The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Wichita State vs. Rice (First Round)
No. 13 Wichita State 3, Rice 1
12.05.2008 | Volleyball
Dec. 5, 2008
- Post-match notes
- Post-match quotes
AUSTIN, Texas -- The No. 13 Wichita State Shockers (30-1) posted a 3-1 win over the Rice Owls (23-8) in first round action of the NCAA 2008 Division I Women's Volleyball Championship on Friday afternoon at Gregory Gym. The win gave Wichita State its first 30-game win in school history.
Rice won the first set, 25-21, using a .355-.121 advantage in attack percentage. The set was even through the first 30 points, with the score knotted on seven occasions, including 15-15. Rice went on a 6-0 run to take a 21-15 advantage and held on for the four-point victory. Karyn Morgan (Bellaire, Texas) led the Owls' attack with five kills, while Natalie Bogan (Oakland, Calif.), Jessica Holderness (Sycamore, Ill.) and Ashleigh McCord (Wylie, Texas) chipped in with three kills apiece. McCord was a perfect three-for-three in attack opportunities in the set.
Wichita State responded with a 25-23 win in the second set. Trailing 20-17, the Shockers went on a 7-1 run, bolstered by two kills by Katie Niggemeyer (Webster City, Iowa), to take a 24-21 lead and won the set on a service error by the Owls' Meredith Schamun (Murrieta, Calif.). The Shockers benefitted from a 17-10 kill advantage in the second stanza. Lindsey Eckenrode (The Woodlands, Texas) led the WSU charge with five kills. Niggemeyer and Emily Stockman (Colorado Springs, Colo.) contributed three kills apiece.
The Shockers won the third set convincingly, 25-15, behind a .652 attack percentage. WSU logged 15 kills on 23 attempts without an error. Niggemeyer and Mary Elizabeth Hooper (Plano, Texas) combined to go 7-of-7 on the attack. After falling behind early, 4-0, Wichita State evened the match at 5-5. The match was tied 7-7, when WSU went on a 10-4 run, behind two kills apiece by Hooper and Stockman, to take a 17-11 lead. Rice cut the margin to four at 18-14, but Wichita State scored seven of the last eight points to take the 2-1 lead in the match.
Wichita State closed out the match with a 25-20 win in the fourth set. The score was knotted at 7-7 before the Shockers went on an 8-3 run to take a 15-10 lead. Rice reeled the Shockers back in, trimming the lead to 17-16 before WSU went on a 7-2 spurt to put the game out of reach at 24-18. Stockman led the attack with four kills and the Shockers benefitted from three blocks.
For Wichita State, Stockman recorded her 45th straight match with double-digit digs, which is the third-longest active streak in Division I. She also had her 17th kill-dig double-double of the season. Stockman paced WSU with 12 kills and added 16 digs and six assists. Hooper logged a .533 attack percentage with eight kills and no errors on 15 attempts along with 39 assists. Eckenrode added 10 kills and Niggemeyer and Sarah McGee (Florissant, Mo.) had nine apiece. Kelly Broussard (San Antonio, Texas) logged a match-high 21 digs, her third-best effort of the season.
Rice's arsenal was paced by Morgan with a .270 attack percentage with 15 kills and five errors on 37 attacks. She moved into fifth place on the Owls' career kills list with 1,372 and added 13 digs for her 15th kill-dig double-double of the season. Holderness logged her 11th kill-dig double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs. McCord added 11 kills and Bogan logged 10. Schamun set up the Rice assault with 40 assists.
With the win, Wichita State has advanced out of the first round in all three of its NCAA Championship appearances, including 2004 and 2007.
Wichita State advances to play the winner of the match between Lamar and Texas at Gregory Gym on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Post-match notes
Rice
- Rice moved to 0-2 all-time in NCAA Tournament First Round play.
- Rice leads the all-time series with Wichita State 2-1.
- Karyn Morgan climbed to fifth on Rice's all-time career kills list with 15, bringing her career total to 1,372.
- Tracey Lam tied the Rice single-season digs record at 569 with nine digs against Wichita State.
- Meredith Schaum moved to sixth on Rice's single-season assists list with 40 digs, bringing her season-total to 1,346.
- Karyn Morgan recorded her 15th double-double of the season with 15 kills and 13 digs.
- Jessica Holderness recorded her 11th double-double of the season with 11 kills and 11 digs.
Wichita State
- Logged the first 30-win season in school history
- Wichita State moved to 3-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament First Round play.
- Wichita State moved to 3-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
- Wichita State moved to 1-2 all-time against Rice.
- Emily Stockman recorded her 17th double-double of the season with 12 kills and 16 digs.
- Kelly Broussard's 21 digs marked her 45th-straight match with double-digit digs, which is the third-longest active streak in the nation.
Post-match quotes
Wichita State coach and players
Head coach Chris Lamb
Opening statement: This team has been through an amazing season. We had an undefeated regular season and we played a little deflated last week. We had a really physical aggressive week of practice, and I was hoping that would jar something loose, yet I still kind of worried about how we'd start tonight. We came out really on fire and mentally competitive, but we've been able to change lineups all year so I think we make a couple of adjustments and people start competing. We started to play defense the way we have been playing all year, and I thought that was what kept us in early. We started scoring a little bit and the last 45 minutes of that match I thought we were a better team.
