Wichita State volleyball makes its case to host in NCAA Tournament

Will a 20-match winning streak, undefeated conference title, strong home attendance and top-10 RPI ranking be enough in the eyes of the selection committee on Sunday when reviewing the Wichita State volleyball team’s bid to host the first two rounds in the NCAA Tournament?

While Wichita State’s profile may look enticing, history is against the Shockers hosting. Coach Chris Lamb’s teams have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 10 times since 2004, but WSU has never been a host site for the opening weekend.

The Shockers will hold a Selection Show party open to fans starting at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Champions Club inside Koch Arena with the Selection Show beginning at 8 p.m. on ESPNU.

“I’ve been doing this a long time and I’m just telling you, as head coach at Wichita State, knowing what I know about Division I volleyball and the format,” Lamb said, “we’ve accomplished a lot to even be in the discussion. I feel really good about that.”

It’s likely the selection committee will put Wichita State’s profile, including a 28-3 record and No. 20 ranking in the coaches poll, head-to-head against other teams in the region like Kansas (22-7, No. 14), Creighton (25-6, No. 17), Baylor (23-6, No. 18), and Iowa State (21-6, No. 22).

On Saturday, KU lost at home to a West Virginia team rated No. 84 in the RPI. WSU also holds a head-to-head win over Creighton, while Baylor has been rumored to have not submitted a bid to host due to a scheduling conflict from the Dec. 2 home men’s basketball game against Wichita State.

While the WSU women’s basketball team is scheduled to play at Koch Arena at 1 p.m. Friday, WSU’s bid to the NCAA detailed how all four teams could practice on Thursday and Friday and still play two matches on Friday night.

The biggest criticism of WSU in the committee’s eyes will be its strength of schedule, softened by playing 20 games against a conference that had no other team ranked in the RPI top 70. Four Big 12 teams rank in the top 15, and the Big East has four teams in the top 70.

“I think we all understand when it comes to strength of schedule and those are the power conferences,” WSU senior Abbie Lehman said. “While we’re trying to get there, those teams are playing really good competition and losing to top teams. We understand why, but it’s still kind of frustrating.”

Senior Mikaela Raudsepp pointed out WSU couldn’t control who it played in conference, but it could control how the team played. While they acknowledge they didn’t beat top-tier competition, they also think their dominance (WSU only lost five sets in 20 matches to AAC teams) should be viewed as a mark of a great team.

“I remember when Lambo was recruiting me, he told me Wichita State is the best-kept secret that no one knows about,” Raudsepp said. “I do think we’re underestimated in a lot of cases. I’m very proud of our winning streak and I do think we belong and we do deserve it, but it’s hard to compare our success against those other Division I schools.

“I can’t really tell you what they’re accomplishing, but I know what we’re accomplishing and we’re controlling what we can control. If it doesn’t go our way, there’s not much we can do about it.”

If Wichita State doesn’t host, it’s likely headed to one of the previously-mentioned teams that would have been picked over the Shockers. Or in a worst-case scenario, WSU would be shipped out to No. 2 Texas or No. 5 Nebraska and have to potentially play a top-5 team in the second round.

It will come down to how the selection committee views Wichita State’s statistical dominance over inferior competition in the AAC and the team’s 2-3 record against top-50 competition.

“There’s an argument that needs to be made for us, but I can also see why teams on the bubble for hosting have a good argument also,” Lamb said. “It’s really pick your poison. Do they want to go with RPI, do you want to go top-25 wins because those are out there with bigger conferences.

“I honestly don’t know what they’re going to do to determine ultimately what the priority is.”

This story was originally published November 25, 2017 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Wichita State volleyball makes its case to host in NCAA Tournament."