MATCH NOTES
- #24 Wichita State def. SMU 3-0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-17)
- Wichita State moves to 26-3 overall, 8-0 AAC
- SMU drops to 20-9 overall, 14-4 AAC
- Dallas, Texas
- Attendance: 638
- Box Score
- VolleyMob Top 25 Power Rankings (Week 13)
The #24 Wichita State Shockers defeated the SMU Mustangs in straight sets to win the American Athletic Conference title and earn an automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The achievement will mark the 11th time the Shockers have qualified for the tournament.
Wichita State was led offensively by senior outside Mikaela Raudsepp, who had a team-best 14 kills. Senior middle Abbie Lehman added nine kills and 10 blocks, while freshman libero Giorgia Civita anchored the back-row defense with 11 digs. Senior setter Emily Hiebert came within three blocks of recording a triple-double (34 assists, 10 digs, 7 blocks).
For the Mustangs, two players led SMU with seven kills each: senior outside Lauren Mills and junior outside Brittany Adams.
It was all Shockers in set one, which they won 25-15 on Raudsepp’s sixth kill of the frame. In the second, Wichita State seized control early and secured the victory 25-11 on a kill by junior outside Tabitha Brown. The Shockers jumped to a 9-0 lead in set three and cruised to the 25-17 victory that would punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
Next up, Wichita State travels to Memphis for a Wednesday match against the Tigers, while SMU hosts Tulsa on Friday.
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No. 21 @GoShockersVB earns Wichita State its first ever American Athletic Conference title. #watchus pic.twitter.com/TVEUQ4pFmv
— Go Shockers (@GoShockers) November 19, 2017
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy: Wichita State Athletics
No. 21 Shockers Claim American Title
DALLAS, Texas – No. 21 Wichita State earned its first American Athletic Conference title with a dominating three-set win at second-place SMU. The Shockers (26-3, 18-0) won by scores of 25-15, 25-11 and 25-17.
With the win, the Shockers clinched The American’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Shockers will be making their 11th NCAA Tournament appearance.
Mikaela Raudsepp led the Shockers with 14 kills, while Emily Hiebert had 34 assists, 10 digs and seven blocks. Abbie Lehman had nine kills and 10 blocks and Giorgia Civita had 11 digs.
SET 1:
• The Shockers pulled away for a 25-15 win
• The set went back and forth until a block from Raudsepp and Lehman gave the Shockers an 11-7 lead
• The block assist gave Lehman the career total blocks record at WSU with 506
• Kills from Lehman and Brown pushed the lead to 15-10
• Three-straight Raudsepp kills gave WSU the 25-15 win
• Raudsepp had six kills in the set, while Hiebert had 13 assists and five digs
SET 2:
• WSU ran away with a 25-11 win in the second set
• Four Shocker blocks gave WSU an early 9-2 lead
• Two blocks, two Koon kills and a Raudsepp kill pushed the lead to 20-7
• WSU closed out the set 25-11 on a kill from Brown and Hiebert’s 4,821st career assist, which gave her the career assists record at WSU
• Raudsepp had five kills in the set and the Shockers hit .550, while adding six blocks
SET 3:
• WSU swept the match with a 25-17 win
• The Shockers raced out to a 9-0 lead in the set
• A block by Hiebert and Lehman increased the lead to 12-1
• The Mustangs answered with a 6-2 run to pull within 14-7
• The Shockers closed it out with two Lehman kills for the 25-17 win
NEXT MATCH:
• The Shockers are next in action on Wed., Nov. 22 at Memphis at 1 p.m.
Courtesy: SMU Athletics
Mustangs Lose To No. 21 Wichita State Sunday
DALLAS (SMU) – The SMU volleyball team could not deliver No. 21 Wichita State its first conference loss of the season, losing in three sets against the Shockers in Moody Coliseum Sunday (25-15, 25-11, 25-17).
Senior Lauren Mills and junior Brittany Adams led the Mustangs with seven kills each in the loss, which dropped SMU to 20-9 overall, 14-4 in the American Athletic Conference. With the win, the Shockers improved to 26-3 overall, 18-0 in The American.
Wichita State ended the match with a 25-17 victory in the third set. SMU had 18 digs in the set, but managed just 10 kills, with Adams scoring three. Montana Watts finished with a match-high 13 digs.
The Shockers won the first set, 25-15. Kelly Brunstein had four of SMU’s 11 kills to lead the offense, but the Mustangs hit just .143 combined. Wichita State hit .314 with 15 kills to win the opening set. Wichita State took a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-11 victory in the second set. The Shockers hit .550 with 13 kills in the set and posted six blocks.
SMU plays at Tulsa Wednesday at 2 p.m. before returning home to conclude the regular season Friday against Tulsa at 2 p.m.
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