[00:00:14] Speaker A: Hello. Welcome to the Roundhouse podcast with Paul Solentrop of Wichita State University strategic communications. Thanks very much for your time. We appreciate you listening. We are doing a special podcast about Chris Lamb, volleyball coach at Wichita State. He is entering his 25th season coaching shocker volleyball, and today we're going to talk with someone who's been around for almost all of that, observed it very closely. Tv radio broadcaster Mike Kennedy joined us. Chris Lam coached his first season at Wichita State in 2000. After two seasons as an assistant at Arizona. He had the Shockers atop the Missouri Valley Conference and NCAA regional by 2004. Those were both firsts for the program.
In his 24 previous seasons, Wichita State has played in eleven NCAA tournaments, won eleven conference regular season or tournament titles, and last season won the NIVC. So, Mike, tell us a little bit about your history. You've done both radio, tv streaming, play by play for shock or volleyball. Take us through the timeline of your association with shock or volleyball.
[00:01:18] Speaker B: Well, in 2004, you mentioned they went to the NCAA tournament for the first time, and they were assigned to the regional in Lincoln. And Jim Schauss, the athletic director at the time, called the radio stations and said, any chance that we could get you to broadcast those matches? And this was late November, so I was already involved in basketball. And Ted Woodward, who had done volleyball, PA for several years and then also had done play by play with some other sports, was a logical choice to have go up there. So he went up, did those matches, and then in August of 2005, I get a call saying, we've decided the response was so good on those matches from the tournament last year. We've decided to broadcast all of the volleyball matches on the radio and we would like you to do play by play if you're interested. And I talked to my wife because it's adding a whole other season of travel and so forth, and got the thumbs up. But for me, the thing was, I'd watched volleyball. I knew I could appreciate just some things about it, knew the rules for the most part, but no knowledge at all of the technical aspects and those kinds of things, strategy and the things that I knew more naturally with basketball and baseball and so forth. So I spent a lot of time with coach Lamb right off the bat.
This was a week before the first match of the season in 2005, and it was a big learning curve for me. But he was great about helping me and teaching me not only right away, but over the first few years. And so that's how it all got started. But it was kind of just out of the blue and not something I would have expected.
[00:03:06] Speaker A: That seems like that's right in his wheelhouse. He loves teaching the game. He loves promoting the game. What kind of an education was that sitting next to Chris Lamb and kind of soaking up?
[00:03:16] Speaker B: Well, first of all, it's probably a little different with him than anybody else because he has terminology that nobody else uses.
But the thing that I love about it is he is really in depth with numbers, and he looks at statistics in a lot of different ways and has found ways to see what's really more important or really more telling about what's happening than just the cold, hard statistics. And so he taught me a lot of that, just learning a lot of just basic things. And then one other thing that helped me a little bit when we were traveling those first couple of years, for instance, within that first year or two, we went to Hawaii, and we got there before the tournament, and we went to the North Shore for a day, and driving back, Hawaii still had a match with UCLA to finish before they started the tournament. And we're listening to it on the radio, and their guy had been doing volleyball for years, and I picked up some terminology just from him and from a guydeh at Louisville that really helped me. Like Pipeset is a ball set in the middle of the back row. Well, on radio, where it's going that fast, Pipeset's a lot faster than set in the middle of the back row. So some of that was part of the learning process.
[00:04:35] Speaker A: Also, you mentioned Jim Schauss, and we should talk about him for just a second. He hired Chris Lamb, one of many hires that Jim Schauss made during his time as athletic director. That really worked out well. Volleyball was important to Jim. He elevated that program. A lot of the programs, but especially the women's programs at Wichita State, really went through a golden period during his time here. What was Jim's sense of volleyball? Why did he make it such a priority?
[00:05:03] Speaker B: You know, I'm not sure about that part of it, but I think his greatest strength as an athletic director, when you look at his coaching hires, he had a knack for sitting down, face to face with somebody and getting a feel that this is the guy or this is the gal to lead this program. This is the person I want. And Lambeau has told me he really didn't have any great desire to be a head coach. He liked the position he was in as an assistant at Arizona, thought he might stay in that for a long time. And Jim kind of had to talk him into the idea of taking the head coaching job.
