used an 8-1 run to come back within two points, 17-15, and used another 5-0 run to give them their first lead in the set since the opening point, 23-21. Drake held strong and took the set, 25-22..
The next two sets remained competitive, but the Shockers won both (25-23, 25-21) to win the match.
Junior Sydney Dunning led in kills (13), junior Gabi Maas led in digs (20), and junior Jordan Heatherly led in assists (39). Junior Maddie Wilson tied a career-high in total blocks with 11.
vs. South Dakota
The Shockers defeated tournament host South Dakota 3-1 on Friday evening.
Wichita State made runs of 4-1 and 6-1 to start the match, taking a 10-3 lead early in the first set. It didn’t look back from there and won the frame by 11 points, 25-14.
Neither team was able to gain control in the second set, with 10 ties after sophomore Allie Paulsen knotted the score at 20. The Coyotes quickly gained the upper hand with a 3-0 run right after and stole the set, 25-22.
The Shockers bounced back in the third set. The team hit double digits first, making the score 10-4. A kill by Dunning gave the Shockers the set and capped off a 4-0 run to end the set, 25-15.
Wichita State pulled away at the start of the fourth set with a 5-0 run. Later, South Dakota battled back to take the lead, 14-13. The teams traded points until the end of the set, sending it to extra points. The Coyotes committed back-to-back errors to give Wichita State the set and the match, 26-24.
Dunning led in kills (19), Maas led in digs (23) and Heatherly led in assists (43) and Wilson led in blocks (six).
vs. Villanova
A thrilling five-set defeat concluded Wichita State’s stay in South Dakota on Saturday morning, as the Shockers fell 3-2 to Villanova.
Going into the media timeout, the first set was tight, with the largest lead only being two points by Villanova, 3-1. The Wildcats used a 4-1 run at the end of the set to win it, 25-20.
Villanova started the second set with a 3-0 lead, but the Shockers clawed back to take a 7-5 lead after a 5-0 run. After they took it, they never gave it back, winning the set 25-21.
Wichita State used a 7-2 run in the third set to grow their lead to five and make Villanova call a timeout, 14-9. The Shockers held the lead for the rest of the set, and a block by Leggett and Wilson ended it, 25-24.
The teams traded points all the way up to set point in the fourth set. By the end of the frame, the teams had tied 18 times and changed the lead five times. A kill by Wilford gave Wichita State the match point, but the Wildcats kept answering, as the teams tied the game at 28. Villanova ultimately scored the last two points to win it, 30-28.
Wichita State was in control of the fifth set, taking an 8-3 lead early on. The Wildcats answered with a massive 8-0 run later in the frame to take the lead, 13-9. The Shockers tried to hang on with a 4-1 run of their own, but Villanova took the set and match with a kill, 15-13.
Wilford and Leggett led in kills (13), Maas and senior libero Katie Galligan led in digs (15), Heatherly led in assists (41) and Wilson led in blocks (nine).
