WICHITA, Kan. -- Wichita State mixed in its typical smothering defense with some timely aces and 14 kills from Morgan Stout to sweep Montana State 25-21, 26-24, 25-20 on Saturday afternoon at Charles Koch Arena. The win earns the Shockers a spot in the NIVC Championship on Tuesday, December 12 at a location and time to be determined.

The Shockers (25-8) got off on the right foot with a near-flawless opening set of offense. Wichita State committed just one attack error, hitting .486, highlighted by a combined nine kills from Stout and Sophia Rohling. Montana State (24-9) stayed within striking distance thanks to three service aces, eventually cutting the WSU lead to 21-20 on a kill from Jordan Radick that prompted a timeout. The Shockers scored four of the next five out of the break to polish off the frame, getting two crucial kills from Rohling to earn a hard-fought 25-21 win.

Neither side could grab a lead of more than two points in a slugfest of a second set that featured 12 ties. The Bobcats got a kill from Avery Turnage to reach set point at 24-23, but the Shockers answered with a trio of clutch plays. Rohling kept the set alive by hammering a kill that just caught the back line, then Izzi Strand followed with the first ace of the day for WSU to give the Shockers set point, 25-24. Following a Montana State timeout, the Bobcats set star outside hitter Kira Thomsen but she was roofed by the combination of Rohling and Natalie Foster to give WSU a 26-24 win and a 2-0 lead moving to the intermission.

Wichita State was able to grab the reigns from the get-go in the third set, scoring the first three points and holding that lead the rest of the way. The Shockers never truly created comfortable breathing room but did eventually stretch the lead to five with a late flurry that made it 24-19. Three aces in the span of eight points aided the Shocker cause, as Gabi Maas, Annalie Heliste and Stout each scored from the line to give Wichita State cushion down the stretch. WSU appeared to win the match on the following point when a touch was called on Sophia Rohling's swing, but a Montana State challenge reversed the call and forced the Shockers to try again with the lead cut to 24-20. A perfect pass from Maas led to a quick set for Foster in the middle, who fired home to send the Shockers to the championship.

The Shockers out-hit Montana State .313 to .203 and out-dug the Bobcats, 53-37. Stout hit .565 on her 14 kills, while Rohling added eight terminations, Barbara Koehler seven and Foster six. Strand dished out 33 assists and Maas paced the Shockers with a match-high 13 digs. Wichita State committed just four service errors compared to 11 for the Bobcats.

The Shockers now await their opponent in the championship match. UTEP hosts South Florida in other semifinal on Sunday at 2:30 pm CT, with the championship match location and time to be announced shortly afterward.