Volleyball | 9/10/2020 5:25:00 PM

 
Brylee Kelly traded Twizzlers for shrimp and broccoli and she thinks Wichita State volleyball fans will notice the difference.
 
"I cut out junk food all quarantine," she said. "It was terrible, but I set my mind to it because I was so bored. It really paid off."
 
Twizzlers – the cherry pull and peel variety – are her favorite. She eliminated candy and added more vegetables to her diet. 
 
"I'm saving money, I'm not going out and I'm not buying junk food," she said. "My body feels good. My brain feels good. I'm going to stick with it."
 
The Shockers will scrimmage at 6 p.m. Saturday at Charles Koch Arena. Admission is free and attendance is limited to 2,000 due to COVID-19 capacity limitations. Earlier this month, the American Athletic Conference postponed volleyball to the spring to align with NCAA championships.
 
Wichita State coach Chris Lamb proposed the scrimmage as way to break up the grind of practices and motivate the Shockers. His approach is to treat fall practices like the Shockers would treat the spring during a normal school year.
 
He plans to play five sets and spent the latter part of the week dividing the team as equally as possible in practices. He said he talked to coach who saw a drop in intensity when the fall schedule was postponed. 
 
"I haven't felt that, but it makes you wonder," Lamb said. "Coaches should always be talking about process. Baby steps. Take what they give you. They didn't cancel our season, they just moved it."
 
Kelly, a sophomore outside hitter, said the opportunity to play in front of fans is a big motivator for the Shockers.
 
"It's a struggle not being able to compete against other teams," she said. "This team this year, we have a better atmosphere. We're grittier in practice, we're scrappier. We haven't got the chance to show anyone that. We're all looking forward to giving fans a look at what our practices look like."
 
Last season, Kelly played in 22 matches as a redshirt freshman. She hit. 145 with 131 kills on 406 attempts. She recorded a career-high 14 kills in a 3-2 win at Memphis. Lamb sees her making significant progress this fall.
 
"She is making herself very, very relevant to a lot of decisions (about lineups)," Lamb said.
 
Kelly, from Monee, Ill., used the quarantine to work in a friend's weight room.
 
"Things are starting to click for me, both the mental and the physical game," she said. "I'm jumping a lot higher. I'm hitting the ball harder and it's showing in scrimmages."
 
Some other Shockers to watch on Saturday:

• Middle blocker Emma Wright may consider Saturday's scrimmage her senior farewell, Lamb said, depending on her plans for graduate school in the spring. Wright, who redshirted in 2016, played 26 matches last season and hit .237.
• Lamb is pleased with freshmen Morgan Weber (outside hitter), Marriah Buss (outside hitter) and middle Morgan Stout.

 "(Weber) is a complete player and a competitor," Lamb said. "You can tell it matters to her and she's doing everything we're asking her to do."

• Middle Chinelo Ogogor, like Kelly, is in her third season in the program after redshirting in 2018. Ogogor played in 23 matches and hit .217 last season.

"I'm bullish on Chinelo right now," Lamb said. "Chinelo seems more comfortable. Less things are surprising and, physically, she's got all the tools she needs."

• Sophomore Sina Uluave is practicing at libero after spending last season as an attacker. Her 178 kills ranked second on the team. 

"Her passing numbers have been as good or better as anybody else," Lamb said. 
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.