The RoundHouse | 9/24/2023 9:17:00 AM
By Paul Suellentrop
Wichita State produced an excellent defensive night against an overmatched opponent and the Shockers considered the effort routine.
And they have a point. Wichita State swept Charlotte (25-14, 25-13, 25-17) on Saturday at Koch Arena with a scouting report, effort and organization that limited the 49ers to a negative-.022 attack percentage.
"It was simple volleyball," defensive specialist
Annalie Heliste said. "That helped us go in there and play normal defense, nothing crazy. Watch their hitters line of approach. See where their body is facing."
The 49ers (7-7, 0-2 American Athletic Conference) faced Shockers (8-4, 2-0) usually well-positioned to turn back attacks. Charlotte hitters rarely enjoyed open swings and often navigated several arms obstructing their view. The Shocker back row handled much of what got past.
"Since our pins did a good job setting it up, it was easy for me to get there," middle
Natalie Foster said. "Our littles do a great job of reading where the attackers are going to take a swing."
The Shockers won their fifth straight match and held their fifth straight opponent under a .136 attack percentage. Saturday's mark of negative-.022 is the lowest for an opponent since 2016 when the Shockers held Evansville to negative-.043.
Wichita State entered the match holding opponents to a .151 attack percentage, No. 21 nationally.
"Defense has been on our side, one of the reasons why we're winning," coach
Chris Lamb said. "Serving tonight was great. We kept these guys out of system a lot. The Shockers still need to tighten it up in serve-receive. It's a little disconcerting there with the balls we watched land and didn't control."
Foster recorded six blocks. Left
Emerson Wilford added four blocks and a team-high 12 digs.
Wichita State's offense rebounded after hitting .119 in a sweep of ECU on Wednesday. While the Shockers handled the Pirates, a lack of scoring on the pins concerned Lamb. Saturday, left
Barbara Koehler hit .273 with nine kills, her high since 13 in the opener. Opposite
Sophia Rohling returned to form with eight kills and no errors on 14 swings. Wilford added six kills.
"A great night on the pins," Lamb said. "We needed it."
A balanced attack with Foster recording nine kills and Rohling eight also looked good to Lamb. Setter
Izzi Strand set the middles at a good rate and opened plenty of lanes for attackers. The Shockers finished with a .297 attack percentage, with a mere 11 errors, after hitting .119 on Wednesday.
"We've brought in a lot of good talent and that's raised the competition in our gym," Foster said. "Everyone has brought more firepower this year. We've stepped it up."
The Shockers will need to take that well-round performance on the road this weekend for an early conference showdown. They play at SMU (8-5, 2-0) on Friday and Sunday. The Mustangs own wins over Florida State, then-No. 14 Baylor and Texas Tech.
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