But Jim knew just something about him, told him, this is the guy that can take us to a different level. And obviously, it was a great hire.
[00:05:47] Speaker A: So they hired Chris Lamb. For the 2000 season, Wichita State volleyball had minimal success. Kind of a non descript program.
Why was he the right guy to turn it into what it has become?
[00:06:01] Speaker B: Well, I think that any of the most successful coaches here at Wichita State have dealt with the same thing, regardless of their sport. Volleyball is no different than basketball or baseball or anything else where there are bigger, bigger schools, bigger names, more prominent conferences that have recruiting advantages. And so learning to recognize players with potential, that art is highly recruited, that might have to be developed a little bit. And I think he was great at that, like, you know, Gene Stevenson and Greg Marshall and some of the other really successful coaches here. And I think he started to develop a reputation with recruits as somebody that will develop you to the fullest of your abilities. He'll make you into the best player you can be. And I think that that certainly helped him over time, but I think that's still the case. 25 years later, he's still having to kind of win those battles and get people that are maybe a little less seen, but have the potential to be more than what they appear.
[00:07:04] Speaker A: I would think maybe Sarah Lundgren might be the number one development story. I think she was pretty raw when she came here out of Caldwell, Kansas, I believe, and just turned into one of the programs. Great.
[00:07:17] Speaker B: And, you know, Abby Lehman wasn't highly recruited. Emily Hebert wasn't highly recruited. But Abby Lehman had a division, a couple of division two basketball offers and nothing really in volleyball, and she became an all american here. And Sarah Lundgren's a great example. And there have been others. I mean, some of the most prominent players in the history of the program were not really highly recruited coming out of high school.
[00:07:40] Speaker A: I think Gabby Layman was headed to Pittsburgh State, maybe to play basketball, a turning point, and there may be more than one, I guess. What will you look back on and say? That was when the program really took a significant step forward.
[00:07:53] Speaker B: And I didn't look back on the specific year, but it was in maybe zero four.
Northern Iowa was not only the preeminent program in the conference, but they were a really prominent national program at the time. Been in a final four or two.
Wichita State's first win over Northern Iowa was in Cedar Falls. They not only beat them, but beat them in Cedar Falls. And it was like, at a moment that the program had arrived at a different level. And from there on, it was usually year to year, a battle with northern Iowa for preeminence in the conference. Creighton in there occasionally, Illinois state occasionally. But when Wichita State grew to a point where they could be on an equal footing with northern Iowa, it was the coming of age of the program at a national level.
[00:08:44] Speaker A: Yeah, this might be a good time because I think the Missouri Valley Conference was a strong volleyball conference. You mentioned northern Iowa.
They were regularly in the NCAA's hosting. Missouri State was also very prominent. I think when Chris first got to Wichita State, Illinois state was one of the teams he had to climb up over, and then Creighton kind of came along later.
What do you remember about the valley, the rivalries? How did that help shape Chris's tenure?
[00:09:10] Speaker B: Well, he, and he still makes the point that the valley, at least in the top half, was a really, really good volleyball conference. And while Wichita state's move to the american has been a plus, I think competitively in a lot of ways and in a lot of sports that shouldn't be overlooked. And volleyball, those schools you mentioned, northern Iowa was nationally prominent. Missouri State got there very quickly. I think Melissa Stokes arrived at Missouri State the same year that. That Lambeau came here. And then Illinois state had already established itself as one of the strong programs in the conference. And as you said, Creighton came on a little later. So there were always three or four really competitive teams at the top. And that helped not only, I think, make Wichita State be better, but also helped recruiting. Girls were coming into situations where they knew they were going to be playing good opposition and have a chance at the NCAA tournament.
[00:10:06] Speaker A: That Uni match that you mentioned, October 1, 2004, and Northern Iowa had a 74 match home court win streak there in the west gym, which I've been to the west gym, never for a match, but it is a tiny place, and uni was very, very difficult to beat in those days.
