Wichita State took the opening frame thanks in large part to nine Cal Poly attack errors, including five WSU blocks. Barham had three block assists and added three kills in the set without an error of her own, delivering two vital blocks after the Mustangs had pulled within 22-21.
The WSU offense could not find a rhythm in sets two and three, hitting .000 and .087, respectively. The ending to set three did not seem to bode well for the chances of a Wichita State rally, as Cal Poly broke a 19-19 deadlock with nine consecutive points to take a 2-1 lead heading to the fourth.
The Shockers trailed 15-13 at the fourth set media timeout but outscored the Mustangs 8-2 to flip the script and seize a 21-17 lead. Reagan Anderson fired back-to-back service aces to force a Cal Poly timeout and kills from Gonzales and Morgan Stout down the stretch sent the match to a fifth and deciding set.
Wichita State scored the first two points of the final frame and never trailed, marching to a 12-4 advantage after an emphatic kill from Stout. Cal Poly (5-4) put together one last surge, inching to within 13-8 via a Chloe Leluge kill, but two more Gonzales terminations put the hopes of a Cal Poly comeback to rest.
Gonzales finished with a team-high 12 kills on a .357 hitting percentage, while Emerson Wilford logged a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs. Izzi Strand recorded 36 assists, 10 digs and five kills of her own. Wichita State hit .172 to Cal Poly’s .176 but committed 12 fewer attack errors.
Wichita State continues the Shocker Volleyball Classic on Friday night against Northern Colorado. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
