Shocker volleyball sweeps Loyola

Ashlyn Driskill and Abbie Lehman are making trends out of what would normally be unsustainable statistics.

The Wichita State volleyball players have recently combined consistency, aggressiveness and efficiency, a rare trio of traits in a sport where powerful players can become overzealous.

Against Loyola on Friday night, Driskill and Lehman combined for 18 kills on 32 attempts with zero errors for a .563 combined hitting percentage as the Shockers won 25-22, 25-22, 25-20 at Koch Arena.

Driskill, especially, has re-invented herself, cutting down on mistakes over the last three weeks and help picking up the slack for injured outside hitter Mikaela Raudsepp, who missed her second straight match on Friday.

Driskill had nine kills on 11 swings in Friday’s third set, carrying WSU just like Lehman did by going 5 for 5 in the first set.

“My hand contact has gotten better, so I can be a little bit more risky when I do hit hard,” Driskill said. “It will still hit my hand fine. Better hand contact is my main thing, I guess, and being able to decide better.”

During a seven-match stretch between early September and Oct. 3, Driskill had 38 errors and hit .125 or below five times.

Her turnaround was immediate. One night after a six-kill, six-error showing against Northern Iowa on Oct. 3, Driskill had seven kills with no errors, and she has been keeping up that nearly flawless play.

Over her last four matches, Driskill, a junior middle blocker, has 36 kills and two errors and a .537 hitting percentage, which would appear even more impressive if not compared to Lehman’s numbers.

Lehman, a redshirt freshman middle blocker from Newton, has been on her surge a little longer, with 79 kills and four errors on 132 attempts since Sept. 26, good for a .568 hitting average. She was 9 for 13 Friday, with three kills as WSU hit .515 in the third set.

MaryAshton Floyd led the Shockers in kills Friday with 13.

“I think we’ve shown on any given night that we can put up the numbers, so preparing for us can be interesting,” WSU coach Chris Lamb said. “Between Abbie, Ashlyn and MaryAshton, there were (31) kills of our 50, so I’m very happy.”

Lehman’s and Driskill’s performances have come as the Shockers have established greater scoring depth. Redshirt freshman Jenny Whitledge has earned a more expanded role recently, with 48 kills in the last five matches, and Floyd has thrived even as Lamb consistently adjusts her positioning.

With so many options even with Raudsepp out, Lamb can go with the hot hand and watch as those players carry the Shockers at times. Driskill had two kills over Friday’s first two sets, and Lehman did her damage without receiving more than five attempts in any set.

“We’re looking for consistency,” Lamb said. “We’ve had some injuries that have kind of changed (plans). Ashlyn didn’t practice (Thursday), so we worked on something totally different. I think Jaclyn Roddy thought she was going to start tonight, but Ashlyn could go and we went back to something we already had in mind.

“But that’s how it’s been around here, and we’re going to ride that wave for a while.”

This story was originally published October 24, 2014 at 10:43 PM with the headline "Shocker volleyball sweeps Loyola."