Wichita State volleyball bounces back, beats Indiana State 3-0

Indiana State played the role it usually plays, helping Wichita State volleyball heal and move on.

The Shockers rebounded from a miserable offensive performance on Friday by sweeping Indiana State (25-19, 25-16, 25-20) on Saturday at Koch Arena. Coach Chris Lamb juggled his lineup after a season-low .066 attack percentage in Friday’s 3-0 loss to Illinois State.

The moves helped WSU (7-5, 1-1 Missouri Valley Conference), and so did playing the Sycamores (8-5, 0-2). The Shockers swept them for the ninth time in the past 10 meetings and extended their winning streak in the series to 25 matches. Indiana State provided the perfect cure for the nerves, passiveness or whatever it was that ruined Friday’s home and conference opener.

“(Friday), there were a lot of comments about nervousness,” WSU junior outside hitter MaryAshton Floyd said. “We were all on the same page today, a little bit more confident and going out there swinging. We decided last night we were never losing on our home court again this season.”

Lamb moved freshman Mikaela Raudsepp back to the left, where she started the season. He played Kristin Byers on the right and she rewarded him with six kills and a .400 attack percentage.

“The thing about Kristin on the right is that she’s a low-error gal,” Lamb said. “We haven’t been .400 over there in a long time. We knew that we’d get a better block.”

Floyd starred in a relief role after outside hitter Ashlyn Driskill tweaked her left knee early in the second set. She came off the court, tears in her eyes, and spent the rest of the match on the bench. Floyd displayed a variety of shots to finish with eight kills and one error for a .467 attack percentage.

Driskill had surgery on her left knee after left season. She jogged around to slap hands with fans after the game and Lamb didn’t seem concerned.

“(Driskill) said she felt like she got kicked,” Lamb said. “A lot of times in volleyball someone will land and both knees will come together at the net.”

Most important, setter Emily Hiebert and middle Abbie Lehman returned to form and carried WSU to a .257 attack percentage, one artificially lowered when Lamb substituted liberally late in the third set.

Lehman, held to three kills Friday, rebounded with 10. Hiebert had six, a career-high, and 34 assists.

“Emily, and Abbie Lehman for sure, I just didn’t see that sort of explosiveness, like you play with confidence (on Friday),” Lamb said. “I thought those guys brought it more tonight.”

Lehman, a freshman, excelled in the first two sets, totaling eight kills and one error on 14 swings. She cooled off in the third set to finish with a .273 attack percentage.

“I got more high balls and I just went up with more confidence and was able to get more kills off those,” Lehman said. “I was disappointed in myself (Friday) and I decided I needed to take bigger swings.”

WSU hit .270 in the first set with Raudsepp and Byers each contributing four kills. The Shockers led 5-4 when Raudsepp started a 4-0 run with a tip.

Lehman led WSU with five kills in the second set and the Shockers handled the Sycamores even more quickly. They went up 8-5 on Katie Reilly’s ace off the net and forced a timeout. An 8-3 run gave WSU a 16-8 lead and they cruised to a 25-16 victory, hitting . 448 with two service aces.

The Sycamores hit .188 and .138 in the first two sets and got little going outside of middle Cassandra Willis (five kills) and outside hitter Bree Spangler, who managed six kills and three errors.

WSU controlled the third set and led 20-12, although it allowed the Sycamores to rally late and cut the lead to 24-20.

This story was originally published September 20, 2014 at 9:21 PM with the headline "Wichita State volleyball bounces back, beats Indiana State 3-0."