Wichita State volleyball falls at SMU in first NCAA Tournament game since 2017
In its return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years, the Wichita State volleyball team played like a team accustomed to the big stage in the beginning of Thursday’s match against No. 2 seed SMU.
Buoyed by the confidence of beating SMU last season, the Shockers looked comfortable going point-for-point with the nationally ranked hosts. For the first set, it was hard to tell which was the team that sputtered at the end of the regular season in the American Athletic Conference and which was the nationally ranked squad that took down No. 1 Pittsburgh and swept No. 3 Nebraska this season.
But when the Shockers stumbled late in the first set, the momentum shifted and SMU showed why it is a championship contender in a 28-26, 25-17, 25-14 sweep at Moody Coliseum.
How different would the match have played out if WSU stole the first set? That’s the question WSU head coach Chris Lamb and his team will likely wonder in the coming days.
A run of four straight points put WSU in the lead, 18-15, then an attack error by SMU gave the Shockers a 23-22 lead late. But the team was unable to seal the deal. SMU answered back with a kill by star Maya Tabron, then WSU’s Emerson Wilford mishandled a serve to give the Mustangs set point.
WSU extended the match on kills by Brooklynn Leggett and Morgan Stout to stave off set points, but the Shockers could not overcome the amount of self-inflicted mistakes and lost when they could not return SMU’s serve on its fourth set point.
The Shockers never had a meaningful lead again in the match, as SMU star setter Celia Cullen (36 assists) took over and the Mustangs’ stable of potent hitters overwhelmed WSU. SMU’s balanced attack featured a match-high 13 kills by Tabron, followed by Jamison Wheeler (10 kills) and Naya Shine (10 kills).
SMU also featured former Shocker Natalie Foster, who finished with four kills and three blocks.
WSU junior Katie Galligan played valiantly in the back row with a match-high 13 digs, but WSU’s offense once again struggled to score points. Senior middle hitter Morgan Stout (eight kills) was once again dynamic with a .353 hitting percentage.
But setter Izzi Strand (27 assists, three kills) couldn’t find much success elsewhere as WSU finished with a .141 team hitting percentage. Leggett led the way with a team-high nine kills.
SMU (25-7) advanced to the regional championship hosted on its home court, where the Mustangs will face No. 7 seed Missouri on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Shockers wrapped up another successful end to a season. After rallying to win the 2023 NIVC championship, WSU once again played its best volleyball in the postseason. The Shockers pulled off three straight sweeps last weekend at Koch Arena to claim the AAC championship and punch their ticket to the Big Dance.
This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 8:31 PM.
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