Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics
GREELEY, Colo. -- Emerson Wilford tied a career high with 13 kills, one of six Shockers with four or more terminations, as Wichita State rolled to a 25-21, 25-17, 25-22 straight sets win on Thursday afternoon at Bank of Colorado Arena in the opening match of the Northern Colorado Classic.
It's the 29th consecutive victory for Wichita State over Bradley, 24 of which have been sweeps.
The Shockers (4-4) hit .380 as a team and got better as the match wore on, improving the hitting percentage from .308 in the first set to .400 in the second and .452 in the third. Sophia Rohling made her presence felt in the early going with five first-set kills, then added three in the second and four more in the third to finish with 12 at a .479 clip. Setter Izzi Strand dished out 34 assists in three sets while also leading the Shockers defensively with 11 digs.
Wichita State seized a quick 9-4 lead in the first set, but Bradley (7-4) clawed back to a 10-10 tie and later took a 20-18 lead after a 5-0 run. The Shockers answered with a decisive run of their own, scoring seven of the final eight points to take a 25-21 win in the opener. Morgan Stout made a difference down the stretch with two clutch kills and a set-clinching block.
The second set was back-and-forth in the early going, leveled at 5-5 following a Bradley kill. But WSU snatched control of the frame in the middle stages, twice lengthening the lead to five despite a pair of Bradley timeouts. Wichita State took their largest lead at 19-12, though the Braves scratched to within 19-16 after a service ace. The Shockers put the stanza away with the help of two Wilford kills and an emphatic termination from Natalie Foster on set point. Foster had five kills on just seven attempts in the set, adding a pair of blocks.
Set three was an exciting affair, deadlocked at 20-20 as the teams traded eight consecutive points. Strand helped get the Shockers across the finish line with two setter dumps, the second of which gave WSU match point with the score 24-21. Bradley stayed alive on a kill from Corrie Brown, but committed a hitting error on the subsequent point to nail down the victory for WSU.
Foster and Stout provided efficient production out of the middle for Wichita State, combining for 17 kills with just two attack errors. Seven Shockers had at least four digs as Wichita State out-dug the Braves, 43-31. WSU held Bradley to a .140 hitting percentage for the match.
The Shockers continue the tournament on Friday afternoon against Omaha. First serve is scheduled for 4:00 pm CT.