[00:10:23] Speaker B: Yeah, you can get a couple of thousand in there, and it was loud and enthusiastic and great atmosphere, but a tough atmosphere to play in.
[00:10:31] Speaker A: Yes, I would agree. I think that Chris Lamb and the people from that era would regard a win over Uni as a significant step in their progress in 2004. If you were going to win the valley, you needed to get past northern Iowa at that time.
Chris work with boosters, with volleyball 101, club volleyball. He is a tireless promoter of the sport. How important has that been to his success?
[00:10:58] Speaker B: I think a lot. Very important, because, as you said, there wasn't a lot of volleyball history here, certainly not much in the way of attendance, and I think just a kind of a general lack of understanding of the sport. And so with all of that promotion, more and more people became educated about volleyball. Things to look for. Just getting out and seeing it for the first time, it's a fun sport to watch. It's fast, it's athletic. I think women's college volleyball is one of the best college sports out there to watch. And so just getting people to come and watch a time or two eventually led to Wichita State being consistently among the leaders in attendance nationally.
[00:11:40] Speaker A: Yeah, they were often in the top 25 for attendance.
And I think that as you've seen tv ratings really bloom for volleyball, you'd have to go back and say that Wichita State was kind of on the leading edge of that as they began to draw bigger crowds in 2004. Five and going on. And Chris's promotion of the sport, his willingness to tell the story, would certainly be an important part of that. You mentioned his love of numbers and statistics. Everything at practice is charted, and he can always tell you, you know, who's playing well over a three day average, what are the numbers, who's passing all those kind of things. Why has that been such a. Such an item that has served him well?
[00:12:22] Speaker B: I think because, generally speaking, even with some of the best players in the history of the program, more often than not, at least when you get to the NCAA tournament level, his teams have not been as talented overall as some of the people they're facing. So you look for those little things that give you an edge, and we may not be able to score as much against this team, but if we can hold them down by doing this and this and some of that comes serve and pass, he talks about a lot and just all those kinds of things.
You mentioned practice. He's developed all these drills over the years to make the team proficient in different areas, and even in some, against a particular opponent. And most of the drills he invented, he made up. Nobody else does them. I mean, that's one of the things that's really amazing about him, is he finds ways to come up with a way to get his team better and keeps looking for solutions that what can we do to get, like, maybe it's serving. Serving last year was kind of an issue, and so they found different ways to work on that, to get better at serving, and he's always been able to do that. Great example.
In 2008, that team went 32, but got assigned to a regional at Texas against one of the top two or three teams in the country and lost in the second round to Texas, they faced destiny Hooker, who was a multiple time NCAA high jump champion and olympian who could touch well over 10ft. And so he built this big wooden box and one of the assistant coaches stand on the box and hit balls to simulate, because there was no other way to simulate what they were going to face as far as the angle that the ball would be coming at him and how hard and so forth. Just things like that that he's done all the time over the years.
[00:14:08] Speaker A: Yeah, I think every shocker would have stories about drills. Man versus Wild is one that comes up a lot that I know I've talked to them about. He is well known for experimenting. He is well known for moving players around quite a lot. Is there a particular style of volleyball that he really sticks to? How would you describe that part of Wichita State volleyball?
[00:14:29] Speaker B: I think defense is always an emphasis, and there are various aspects to that.
Serving, one of the things that he taught me early on is the key to serving well isn't so much how many service aces you get, but serving accurately and serving to put the other team in a difficult situation. Get them out of rhythm, out of system right away on that, on the serve, as opposed to. I mean, aces are great, but if you can consistently serve in play and in areas where it's going to make it difficult for them, they'll try to identify players on the other team that aren't as good a passer, that they'll go at, or they'll go at their leading score to occupy them and keep them busy, keep them out of rhythm, just things like that. And a good example when we're talking about all this variety and so forth. They beat a top 25 ranked Colorado State team here one year, and Tom Hilbert, who was a highly successful coach at Colorado State, one of the best in the country, said after the match they played three different defenses against us. Who does that? He said, we don't have three that we practice regularly, let alone play three in one match. And that's just. That's Lambo.
