OSU Falls to Wichita State in Three Close Sets

HONOLULU – The Oregon State volleyball team fell to the Wichita State Shockers, 3-0, by a combined 10 points in the Beavers' season opener on Friday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The first two sets were decided by two points each, with the scoring closing at 25-23 and 26-24, respectively. OSU and Wichita State traded scoring runs in the third set, but the Shockers sustained a final run to take the frame, 25-19.

“First of all, hats off to Wichita State,” Oregon State head coach Taras Liskevych said. “They played very well. They passed the ball really well, dug the ball really well and hit very smartly. They tipped a lot of balls and hit a lot of balls to areas we were not.”

Wichita State out-hit Oregon State, .229 to .198, en route to a 47-35 kills edge. The Shockers recorded 12 more assists and seven more digs than OSU, while the Beavers registered five more blocks, denying eight balls to the Shockers' three.

Redshirt junior Dana Backlund posted 29 assists, one shy of her career high, and added four kills on five attempts (.800) with seven digs. Senior libero Darby Reeder registered a team-high 15 digs, while junior outside hitter Lila Toner dug 10 balls with five kills and two blocks.

Sophomore outside hitter Mary-Kate Marshall led the Beavers with nine kills, while redshirt senior middle blocker Haley Clarke hit .400 en route to seven and junior middle blocker Jess Seumalo hit .625 with five kills and a pair of blocks in her debut.

“Our middles hit very well in this match, both Jessi and Haley,” Liskevych said. “Our outsides struggled, uncharacteristically. The outsides just didn't put enough balls down - we need to terminate a little more.”

Wichita State opened the match with an early run, leading the Beavers, 13-8, at the first timeout. Oregon State rallied to take a 23-22 lead in the frame, but a setting error and an attacking error put the Beavers down 24-23 before the Shockers won the final point to take the set, 25-23.

The second set featured back-and-forth scoring, with 17 instances of a tied score. Following a tie at the ninth point, the Beavers led up to the 15th point, from which point the back-and-forth play continued. OSU held a 24-23 lead, but the next three points went in favor of Wichita State to give the Shockers a 2-0 lead in the match.

“We let the second set get away – we missed five serves in that set,” Liskevych said. “We only had two aces and had 10 misses in the whole match. We really are a good serving team - we want to be close to about six aces and eight misses.”

The Beavers called the first timeout of the third set at a 9-6 deficit and won the next three points to tie it at nine each. The score was then tied at 13, before the Shockers went on a run to regain the three-point lead. Wichita State held the lead the rest of the way to take the set, 25-19, and the match, 3-0.

“We just need to forget about this,” Liskevych said. “As poorly as we played on our side, we still could've won the first and second sets, and then it's a whole different match. With opportunities like we had with set point in the second set, we just have to find a way to win.”

The Oregon State volleyball team returns to action on Saturday for its second matchup of the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational, as the Beavers are slated for a matchup with the Idaho Vandals (15-14 in 2014). Saturday's matchup is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. PT (4:30 p.m. HT).

For more information on the Oregon State volleyball team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeavsVolleyball, by Facebook at Facebook.com/OregonStateVolleyball or on Instagram at Instagram.com/OregonStateVolleyball.