MATCH NOTES
- #24 Wichita State def. Tulsa 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-15)
- Wichita State moves to 25-3 overall, 17-0 AAC
- Tulsa drops to 14-15 overall, 8-9 AAC
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Attendance: 409
- Box Score
- VolleyMob Top 25 Power Rankings (Week 13)
The #24 Wichita State Shockers swept the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Saturday to secure at least a share of the American Athletic Conference crown. With a win against SMU on Sunday, the Shockers can clinch the title outright and receive the conference’s automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
The Shockers were led offensively by junior outside Tabitha Brown, who registered 15 kills while hitting at a .478 clip. Brown was also named MVP of the annual Havoc in the Heartland rivalry series between the two schools. Other key contributors for Wichita State included senior middle Abbie Lehman (13 kills), senior setter Emily Hiebert (42 assists) and freshman libero Giorgia Civita (18 digs).
For the Hurricane, sophomore libero Taylor Horsfall recorded 16 digs to become Tulsa’s new single-season digs leader and sophomore setter Mariah Pardo registered a double-double (29 assists, 11 digs).
In the first, the score was knotted at 11 before the Shockers created separation, eventually winning 25-19 on Lehman’s sixth kill of the set. Wichita State carried that momentum into set two, taking an early 6-1 lead on their way to a 25-12 victory. After the intermission, it was more of the same with the Shockers winning 25-15 on a Hiebert kill.
Next up, the Hurricane host Memphis, while Wichita State travels to Dallas for its Sunday match against SMU.
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy: Wichita State Athletics
No. 21 Shockers Sweep Tulsa
TULSA, Okla. – No. 21 Wichita State swept Tulsa for a victory in the Havoc in the Heartland rivalry series. With the win, WSU clinched at least a share of the American Athletic Conference title. The Shockers (25-3, 17-0) won by scores of 25-19, 25-12 and 25-15.
Junior Tabitha Brown earned Havoc in the Heartland MVP honors with 15 kills, while hitting .478. Abbie Lehman had 13 kills, while Emily Hiebert had 42 assists and Giorgia Civita had 18 digs.
SET 1:
• The Shockers pulled away for a 25-19 win
• Two-straight kills from Tabitha Brown gave the Shockers an early 5-4 lead
• Tulsa used a kill to go in front 10-8, but kills from Alex Koon and Abbie Lehman tied the score at 11
• A block from Emma Wright and Brown and a Wright kill gave the Shockers an 18-14 lead and led to a Tulsa timeout
• The Shockers used a kill from Lehman to finish off the set 25-19
• Lehman had six kills in the set, while Hiebert had 16 assists and Gabi Mostrom had six digs
SET 2:
• WSU ran away with a 25-12 win in the second set
• The Shockers raced out to a 6-1 lead to force a Golden Hurricane timeout
• Kills from Brown and Wright pushed the lead to 14-6 and a Tulsa hitting error led to another timeout with WSU leading 17-9
• Brown had three kills down the stretch as the Shockers won 25-12
SET 3:
• WSU swept the match with a 25-15 win
• Two-straight Brown kills put the Shockers up 7-2 early
• Kills from Raudsepp and Lehman increased the lead to 13-6
• Wright’s kill gave WSU a 16-9 advantage and led to a Tulsa timeout
• Civita’s service ace put the Shockers up 21-11
• WSU won the set 25-15 on a Hiebert kill
NEXT MATCH:
• The Shockers are next in action on Sun., Nov. 19 at SMU at 1 p.m.
Courtesy: Tulsa Athletics
Tulsa Fell to No. 16 Wichita State in Three Sets
TULSA, Okla. – The Golden Hurricane (14-15, 8-9 American) was in action as it hosted No. 16 Wichita State (25-3, 17-0 American) Friday at the Reynolds Center, for an American Athletic Conference match. Taylor Horsfall became the Tulsa single-season record holder for digs, as she finished the match with 16, but TU fell to the Shockers, 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-15).
The first stanza was a tightly contested battle. Tulsa held an 8-6 lead early, but Wichita State eventually tied the set at 11-11. The Shockers went on to win the opening set, 25-19. Emily Thorson and Rachel Moore led the attack as they both tallied four kills. Mariah Pardo assisted on 11 kills. Taylor Horsfall collected three digs. Pardo and Emily Hubbard each added two digs. Pardo and Ebony Carter each had a block assist, for the lone team block.
Wichita State started the second set on a 6-1 run and went on to win the second frame, 25-12. Thorson, Moore and Callie Cook each notched three kills. Ashton Anderson led the defense with five digs, while Horsfall chipped in with four. Pardo posted nine assists in the second set.
Horsfall paced the defense with nine digs in the third set. Pardo added seven digs and led the team with nine assists. Thorson produced four kills and Cook added three kills. Thorson and Carter each picked up a block assist. The Shockers started the third set on a 5-1 run and went on to win the third set, 25-15.
The Shockers had 62 digs, 50 kills, 49 assists, and six total blocks. Tabitha Brown led Wichita State with 15 kills. Abbie Lehman added 13 kills. Emily Hiebert had a match-high 42 assists. Giorgia Civita went for a match-high 18 digs.
Horsfall became the Tulsa single-season digs leader with her 16 digs. Her current season total is 687, which surpassed the previous single-season record of 680 held by Jessica Adams. Pardo earned her ninth double-double with her 29 assists and 11 digs. Thorson had a team-high 11 kills. Cook finished with eight kills. Carter led the team with two block assists, while Thorson and Pardo each added a block assist. As a team, the Hurricane accumulated 49 digs, 33 kills, 32 assists, and two total blocks.
With the defeat, the Golden Hurricane fell to 14-15 overall and 8-9 in conference play. Tulsa returns to action Sunday, Nov. 19, as it hosts the Memphis Tigers. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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