[00:15:40] Speaker A: Yeah. And I think his players have just gotten used to it and they just accept that this is the. This is the way that things go. You need to be adaptable. No doubt. You can't tell the story of Chris Lamb's tenure without talking about scheduling. He always plays a challenging schedule. That's certainly the case this year, and he's been a master at working the numbers, building an RPI and getting at large bids, which is, there's maybe an untold or an underappreciated significant part of his tenure. Why was Chris like that? Why did he challenge the shockers? Hawaii, Washington, Nebraska, Penn State. A lot of those kind of schools were on the schedule regularly.
[00:16:17] Speaker B: Well, as you said, we talked about him being a numbers guy. That extends to the RPI. Most people hate the RPI because it's a very imperfect system and they've gone beyond that in men's and women's basketball, for instance, with the net, but it's still the standard in volleyball and baseball and some of the other sports. So he just figured out how it worked, really took a look at it, and what do you get credit for and what builds your RPI? And then tried to schedule those kind of opponents. And sometimes it's tough because you're projecting what somebody might do. But he looked at the point of not only how are they supposed to be, but who do they play, what kind of chance do they have to have a strong RPI, either because of the conference, they're in their non conference schedule. And so he's always done that. And I think he's always had a pretty good sense, too, of trying to build a schedule that gives you that without just having everybody on your opponent, a potential NCAA team, where it's going to be hard to get off to a good start or hard to build some confidence. So it's been kind of a mix. But he'll always have those good people on the schedule to give his team a sense of where they are against good competition, but then also to build.
[00:17:24] Speaker A: That argument while playing Texas or Nebraska will get a lot of attention. He was also very good at identifying lesser programs that could win 25 matches or dominate their program and beating them could definitely pay off. The other thing that I always appreciated about that was it brought high level volleyball back to Wichita. He was willing to go on the road. He was even willing to skip seasons. There were seasons where there was not a home tournament, but he was willing to do that, willing to go to North Carolina or Hawaii, wherever, to get a return. And I think that was great for the, you know, for the city of Wichita to bring in those, those high level teams.
[00:18:01] Speaker B: Yeah, that's a great point. He has maybe very occasionally gone somewhere to play somebody that didn't come back, but for the most part, he's always insisted that, all right, if I'm going to come to your place, you need to come back to us. And, and sometimes they've even collaborated on other opponents in a tournament. They had a thing going with Creighton and Iowa State for three or four years, where all three of them were always in the tournament, be in Ames or Omaha or here, and then they'd bring in a fourth team, and he's always tried to do things like that. But yes, pretty much an insistence that they come back here at some point.
[00:18:35] Speaker A: Favorite season, best season. What year will you look back upon with some particular fondness?
[00:18:39] Speaker B: Well, this is kind of strange to say because 2005 was my first season and it was a really good experience. I really enjoyed the being around volleyball and learning about it and getting to know the players, and that was a great group of young women, and they had a tremendous year, 28 and three. But it's also the most bittersweet season that I have ever experienced in any sport because they got to the end of the year 28 and three, they had won the valley, they were ranked in the top 25, and they lose in the championship match of the Missouri Valley tournament and get left out of the NCAA. And we had a watch party at a sports bar and you had all these young women in tears at the end of it. It's one of the worst things I've ever seen. And it was like a sounding point for college. Every major volleyball coach in the country jumped out publicly and said, this is ridiculous, we've got it. They established that the committee didn't know what they were doing and that this can't happen again. And it really changed the way the selection process has gone on. But unfortunately, Wichita State got to be the poster child for everything that was wrong. I mentioned the 32 season in 2008. It's pretty hard to overlook that one. And then, you know, moving to the american in 2017 and not really knowing what to expect going into the conference, and they go undefeated in the conference that year and go 29 and four. So those are some that certainly stand out. And then, of course, advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the only time in their history in 2012. And that was a team that kind of came on late. They ended up, I've got it here in front of me, 24 and ten. They were third in the valley, but won two matches in Lawrence, beat KU to get to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history.
[00:20:35] Speaker A: Some excellent seasons. 2018, you mentioned 30 and 2180 in the Missouri Valley Conference, went to Texas, defeated Rice in the first round and then lost to number three Texas.
