Tweet
RH: Alyssa Gonzales Leads WSU in Scoring in Conference Matches
Alyssa Gonzales decided to play volleyball at Wichita State because she heard good things about the coaching staff, felt at home on her visit and saw an opportunity for playing time after redshirting in 2023.
She formed those impressions during a rush of phone calls and visits in December after deciding to transfer from TCU. Fortunately, the coach Chris Lamb experience turned out as she hoped.
"Honestly, I had no idea what I was getting into when I committed," she said. "I know this coaching staff will continue to make me better. He sees so many things and has so many tricks up his sleeve to fix the little things."
Gonzales, a redshirt freshman outside hitter, is on a roll that is proving her instincts correct about her fit at WSU. She recorded 10 or more kills in six of the past seven matches with attack percentages of .290 or better in five.
"I've been impressed with the angles she hits and the depth," Lamb said. "Aggressive swings and on less-than-perfect sets she's still willing to go for it. We all know what a difference that makes."
Gonzales, from Aledo, Texas, hit a new gear in AAC play. She leads the Shockers with 101 kills and 106.5 points in eight conference matches. She is hitting .267 in eight AAC matches, raising her season mark to .203.
"I suspect comfort and confidence have a lot to do with it," Lamb said. "We mapped out a way for her to be successful. If you look at it now, it seems like a whole lot of improvement since the spring matches."
The Shockers played exhibition matches in Brazil last spring and Lamb noticed the way their attackers hit cross-court shots. He adapted some of their drills for the Shockers. Gonzales credits the drills with improving her approach and opening new scoring areas, especially around the 10-foot line.
"I used to be such a line-game hitter, so I would always hit lines," she said. "It really worked, getting my hips around the ball and getting my feet to the ball."
Lamb compares her ability to score with cross-court shots to former Shocker Jody Larson, who earned honorable mention AVCA All-American honors in 2016.
"She now turns her hips, almost at me, and she can hit that (10-foot line) ball really well," setter Izzi Strand said. "Alyssa has a super-power of snapping her wrist and putting the ball down in front of diggers. She finds a little hole and she snaps it through."
Gonzales visited WSU last December, encouraged by a TCU assistant coach who thought she would work well with Lamb. Lamb talked to her first on Zoom and declared he wanted her to visit WSU last and commit.
The portal, she learned, moved quickly with coaches asking her to choose without a visit. Two weeks of calls and visits decided her future. She remembers taking 15 calls on the first day.
"It just all felt so right," she said. "Just walking around (Koch Arena), I had an overwhelming feeling that this is where I need to be. I literally started tearing up, and I am not a crier at all."
Alyssa Gonzales decided to play volleyball at Wichita State because she heard good things about the coaching staff, felt at home on her visit and saw an opportunity for playing time after redshirting in 2023.
She formed those impressions during a rush of phone calls and visits in December after deciding to transfer from TCU. Fortunately, the coach Chris Lamb experience turned out as she hoped.
"Honestly, I had no idea what I was getting into when I committed," she said. "I know this coaching staff will continue to make me better. He sees so many things and has so many tricks up his sleeve to fix the little things."
Gonzales, a redshirt freshman outside hitter, is on a roll that is proving her instincts correct about her fit at WSU. She recorded 10 or more kills in six of the past seven matches with attack percentages of .290 or better in five.
"I've been impressed with the angles she hits and the depth," Lamb said. "Aggressive swings and on less-than-perfect sets she's still willing to go for it. We all know what a difference that makes."
Gonzales, from Aledo, Texas, hit a new gear in AAC play. She leads the Shockers with 101 kills and 106.5 points in eight conference matches. She is hitting .267 in eight AAC matches, raising her season mark to .203.
"I suspect comfort and confidence have a lot to do with it," Lamb said. "We mapped out a way for her to be successful. If you look at it now, it seems like a whole lot of improvement since the spring matches."
The Shockers played exhibition matches in Brazil last spring and Lamb noticed the way their attackers hit cross-court shots. He adapted some of their drills for the Shockers. Gonzales credits the drills with improving her approach and opening new scoring areas, especially around the 10-foot line.
"I used to be such a line-game hitter, so I would always hit lines," she said. "It really worked, getting my hips around the ball and getting my feet to the ball."
Lamb compares her ability to score with cross-court shots to former Shocker Jody Larson, who earned honorable mention AVCA All-American honors in 2016.
"She now turns her hips, almost at me, and she can hit that (10-foot line) ball really well," setter Izzi Strand said. "Alyssa has a super-power of snapping her wrist and putting the ball down in front of diggers. She finds a little hole and she snaps it through."
Gonzales visited WSU last December, encouraged by a TCU assistant coach who thought she would work well with Lamb. Lamb talked to her first on Zoom and declared he wanted her to visit WSU last and commit.
The portal, she learned, moved quickly with coaches asking her to choose without a visit. Two weeks of calls and visits decided her future. She remembers taking 15 calls on the first day.
"It just all felt so right," she said. "Just walking around (Koch Arena), I had an overwhelming feeling that this is where I need to be. I literally started tearing up, and I am not a crier at all."
Comment