The RoundHouse | 1/28/2021 10:11:00 AM

 
 
Wichita State outside hitter Nicole Anderson started last week unsure of her spot in the rotation. When the Shockers opened on Friday, she made herself indispensable. On Monday, her performance earned her player of the week honors in the American Athletic Conference.
 
"Earlier in the week, she probably wasn't even starting," coach Chris Lamb said.
 
Then the roster shortened due to COVID-19 protocols and Anderson moved into all six rotations for the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational at Missouri State. She scored with great efficiency and performed solidly as a passer.
 
"She was the busiest player on our team – she never came out," Lamb said. "No looking over her shoulder, because we were short-handed. She was going to do this job."
 
The Shockers play a public scrimmage at 7 p.m. Thursday (Jan. 28) with free admission and capacity limited to 2,000. Matches against North Texas (Thursday and Friday) are postponed until Feb. 4-5 due to COVID-19 cases and contact tracing within the North Texas program.
 
Anderson finished the three matches hitting .284 with a team-leading 3.36 kills a set and 3.36 digs a set. She recorded 13 kills and 11 digs in the opening win over South Dakota. Against Oral Roberts, she registered 14 kills and a career-best .480 hitting percentage. She finished the weekend with 10 kills and a career-high 19 digs against Missouri State on Sunday.
 
"That was in the back of my mind – that I've got work even harder because we're missing girls," Anderson said. "Obviously, we had people missing, particularly (outside hitter) Brylee Kelly. That was a pretty big loss and I know I felt that going into this weekend."
 
Anderson, a sophomore from Richardson, Texas, said an improved connection and pace with setters Kayce Litzau and McKayla Wuensch sparked her weekend. 
 
"It is always hard to defend against a faster set and that's something we've been working on," Anderson said. "Speeding up our offense and I think we're most successful when we have a fast offense. It was a lot easier to get kills when you have a fast set."
 
Anderson relies on skills and smarts to elevate her production. 
 
"She's going to volleyball-play her way up the ladder," Lamb said. "She scored at the rate of a more physically talented player this weekend because she really took advantage of her good situations and mitigated or managed her difficult situations."
 
Playing with confidence and letting those skills flow is also a key part of Anderson's success. 
 
"That is one of the biggest differences between this season and last season – my confidence," she said. "Trusting my hand. Trusting my vision. When I'm confident, I'm a different player and I can feel it."
 
Wichita State's 3-0 start showed Anderson that the team's work in the fall paid off. She likes the chemistry that developed during the delayed start to the season. Freshmen Marriah Buss and Lauren McMahon impressed her with their contributions on Sunday when the Shockers rallied from a 2-1 deficit to beat Missouri State.
 
"The energy and fight we've had in practice, a lot more hustle plays, that really helped us, especially on Sunday," Anderson said.
 
Lamb pointed to Friday's win over South Dakota, which went 31-3 in 2019 and returned much of its lineup, as a satisfying marker for his team.
 
"We're pumped," he said. "It certainly made us feel that where we're putting our priorities and time right now is right on the money."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.