MATCH NOTES
- #25 Wichita State def. SMU 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-12, 25-12)
- Wichita State moves to 15-3 overall, 7-0 AAC
- SMU drops to 12-6 overall, 6-1 AAC
- Wichita, Kansas
- Attendance: 3,687
- Box Score
- VolleyMob Top 25 Power Rankings (Week 8)
Before an energetic home crowd of 3,687, the #25 Wichita State Shockers defeated the SMU Mustangs in four sets to stand alone atop the American Athletic Conference standings.
The Shockers were led offensively by senior middle Abbie Lehman, who notched 20 kills on .576 hitting, and junior outside Tabitha Brown, who added 13 kills. Senior setter Emily Hiebert recorded a double-double (44 assists, 12 digs) and freshman libero Giorgia Civita led Wichita State’s back-row defense with 29 digs.
For the Mustangs, senior outside Lauren Mills registered her 12th double-double of the season (10 kills, 14 digs), and freshman middle Lexi Nordmann recorded seven blocks to anchor SMU’s front-row defense.
In the first set, the Shockers led 14-8 early, but the Mustangs fought back and scored seven of the last 10 points to steal the frame 25-23. The second set ended with Wichita State turning the tables by scoring the six final points and winning 25-18.
The third was all Wichita State with Lehman notching five kills en route to an easy 25-12 victory. In the fourth, Lehman added another six kills and Civita registered nine of her 29 digs to help the Shockers seal the victory by the same 25-12 score.
Wichita State plays again on Sunday when they welcome Tulsa to Charles Koch Arena, while SMU remains on the road, traveling to Tulsa for a match against the Hurricane, also on Sunday.
VIDEO (Interview with Wichita State’s Chris Lamb)
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy: Wichita State Athletics
No. 22 Shockers Take Down SMU, 3-1
WICHITA, Kan. – No. 22 Wichita State used 20 kills from Abbie Lehman to take over sole possession of first place in The American. The Shockers (15-3, 7-0) won by scores of 23-25, 25-18, 25-12 and 25-12.
Lehman hit .576 in the match and also added two digs and three blocks. Tabitha Brown had 13 kills, while Emily Hiebert had 44 assists and 12 digs. Giorgia Civita led the Shockers with 29 digs.
SET 1:
• SMU fought back for a 25-23 win in the first set
• The Shockers raced out to a 7-1 lead in the first set
• A kill by Hiebert gave the Shockers a 14-8 lead
• SMU pulled within 17-16 on a block
• The teams traded points until a kill by Mikaela Raudsepp gave the Shockers a 20-18 lead
• SMU scored seven of the last 10 points for the 25-23 win
• Lehman had seven kills in the set, while Giorgia Civita had six digs
SET 2:
• The Shockers pulled away late for a 25-18 win in the second set
• WSU grabbed an early 4-1 lead behind the serving of Civita
• SMU came back to tie the score at six
• The Shockers used a 3-0 run to go in front 17-12
• SMU used a 5-0 run to tie it at 17
• WSU ended the set on an 8-1 run to win 25-18
• Brown had five kills in the set, while Civita, Hiebert and Hanna Shelton each had seven digs
SET 3:
• WSU dominated the set in a 25-12 win
• A Lehman kill gave the Shockers an early 5-2 lead
• Two kills from Hiebert and one from Lehman pushed the lead to 17-9
• Brown’s kill gave WSU a 22-11 lead and another Brown kill ended it at 25-12
• Lehman had five kills in the set
SET 4:
• WSU won the match with a 25-12 win in the fourth set
• The Shockers raced out to a 7-1 lead
• An Alex Koon kill gave the Shockers a 15-6 lead
• A Koon service ace increased the lead to 20-9
• WSU closed out the set 25-12 on a kill by Brown
• Lehman led the Shockers with six kills in the set, while Civita had nine digs
NEXT MATCH:
• The Shockers are next in action on Sun., Oct. 15 when they host Tulsa at 1 p.m. inside Charles Koch Arena for Havoc in the Heartland
Courtesy: SMU Athletics
SMU Suffers First Conference Loss At No. 22 Wichita State
WICHITA, Kan. (SMU) – The SMU volleyball team suffered its first American Athletic Conference loss Friday night, losing 3-1 at No. 22 Wichita State in the Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas. It was just the fourth meeting between the two programs, and the first as a conference match.
Lauren Mills recorded her league-best 12th double-double with 10 kills and 14 digs, and freshman Lexi Nordmann recorded seven blocks to lead the Mustangs. Wichita State hit .275 with 56 kills to improve to 7-0 in The American and 15-3 overall.
The Shockers won the last three sets, ending the match with a 25-12 victory in the fourth. SMU committed 33 attack errors, including nine blocks by Wichita State. The Shockers finished with 90 digs as a team, while SMU recorded 70.
Kelly Brunstein also scored 10 kills for SMU, and Brittany Adams added eight. Montana Watts led SMU (12-6, 6-1 The American) with 21 digs. Kendall Patterson posted her eighth double-double of the season with 22 assists and 17 digs, and freshman Allison Hughes had 15 assists.
The Mustangs overcame a 7-1 deficit to win the first set, 25-23. The Wichita State lead was still six, 14-8, when SMU went of a 4-1 run to cut the lead in half, 15-12. SMU later scored three straight to cut the lead to one, 17-16, and another 3-0 run gave the Mustangs their first lead, 21-20. The Shockers took the lead back, 22-21, before Patterson scored on a dump set and Brunstein blasted a kill to make it 23-22 SMU. After a Wichita State point, Brunstein scored two block assists, combining with Kennedy and Nordmann to end the set, 25-23 SMU.
Wichita State scored six straight at the end of the second set, taking advantage of four SMU attack errors, to win 25-18 and tie the match at one set apiece. The Shockers again built an early lead, scoring four of the first five points, and again held a sizeable advantage late in the set, 17-12. SMU again battled back, scoring five straight with three kills, a block and an ace, tying the score at 17-17. This time, however, the Mustangs were unable to capture the lead, posting just one more block before the fateful Wichita State rally.
The Shockers hit .500 in the third set with 19 kills en route to a 25-12 win for a 2-1 lead in the match. After posting three blocks each in the first two sets, SMU managed just one in the third. The Mustangs were held to just 10 kills on the offensive side, with three scored by Brunstein.
SMU plays the second of four straight road matches Sunday at Tulsa. First serve is schedule for 1 p.m.
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