Why every volleyball team Wichita State plays will try to stop this outside hitter
The top priority for every team that plays the Wichita State volleyball team early in the season will be to come up with different ways to slow down Tabitha Brown on the outside.
The Shockers ran through the American Athletic Conference last season with an undefeated record and earned a host bid in the NCAA Tournament for the first time thanks to a group of seniors that included Abbie Lehman in the middle, Mikaela Raudsepp on the outside, and Emily Hiebert setting them.
With those targets all gone, all eyes (and game plans) will be on Brown when WSU opens its season on Friday at James Madison to kick off a three-game road swing on the East Coast (at Howard on Sunday, at VCU on Monday).
“Teams are going to try to wear her out,” WSU coach Chris Lamb said. “They’re going to serve everything at her, they’re going to do everything they can to stop her. I can’t imagine everyone’s game plan isn’t going to be how to stop Tabitha. She has to be ready for that.”
It’s clear Brown has risen to the challenge since it became clear in the spring she would not only have to take on a larger offensive role, but also a leadership task on this season’s team. Brown is one of two seniors on roster, the other is a transfer in Kali Eaken.
After relying on the voices of Hiebert, Lehman, and Raudsepp the last two seasons, Brown knows it’s her turn to lead a group of mostly inexperienced hitters.
“It is a tad uncomfortable for me not being able to learn on Mikaela, Abbie and Emily all the time,” Brown said. “We’re all going to have to push through that. But I know people are going to be looking to me and I have to step up.”
Alex Koon is the only other outside hitter returning with experience after finishing 167 kills on a .256 hitting percentage last season. She’s also lived with Brown for the last three years and has noticed the difference in her this summer.
“Tabitha’s energy and her effort have been like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” Koon said. “She’s really stepped up so far. We’ve only practiced for a few days, but everyone can already see a difference in her.”
Brown earned honorable mention All-American honors last season after finishing with 385 kills on a .268 hitting percentage and upping her kills per set to 3.47 to go along with 201 digs and 55 blocks.
She received about a quarter of WSU’s total swings last season and her attempts could rise again this season if WSU relies on her early as other hitters gain their footing. She’s also more likely to play all six positions this season, so Brown has made it a focus not to be worn down by the work load.
“For me specifically, I’ve been really focusing on my conditioning because I know it’s got to be up to speed,” Brown said.
“Tabitha has been one of the most consistent players for us this summer,” Lamb said. “Tabitha has been very good passing, I love her back-row defense right now, and she’s a powerful scorer for us. Right now I really like her consistency.”
Brown was chosen as a preseason all-conference hitter in the American Athletic Conference and should push Cincinnati’s Jordan Thompson, who was the AAC Player of the Year in 2016 before redshirting last season because of injury, as the conference’s best player.
But as far as Brown is concerned, those are just predictions. She wants to make them a reality.
“You can just tell by her drive how locked in she is for this season,” Koon said. “She goes so hard all the time and you can see where she wants to be better. I think seeing that motivation in her really pushes our young girls and makes everybody in the practice gym want to be better too.”
This story was originally published August 21, 2018 at 4:22 PM.