Late-season hot streak sends Wichita State volleyball to first postseason play since 2018

Taylor Eldridge
·2 min read

The Wichita State volleyball team will return to the postseason for the first time since 2018 after winning seven of its final eight matches to conclude the season.

The Shockers accepted a bid to play in the 2022 National Invitational Volleyball Championship, where they were picked as one of eight programs in the 32-team field to host the first and second rounds at Koch Arena next week.

After posting an 18-12 overall record and going 13-6 (fourth-place finish) in the American Athletic Conference, WSU will play Grand Canyon (17-10) at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 4 at Koch Arena. The other matchup will be Drake (26-7) against Weber State (17-11), with the two winners meeting 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 5, at Koch Arena.

WSU students receive free admission to all matches, while fans can purchase tickets starting at $8 through the Shocker ticket office.

All matches in the NIVC tournament, including the championship, are played on the home court of the higher seed. Other host schools include Wake Forest, Boston College, Ohio, Portland State, Texas-Rio Grande Valley, Liberty and Troy.

The winner of the WSU region will play the winner of the Portland State (18-12) region, which also includes Santa Clara (12-18), Omaha (20-10) and Pacific (16-13), in the third round of bracket play sometime between Dec. 6-8.

WSU played in the college volleyball postseason in 2018, defeating Central Arkansas in the opening round before losing to host North Texas in the second round of the NIVC.

Junior outside hitter Brylee Kelly delivered another superb season for the Shockers, leading the team with 384 kills (3.28 per set) working with junior setter Kayce Litzau, while sophomore middle blocker Natalie Foster registered 349 kills (3.01 per set) on a .381 hitting percentage plus a team-high 99 blocks. The back row was led by sophomore Morgan Weber (3.09 digs per set) and junior Lily Liekweg (3.60 digs per set).