Wichita State volleyball’s first weekend road trip in the American Conference ended with a homecoming for Jordan Heatherly, so to speak.
The junior setter returned to Memphis, Tennessee, where her collegiate career started. Though Heatherly posted a 17-13 home record as a Tiger, she opened her chapter at WSU with a win in familiar territory.
The Shockers swept Memphis 3-0 Sunday afternoon.
In her return, Heatherly recorded a game-high 26 assists, one kill on two attacks and made two service aces. Her 34.2 assists per game is on pace to tie a career-high in a single season.
WSU (10-4, 2-0 American) more than doubled the Tigers’ (9-6, 1-1 American) attacking percentage for the game. The Shockers hit .305 to Memphis’ .147.
Junior Sydney Dunning (13, a game-high) and senior Brooklyn Leggett (12) combined for 25 of WSU’s 44 kills for the game. The duo has now combined for 355 kills this season, which is nearly 50% of the team’s total kills.
But it wasn’t just Dunning and Leggett who got involved against the Tigers. Seven different WSU players recorded a kill.
Senior Emerson Wilford made eight on a .316 hitting percentage. Freshman McKenzie Jones added five of her own, and senior Maddie Wilson, sophomore Allie Paulsen and Heatherly combined for six more.
WSU next plays a weekend series against Tulsa at home Friday, Oct. 3, and on the road Sunday, Oct. 5. Friday’s first serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. and Sunday’s match is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The Shockers got off to a hot start in the first set, going on runs of 4-0 and 3-0 to eventually take a 9-2 lead. Heatherly made a kill, service ace and three assists during that time.
The Tigers later found their footing, going on a 5-1 run to cut WSU’s lead to a point, 13-12. The rest of the set went back-and-forth, with three ties, but the Shockers managed to pull away late to win the frame, 25-19.
Heatherly made eight assists in the opening frame, and seven different WSU players found a kill for a .250 attacking percentage as a team.
Memphis raced to a 4-1 lead to begin the second set, but a 5-0 run from the Shockers helped the away team take the lead, 6-4. WSU recorded four kills — all assisted by Heatherly — during the run, and Heatherly found her second service ace of the game.
Tied at seven, the Shockers ripped off a 6-1 run to open up a four-point cushion, 12-8. The Tigers couldn’t stop WSU’s attack, as the Shockers racked up three kills and back-to-back service aces during the run.
WSU’s lead was later cut to a point a few times — 17-16, 18-17, 19-18, 20-19 — but the Shockers surged ahead for a 6-1 run to take the set, 25-20.
It was all WSU to start the third set.
The Shockers took a 5-1 lead after three Memphis errors coupled with a sophomore Grace Hett ace and a Dunning kill. Another 5-1 run in which WSU swung free on four kills, upped its lead to five, 11-6.
Later in the frame, errors plagued the Shockers as they allowed Memphis to cut the lead to two points following a 5-1 Tigers run, 14-12.
WSU’s lead remained at two points until a 3-0 run opened up a four-point lead, 22-18. During it, Dunning made a dig as the ball was inches from the floor, and Jones and Wilford stuffed a Memphis attack at the net in the same rally.
The Shockers got to set point, 24-19, but Memphis went on a 4-0 run to add drama to the mix, 24-23. On the next point, a Dunning kill ended the set and match, 25-23.
Heatherly made the final assist of the game against her old team.
