STATISTICS | NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET
Saturday, December 2 Results:
Missouri 3, No. 16 Seed Wichita State20 1
No. 20 Wichita State’s 2017 volleyball season came to an end with a 3-1 (25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 26-24) loss to Missouri in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Wichita State became the second American team to win a NCAA Tournament match after sweeping Big South champion Radford in the opening round last night. It was also the first time the Shockers, as well as any league team ever hosted the NCAA Tournament.
The match proved to be a narrow clash, as each set was decided in at least four points. The Shockers battled back after dropping the first two sets to capture the third set, 25-21. Wichita State carried the momentum into the fourth set, hitting .308, but Missouri outlasted them and won the final two points to earn the 26-24 win and secure the match victory.
The Shockers were led by outside hitter Alex Coon, who knocked down 15 kills with just one attacking error for a .500 hitting percentage. Abbie Lehman (13) and Mikaela Raudsepp (11) also reached double-digit kills. The Shockers out-blocked the Tigers, 13.5-8, as Raudsepp accounted for a match-high six stuffs. Giorgia Civita recorded 20 digs in the back row.
Wichita State made its 11th NCAA Tournament appearance and entered the contest on a 21-match and 32-set winning streak, which are both American Athletic Conference records. The Shockers conclude the year with a 29-4 overall record after becoming the second team in conference history to win the league title with an undefeated record (20-0).