Why Wichita State volleyball believes in defense, experience for breakout 2022 season
In his two decades as Wichita State volleyball coach, Chris Lamb has accomplished just about everything possible for the program.
He turned the Shockers into a consistent national threat, winning seven conference titles and appearing in 11 NCAA Tournaments during a 14-year span that also included a Sweet 16 run in 2012 and an undefeated debut in American Athletic Conference play in 2017.
But the championship trophies and NCAA banners have ceased in the last four years. Now Lamb is tirelessly working to return the Shockers to the national volleyball conversation, which might sound like an exhaustive project for some, but Lamb says he’s never been more motivated than entering the 2022 season.
Wichita State will play three matches in the season-opening Rumble in the Rockies tournament hosted by Wyoming, as the Shockers will play the hosts and No. 18 Creighton on Friday and Iowa State on Saturday afternoon.
“I like puzzles and volleyball is an amazing puzzle to me,” Lamb said. “I love trying to figure it all out and what you can do with each player because each player is their own puzzle and then you have to put it together with the team. It’s fun and it’s challenging and it’s ever-changing.”
The expectation in the practice gym at Koch Arena is for this season to be a return to form for the Shockers, as they chase their first 20-win season and trip back to the NCAA postseason since 2017. WSU was picked fourth with one first-place vote in the preseason AAC coaches’ poll released Wednesday.
That seems attainable because WSU returns nearly every player with experience from last season’s 19-win team that posted the first winning conference record (13-7) in four seasons.
“This is my fifth year, so I’ve been through the down parts and last year was our up year where we started going towards what we really want to be,” said Brylee Kelly, WSU’s star outside hitter. “Everyone is motivated right now in practice because we know we’re going somewhere and everyone in the gym feels that energy. We can’t wait to show that on the court and I think we’re going to be good this year.”
Kelly, a returning first team all-conference hitter, elevated her play from good to great last season, as the 6-foot-2 junior led WSU with 368 kills (3.54 per set) on a .241 hitting percentage and improved her defensive play.
There is no shortage of experience of pin hitters, as junior opposite hitter Sophia Rohling, an all-conference player in the spring 2021 season, and sophomore outside hitters Morgan Weber, a defensive standout, and Sophie Childs return.
Lamb is ecstatic about the potential of a trio of sophomores in the middle with the return of 6-foot-4 Natalie Foster, a preseason all-conference pick who delivered 2.49 kills per set on a .334 hitting percentage last season, 6-foot-3 Lauren McMahon, fully healthy after a season-ending leg injury derailed a promising year, and Nickerson graduate Morgan Stout, who blossomed when thrown into the fire.
Junior Kayce Litzau, another preseason all-conference selection, is back for her second straight season of running the show for WSU’s offense. She handed out 1,100 assists (10.18 assists per set) last year and Lamb specifically mentioned her drastic improvement on defense this offseason.
The back row will be strengthened this season with junior Lily Liekweg, who led WSU with 484 digs (4.14 digs per set) in 2021, and sophomore Lara Uyar, a native of Turkey. Lambs believes the combination is among the best there is in the American.
“We had a good spring together and we’re trying to expand some player’s job descriptions,” Lamb said. “That always gives us more options and more things we can do offensively. I think we’ll play as good of defense as we’ve played around here since 2017 and that team was really fantastic. We have great individual defenders, great blockers, great diggers, great pursuers. You can trust a few more things when you have options like that.”
After nearly half (8 of 20) of their conference matches went to a fifth set last season, the Shockers are concentrating on their defense to pull through tough matches this season.
“I think everyone is embracing their roles and running with it,” Kelly said. “Our littles have been digging more balls and that’s turning into offense and we’re scoring more. We’re returning almost all of the same people, so we know what to do to win games. Our defense is going to be a big part of that.”
While the roster has remained mostly the same, the coaching staff under Lamb experienced a complete turnover in the offseason.
Sean Carter left for a chance to become a first-time head coach at the Division I level, as Idaho State hired him away in June and he in turn brought his wife, Chelsea Scott, a WSU assistant, with him. Later that same month, Shannon Lamb, Chris’ wife, stepped down as the program’s director of operations after 22 seasons due to health issues.
Lamb was able to retool the coaching staff late in the summer on the fly, adding veteran coach Brian Hosfeld and Katie Zimmerman, a former All-American player of his at WSU, as assistants. Ashleigh Houlton replaced Shannon Lamb as director of operations and Jennifer McBeth has joined the staff as a volunteer assistant.
“While the timing of the changes were unusual, I couldn’t be happier for Sean and Chelsea,” Lamb said. “It’s what they came here to do and I’m so proud of them. That’s the pain you like.”
Wichita State volleyball at Rumble in the Rockies
When: Friday and Saturday
Where: Wyoming Sports Complex, Laramie, Wyoming
Radio: None
Streaming: Mountain West Digital Network
Live stats: GoShockers.com
Schedule: WSU vs. Wyoming, 1 p.m. Friday; WSU vs. No. 18 Creighton, 6 p.m. Friday; WSU vs. Iowa State, 2 p.m. Saturday.
AAC preseason coaches’ poll
1. UCF, 100 (10)
2. Houston, 88
3. Cincinnati, 77
4. Wichita State, 74 (1)
5. SMU, 71
6. Tulsa, 51
7. Tulane, 39
8. Memphis, 33
9. East Carolina, 32
10. South Florida, 22
11. Temple, 18
AAC preseason all-conference team
Kayley Cassaday, sr., OH, Tulsa
Annie Cooke, jr., S, Houston
Claudia Dillon, sr., MB, UCF
Natalie Foster, so., MB, Wichita State
Katie Georgiades, jr., L, Houston
Abbie Jackson, sr., OH, Houston
Brylee Kelly, jr., OH, Wichita State
Kayce Litzau, jr., S, Wichita State
McKenna Melville, sr., OH, UCF (Player of the Year)
Amber Olson, sr., S, UCF
Rachel Tullos, sr., MB, Houston
Abby Walker, so., MB, Cincinnati
Rachel Woulfe, sr., OH, SMU
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