The RoundHouse | 8/16/2019 1:20:00 PM

 
Emma Wright did her hot yoga and her spin class and worked on jumping off one foot this summer in Phoenix.
 
Many things motivated her. She is one of two returning starters – and one of four returners who played in 20 or more matches in 2018 - for the Wichita State volleyball team. She made a decision early in her career to put in the extra time required to improve. 
 
She also knows playing time at middle blocker isn't guaranteed, despite her experience.
 
"If I want to play, I need to get my stuff together," she said. "I know Damadj (Johnson) is probably a better slide hitter than me. Chinelo (Ogogor) is way more physical than me. Brooke (Smith) is a good all-around player."
 
The Shockers started practices last week. On Saturday, coach Chris Lamb can add a new piece to his evaluation after a 3 p.m. exhibition match vs. Kansas at Koch Arena (COX YurView, HD 2022). Wright, a junior who hit .281 during an injury-shortened 2018, is preparing for a bigger role. 
 
She spent the summer at home working as a certified nursing assistant and continuing her physical improvement. 
 
"She's in the best shape of her life," Lamb said. ""Emma's always had pretty good arm talent. Now she's better with her hand on the ball. She's better with her eyes. She makes quicker decisions. That makes you a quicker athlete."
 
Wright redshirted in 2016 and played in 29 matches as a freshman. During those early days, she realized the difference between merely playing and playing to the top of her abilities. 
 
"When I came in as a freshman, I probably didn't realize how much work was needed," she said. "In high school, you can get away with not working as hard or focusing on other stuff besides volleyball. Once I got here, every year I learned how much work it takes, how much time it takes to really get to where you want to be."
 
Getting there required work on skills, conditioning and flexibility outside of practice. Over the summer, she wanted to cross-train to prepare her body for the grind of the season. She enjoyed the yoga and the spin class. 
 
"My sophomore year, I felt like I was fine, but I wanted to be better," she said. "To be really good, you have to do more."
 
Training to jump off one foot – an essential skill for middles – isn't as fun. She did a lot of box jumps and lifting to grow more quick and bouncy to hit the slides required for the position. She worked with her younger sister's club team on volleyball skills.
 
"I worked a lot on hitting behind the setter," Wright said. "I want to be more all-around good at volleyball, instead of just as a middle."
 
Lamb also notices growth in her leadership. She speaks out when practice slips or to guide a teammate.
 
"Now she's more concerned about our performance," Lamb said. "She's more willing to step out of her lane and get involved with the team. It's so validating to hear leaders on the team acknowledge how things are going. It's frustrating as a coach to feel like you're all by yourself rowing a boat."
 
Saturday's match gives Lamb a chance to see his young team – 11 newcomers – and plan for the opener on Aug. 30 against Holy Cross. Playing time at middle blocker is one of the areas that will start to define itself. Also of interest will be libero and setter, both places where the Shockers are looking at newcomers.
 
"It will be really, really good to put this team through a game-like situation," Wright said. "That will be really important to see how we play under pressure. You can work has hard as you want in practice, but it's not the same as a game."
 
Lamb said Wichita State will likely play an exhibition at Kansas next summer. He tried to get an exhibition set up the two previous seasons with no success.
 
"Everybody's been knotted up," he said. "Thank you to Kansas for taking the match and thank you for doing it here, which I think is going to lead to us going there next year. I wanted to see something and have another week to retool."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.