The RoundHouse | 9/22/2022 5:45:00 PM

 
Enough went right for Wichita State volleyball to win five matches, including three against 2021 NCAA Tournament teams. The six losses indicate the Shockers failed to do those good things as consistently as they prefer in non-conference play.
 
That 5-6 record – highlighted by wins over Iowa State and Dayton – is guaranteed to produce a "We're close" mood.
 
With American Athletic Conference play beginning on Friday (7 p.m. ESPN+) against Temple (6-5), the Shockers are talking about the need for consistency and resiliency. The weekend continues against ECU (noon, Sunday ESPN+).
 
"We learned how to push through things," setter Kayce Litzau said. "It's not one thing that's killing us. It's just learning how to push through and how to be aggressive throughout the whole game, stay in it mentally."
 
The 11 non-conference matches also included No. 22 Creighton, previously ranked Kansas, which took No. 1 Texas to five sets this week, and Northern Colorado after it defeated North Carolina and Colorado State. The Shockers played all 11 away from home, all of which should prepare them for conference play.
 
"We still have a lot more to give, which is awesome," outside hitter Brylee Kelly said.
 
Coach Chris Lamb points to the offense as needing to give more in most cases. The Shockers own an attack percentage of .197, which ranks eighth in the 11-team American. Last season, with largely the same lineups, the Shockers hit .223. The scoring can't take all the blame – 16 service errors hurt the Shockers in a 3-2 loss at Wright State on Saturday.
 
"Offensively, I would have expected us to be a little farther along," Lamb said.  "But it also makes me wonder if our non-con is just better than I thought."
 
In Wichita State's best matches, it generally gets good production from Kelly, middle Natalie Foster and right-side Sophia Rohling. The problems start when one or two of that trio is off and others don't step up.
 
Rohling leads the Shockers with 3.14 kills a set and is hitting .281. Foster is hitting .315 and averages 2.4 kills a set. Kelly, while hitting .165, came up big in Wichita State's top victories. She recorded 21 kills in wins over Iowa State and Dayton and recorded a .432 attack percentage against Dayton last week.
 
"We can't always ask more," Lamb said. "We've got to find points in more places."
 
The likely candidates to pitch in with scoring include middles Morgan Stout and Lauren McMahon and left Morgan Weber. Freshman left Emerson Wilford, who was scheduled to redshirt, played her way into Lamb's list of options.
 
Stout is coming off a good weekend with seven kills against Dayton, hitting .400, and 10 against Wright State.
 
"We're right there," Litzau said. "It's just the little things. Making sure we're communicating when things aren't exactly how we want so we can fix them."
 
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.