The RoundHouse | 11/22/2023 10:00:00 PM

By Paul Suellentrop

Wichita State's regular season is over, but the Shockers do not sound like a team that is done with volleyball for the winter.
 
The Shockers swept UAB (25-13, 25-12, 25-10) on Wednesday at Koch Arena to solidify a second-place finish in the American Athletic Conference, their best since the 2017 title. Wichita State (21-8, 15-4 AAC) is No. 61 in the NCAA's RPI, making an at-large NCAA bid unlikely.
 
"We're playing some of our best volleyball right now," senior left Brylee Kelly said. "A lot of chemistry is increasing on the court. Practices are flowing good."
 
All that profiles to a team eager to play in the conference tournament and take a swing at an automatic bid into the NCAA's. However, the AAC doesn't play a tournament, leaving the Shockers a strong candidate to host matches in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship, as they did last season.
 
The absence of that opportunity and the experience of playing in a conference tournament disappoints coach Chris Lamb. Concerns about conflicts with football and Thanksgiving, Lamb said, dissuaded some coaches and athletic directors from voting for a tournament. The conference will sponsor one next season.
 
"These guys deserve a tournament," Lamb said. "Players want it. Coaches want it. Every other sport in our conference has a tournament."
 
 The Shockers have won four of five matches, split with AAC champion SMU in Dallas, swept third-place USF, and split with fourth-place Rice in Houston. They would enter a conference tournament with a reasonable chance to win and loads of motivation.
 
"This conference should have a conference tournament," middle Morgan Stout said. "We are showing people our best selves right now. It is a lost opportunity when we don't get to show that to people."
 
 

Four slides, four kills for Stouty. We like that math@morgannstout 🧮 pic.twitter.com/542mKoKE95

— Wichita State Volleyball (@GoShockersVB) November 23, 2023

 
 
The Shockers did show they can continue their upward trend in the AAC. They finished fifth in 2021 and fourth in 2022. Injuries to Kelly and opposite Sophia Rohling kept the Shockers from operating at their best early in the season. The non-conference schedule didn't play out as Lamb predicted. WSU's best non-conference win is over Illinois, No 85 in the RPI, and opponents such as Notre Dame and Texas Tech didn't help the power rankings.
 
That meant losses to Florida Atlantic and North Texas, at home, cut deeply into a tiny margin for error.
 
"It's hard to be perfect," Lamb said. "We overcame a lot. The only match we lost all year with all our starters was SMU, then we turned around and beat them the next day."
 
UAB (5-26, 3-16) didn't offer much resistance to the Shockers passing the 20-win mark for the first time since the 2017 Shockers went 29-4. The Blazers hit .012, second lowest for a WSU AAC opponent this season.
 
The Shockers hit a season-high .374 with Stout recording 13 kills and a .524 attack percentage. Rohling added 12 kills. Middle Natalie Foster scored seven kills on nine swings to hit .667. Gabi Maas registered 11 digs.
 
Stout impressed Lamb by handling multiple blockers and limit her errors to two on 21 swings.
 
"They were going after her," Lamb said. "Her routes were on time and smooth. Her hand contact was terrific. She scored around the blocks both directions."
 
The Shockers should get another chance to prove they're playing well late in the season. On Sunday night, they will await the announcement of the NIVC field.
 
 

Senior solo stuff!@brylee_kelly 🙌 pic.twitter.com/rkYSqA5FDg

— Wichita State Volleyball (@GoShockersVB) November 23, 2023

Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.