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2023 Volleyball Season

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  • Go Shockers - Foster, Strand Tabbed All-Region

    The AVCA North Region Committee announced Tuesday that Wichita State middle blocker Natalie Foster has been named All-Region and setter Izzi Strand has been named Honorable Mention All-Region.

    This marks the second consecutive All-Region honor for Foster, who has helped power Wichita State into the Great 8 of the NIVC with a torrid final month of the season. Foster's season hitting percentage has jumped to .410, tops in the conference and 13th nationally. Dating back to the end of the Shockers match at Rice, Foster has 30 kills and just one attack error over her last 46 attempts, good for a .630 hitting percentage in that time frame. Recently named First Team All-American Athletic Conference, Foster is the first Wichita State player to hit .400 in a season since Abbie Lehman in 2017. Foster ranks second on the team in points per set (3.39) and kills per set (2.78) while leading the club in blocks per set (0.96), already establishing a new career high with 114.0 total rejections.

    The native of Mattawan, Michigan has delivered consecutive errorless matches in the opening two rounds of the NIVC against Arkansas State and Tulsa, logging eight kills and four blocks in each outing. Foster was a dominant force in conference play, firing 212 kills on 407 swings for an impressive .521 kill percentage. That number includes a career-best .800 hitting percentage in the UTSA contest on November 11 when she scored 12 times on 15 attempts. Foster delivered a season-high 17 kills in the second meeting against Rice on November 18 and has notched at least six kills in every match this season. For her career, Foster owns 50 matches with double-digit kills and a combined hitting percentage of .373.

    Strand continues to orchestrate Wichita State's powerful offense, helping the Shockers to a team .251 hitting percentage that ranks top-50 nationally. The UC San Diego transfer is 19th in the country with 1,234 assists, easily tops in the conference and just 44 away from breaking into the Wichita State single-season top-10 list. Her 10.37 assists per set are second in the conference and 39th nationally, buoyed by a new career high with 60 assists in a road win at Tulane on October 13 and at least 50 helpers on three other occasions. When calling her own number, Strand racked up 94 kills at a .203 clip, highlighted by eight terminations in the season opener against Notre Dame.

    The native of Carlsbad, California serves as a reliable cog in the Shockers excellent defensive unit, contributing 2.50 digs per set and 0.35 blocks per set. She established a new season high with 17 digs in Wichita State's NIVC victory over Tulsa and piled up six blocks in Wichita State's road win over Illinois on September 1. Strand's all-around efforts garnered her a Second Team All-Conference nod in the conference awards announced in late November.
    Infinity Art Glass - Fantastic local artist and Shocker fan
    RIP Guy Always A Shocker
    Carpenter Place - A blessing to many young girls/women
    ICT S.O.S - Great local cause fighting against human trafficking
    Wartick Insurance Agency - Saved me money with more coverage.
    Save Shocker Sports - A rallying cry

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    • The fall window for the NCAA Volleyball transfer portal opened on Sunday, December 3rd and runs through Monday, January 1st.

      I am going to start a new thread for transfer portal news.

      Last edited by 1972Shocker; December 5, 2023, 12:13 PM.

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      • Congrats to Frosty and Izzi. Hard earned and well deserved.

        Not only is Frosty's level of play very impressive but her consistency and dependability is top notch was well.

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        • Go Shockers - RH: Stout Sets Up As Another Small-Town Success Story

          Scott Larkin describes the ball traveling 1,000 mph and 100 feet out of bounds against the back wall. He cannot forget the first swing by a freshman from Fowler High School on a tryout at Shockwave Volleyball Academy in Wichita.

          "It caught everybody's attention," said Larkin, co-director of the academy. "Every coach in the gym looked, when they heard that ball hit the wall, and said 'Who was that kid?'"

          That moment sums up so much about Morgan Stout's volleyball career from high school to Wichita State. She still hits the ball approximately 1,000 mph. More and more often, the ball stays in bounds.

          "We're on a roll where she's just been playing at an elite level," Wichita State coach Chris Lamb.

          The Shockers (23-8) play Drake (24-10) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Koch Arena in the quarterfinals of the 32-team National Invitational Volleyball Championship. The winner faces either Montana State or Wyoming in a semifinal.

          Stout, a redshirt junior middle blocker, is showing what she can do when determination, timing and repetition combine with power.

          "It has a lot to do with coaching and feedback," she said. "It was also a confidence thing. I didn't really realize what I was capable of. And I still feel like I'm capable of even more. The coaches really helped me see that and encouraged me."

          Stout (6-foot-1) earned second-team All-American Athletic Conference honors this season after improving her attack percentage from .178 in 2022 to its current level of .336. She owns career highs in kills (2.32 a set, 272 total), aces (nine) and blocks (110).

          "Her dominance is a key part of our success," senior outside hitter Brylee Kelly said. "She hasn't even dipped into what she can be."

          That day trying out for Shockwaves started Stout on the path from Fowler, a Class 1A school located almost halfway between Dodge City and Liberal, to Nickerson High School and Wichita State. Larkin and Lamb hit with her a similar message – work hard, you're going to struggle, keep working and you will succeed.

          Former Shockers such as Sara Lungren, Abbie Lehman and Darci Vohs – all from small towns and all needing skill refinement – heard similar messages. All possessed the combination of work ethic and physical ability to grow into special Shockers.
          Infinity Art Glass - Fantastic local artist and Shocker fan
          RIP Guy Always A Shocker
          Carpenter Place - A blessing to many young girls/women
          ICT S.O.S - Great local cause fighting against human trafficking
          Wartick Insurance Agency - Saved me money with more coverage.
          Save Shocker Sports - A rallying cry

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              • Probably on X also…

                https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1U1v...RlODBiNWFlZA==

                Last edited by WstateU; December 26, 2023, 04:14 PM.
                "You Just Want to Slap The #### Outta Some People"

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                • I know it is next to impossible but I would wish every student/athlete and student at WSU could have such a great experience at WSU as this

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                          • I really enjoyed seeing Webby score the final point of the season for the Shocks in the NIVC Championship match.

                            Last edited by 1972Shocker; December 30, 2023, 05:39 PM.

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