On making adjustments throughout the match: I think Rice has an outstanding setter, she runs it quick in all the right spots, and instead of going around us, I felt like they were sifting through us so I decided to stick [our libero] Kelly [Broussard] in middle back. Rice sided out 72 percent in the first game and no one has done that against us all year, and that was off the charts so I needed to do something different. That seemed to contain their side out offense a little bit and we've been great in transition all year.
On practicing this past week: We took some time off the week before and since we knew that Wednesday was a travel day and we had light practice on Thursday, I thought Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we should just hit it really hard. We just attacked it, attacked it, and attacked it and tried to keep our swing defense up. It was three days of practice where they kept changing their shirts because it was sweaty and I'm glad we did that.
On a potential second round matchup against Texas: Every year they put us in the tournament and they put us against the top seed in the region. Jerritt [Elliott] is easily one of my best friends in the coaching world. My team has gotten to go to Nebraska before and play in front of a great arena, a great team and a great atmosphere. We obviously wanted to play an easier draw but there is something to be said when you're facing the Longhorns. I'm really excited.
On their regular season: We've competed very well against the best teams on our schedule. It's a good thing, because we've come out and played really hard, really interested and really urgent. I'm confident the Shockers are going to compete tomorrow night. Jerritt knows they're going to come out and play hard, but we're just having a blast. We're having a great time.
On rebounding after the loss to Missouri State: When really good things and really bad things happen, they are obvious teachable moments. Tonight is one of those and same with that game against Missouri State. I tried to get them to understand that there are 28 play dates and they're going to define what the whole year means. That's a lesson and you have to keep it going,
Freshman setter Mary Elizabeth Hooper
On coming back after dropping the first set: We played our game and didn't let them affect us.
Junior outside hitter Emily Stockman
On the team's mentality throughout the match: I think it was just realizing that we weren't going to lose the match. We came out flat, and it's weird coming out playing a team we haven't played. That is always a challenge.
On rebounding after the loss to Missouri State: It was a struggle. Through the week of practice, that loss was on our minds. But tonight was a new game and we knew everyone was 0-0 in the tournament, so were we going to come out and play like we know how.
On a potential second round matchup against Texas: I'm excited. I'm fired up. I think it's going to be a great match and we've been in this position before. To get past Texas and into the Sweet Sixteen would be incredible. Everyone is excited.
Junior outside hitter Lindsey Eckenrode
On the team's versatility: We're a team where we're lucky enough that we have 95 percent of us who can play two, three positions. A few people play left, middle or right and that makes it so much harder for the other team when we can switch things up. It makes it that much harder to prepare for us because you don't know what's going to happen.
On a potential second round matchup against Texas: I think we're all fired up. Some of us are from Texas and we're
ready to compete. What do we have to lose? We're going to give our all for it and it's going to be a good match.
Rice coach and players
Head coach Genny Volpe
On Rice's serving troubles: With the whole team we told them they had to just get into their serves. We tried to serve the ball deep because WSU is a good serve receiving team. But, looking over how our team served, I think we handled it well.
On Rice's success this season: Last year, we were pretty young, and we didn't have that sense of urgency. This season I think that the seniors definitely stepped up through the spring and the summer and dedicated themselves to get to this point. They certainly took it up a notch. The team came into August in the best shape of their lives, and we knew we'd have a good season. This is probably the best team chemistry I've ever coached. Everyone supports each other.
On Rice's loss: I was noticing that we were overplaying a little bit, we were over-focused. The speed of our offense and defense overwhelmed WSU in the first game. I think that our downfall in the second and third games was that we were trying to overdo it a little bit, and we weren't patient with our serves. Our team got over amped. I told them to remember to stick with trusting our system and slowing down a little bit.
On Rice going to the NCAA tournament: This experience is huge because the younger players have a taste of what it's like to go to the post-season. This is big for the team; they see that we can compete at this level. The experience, rather than the idea, is huge. We're establishing ourselves as a program that expects to be here.
Senior outside hitter Jessica Holderness
On how the team played tonight: We came out and really hit them and I think they were a little shocked by that, but then, they started to pick up their game, too. They switched some stuff up and it caught us a little off guard. We tried our hardest, and we have no regrets.
On Rice's loss: It was definitely the mistakes that got us. We were being aggressive, but we missed serves by a little bit, we missed hits by a little bit, and that adds up.
On Rice's success this season: I think what this team has to offer is that we're so versatile. We didn't win with a set group in a set position; we could switch it up and still win.
Senior outside hitter Karyn Morgan
On what changed from the first game: At first they had a lot of errors and towards the end of the match we started making the errors and were trying a little too hard. They were playing really good volleyball, and we were fighting as well, but we kept making errors. We were fighting, too, but we came out on the losing end.
On Rice's success this season: It started out when everyone came back from last year. We knew what everyone had to offer, and when the preseason started up, we started winning and we continued to win.
