Orlando, Fla. – Wichita State defeated seven top-20 ranked teams and rattled off eight consecutive wins on their way to a runner-up finish at Destination Orlando, the first regular season tournament of the season.
 
The Shockers fell, 4-1, to #1-ranked Jacksonville State in the best-of-seven final, capping off an undefeated weekend for the Gamecocks who went 11-0 in the Baker and traditional matches.
 
Aleesha Oden (230.8 average) and Sara Duque Jiménez (220.2) snagged spots on the All-Tournament team to lead Wichita State individually. Morgan Kline (195.0), Kendall Bollea (172.4) and Paige Wagner (172.2) rounded out the regular lineup for Holly Harris and the Shockers. Jacksonville State's Gianna Brandolino took home MVP honors with a 239.6 average.
 
Wichita State got off to a strong start on Friday's opening day of play, besting #18 UAB (944-921), #12 Duquesne (1,144-898) and #11 Sacred Heart (983-969) in quick succession. The 1,144 against Duquesne was the best single-match score from any team in the entire tournament. The Shockers dropped an 1,139-1,028 decision to Jacksonville State, but bounced back with a convincing 950-811 win over Alabama A&M to close out the Baker matches 4-1 and third in total pinfall.
 
The Shockers took advantage of a softer schedule in Saturday's traditional matches to roll to an undefeated day, toppling Florida A&M (1,053-812), #10 Maryville (942-925), Saint Anselm (970-732), #16 Maryland-Eastern Shore (965-807) and Alabama State (1,023-874). The teams played one last Baker match on Sunday morning, and the Shockers hung on for a 1,032-966 win over #7-ranked North Carolina A&T that moved WSU to 10-1 for the tournament and earned them the #2 seed in the bracket.
 
Squaring off with #9 Louisiana Tech in the opening round, Wichita State jumped out to an early lead in the best of seven and never looked back, advancing to the title match with a 4-2 victory (193-147, 169-223, 221-183, 258-187, 196-200, 211-180). Jacksonville State proved too much to handle in the final, however, besting the Shockers by scores of 244-223, 213-185, 165-207, 240-186, and 216-200.
 
Wichita State will carry an 11-2 record into next weekend's Track Kat Klash at Emerald Bowl in Houston, Texas, beginning Friday, October 31.