Defense propels Wichita State volleyball team to 3-0 start at Arkansas State Invite
Expectations were for the back row to be much improved this fall season for the Wichita State volleyball team.
Thanks to the play of sophomore libero Lily Liekweg, the Shockers are off to a strong start in that regard after sweeping the Arkansas State Invitational this weekend to start the season with a 3-0 record.
Liekweg recorded 57 digs over three matches — 5.2 digs per set — to help WSU take Missouri State and Tennessee Martin down in three straight sets, then rally for a come-from-behind win against the host, Arkansas State, in a five-set thriller. Liekweg was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
It was a good tournament all around for WSU’s defense, which held opponents to a .131 hitting percentage, produced nearly three more digs per set than opponents and finished with more blocks (23-20) than opponents. Freshman middle blocker Lauren McMahon led the way with a team-high 11 blocks in the tournament.
Sophomore outside hitter Brylee Kelly was superb and named to the all-tournament team after finishing with a team-high 38 kills (3.5 per set) while hitting .341. Newcomer Kailin Newsome, a freshman transfer from Southeastern Louisiana, was a spark off the bench (36 kills) and saved her best for last, producing a double-double (17 kills, 10 digs) in the tightly contested match against Arkansas State. Sophomore outside hitter Sophia Rohling chipped in 23 kills, while the middle Natalie Foster delivered 20 kills while hitting .372.
Freshman setter Lauren Phillips solely ran WSU’s offense in the first two matches, both 3-0 sweeps, but the more experienced Kayce Litzau, a sophomore setter, took over in the Arkansas State win. Phillips finished with 77 assists (8.6 per set) for the weekend, while Litzau had 40 assists in the Arkansas State win.
The best win of the weekend might have come in a 3-0 sweep over Missouri State, which finished with a 15-7 record and a top-100 RPI ranking in this spring’s season. Kelly delivered a career-high 16 kills, as WSU prevailed in a 25-22, 26-24, 25-16 victory. It didn’t take long to make it a 2-for-2 sweep on Friday, as the Shockers took care of UT Martin easily in a 25-16, 25-15, 25-22 win.
There were some nerves in Saturday’s finale, as Arkansas State was dominant in picking up first- and third-set wins to take a 2-1 advantage. After falling behind 4-0 in the fourth set, WSU rallied behind Litzau’s serving to reel off a 7-0 run and take the crucial fourth set, 25-18, to set up a winner-take-all fifth. With the score tied at 8 in the decisive fifth set, WSU won the final seven points behind Liekwig’s serving this time.
Next up on the Wichita State volleyball team’s schedule will be the South Dakota State Invitational, another two-day, three-match tournament where the Shockers will be favored to win. The Shockers open up with two matches on Friday, the first against California Baptist at 1 p.m. with the nightcap against Montana at 5 p.m. WSU will finish with a 1 p.m. Saturday match against host South Dakota State.
This story was originally published August 29, 2021 at 1:17 PM.
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