[00:20:47] Speaker B: And let me say, sorry to interrupt, but the other thing that's been unfortunate is some of the best years they've had in some of the women's sports and softball's experience. This, they will tend to send teams somewhere close for travel expense purposes and Wichita states sitting right in here between Nebraska and Texas, perennially two of the top three or four programs in the country, and a lot of times with some of their best teams, got sent to either Lincoln or Austin. One year, they were having a good year, got sent to Oklahoma, who they had beaten earlier in the season, but Sarah McGee blew out her knee in the last match of the season. Without her, they weren't quite as good. That was a year that they most likely would have advanced to a Sweet 16 and weren't at full strength.
[00:21:36] Speaker A: You mentioned the 2008 team. They got started off and really signaled what kind of team they were. Might be the best regular season weekend of Chris's tenure. They went down to Oklahoma. They beat number ten Cal Poly, beat Oklahoma, swept Oklahoma and then beat Michigan State to wrap up the weekend. And then that team just took off. Took off from there.
The 2017 team you also mentioned first year in the american, 29 and 420 and zero in the american. They beat Creighton in a non conference match when Creighton was number eight in the nation. And that's a game that they match that they look back on fondly as well.
Players that you regard as game changers, maybe a turning point. Which players do you regard as really elevating the program?
[00:22:22] Speaker B: Well, from that standpoint, that first group that the 2004 NCAA tournament team, you had Sarah Yunus, who was, I think, Missouri Valley player of the year, Karen Augsburger, and the libero position was brand new then, and she was the first to play it at Wichita State and is in the hall of Fame now. Both of those are Shocker hall of Famers, and they were, again, those were a couple of players that weren't highly recruited overall but were certainly better than Wichita State had had and helped take them to that next level. And then you had some players who gained experience on that team that were part of the zero five and zero six teams. So that was certainly a starting point. If you want to talk about great players, I think there are two that everybody would agree are no brainers on the all time team. That would be Emily Stockman on the left side and Sarah Lundgren on the right. And then I talked to Lambeau a little bit. I didn't just get his team, per se, but some suggestions, and there's some tough choices, even for him. You look at setters and in succession he had Mary Elizabeth Hooper, Chelsea Feacon and Emily Hebert. All of them all Americans, all of them center of the year in the conference, all of them in the Shocker hall of Fame. So that's been a position of strength that, you know, I really. Key position. There is almost no way to choose between Karen Augsberger and Kelly Broussard at Libero, although Lambeau will tell you that Georgia Civita was maybe as skilled or the most skilled player that they've ever had at that position. Then the middle, Abbey Layman, I think, is a definite, but the other one would be kind of difficult. He mentioned Katie Riley for her speed and range.
Certainly Morgan Stout now has played herself into consideration in those mentions. Jody Larson is maybe a second left to stockman, and he mentioned, you know, Darcy Vos ended up playing on the right at the end of her career, but he said she was a middle initially. And so if he's putting a lineup together with his people we're talking about, she'd be a great m one, you know, played in the middle. So those are some that have certainly been keys to the program's success.
[00:24:36] Speaker A: You mentioned the setters. Mary Elizabeth Hooper played a really key role. She was a freshman on that 2008 team that went 32. So she walked into a situation where she was handed the keys to a really experienced, really talented team and was a national freshman of the year. That was important.
[00:24:52] Speaker B: Came right in as a true freshman and played setter, and that hasn't happened much.
Feacon got a couple of years behind her to develop. Emily Hebert a year behind Feacon. And so, yeah, that's a particularly significant accomplishment to come into a program that was already pretty well established and play right away as a freshman at that position.
[00:25:13] Speaker A: And then Chelsea Feacon followed her, and she was the setter when the shockers beat Arkansas and Kansas to advance to the sweet 16.
Top kind of general memories, top matches. What sticks out in your mind, you.
[00:25:26] Speaker B: Know, one that really, I've never forgotten that very first year, 2005, they played at Missouri State. They were down 20 at the break, and then in every set after that, they were down, I think at least two, maybe three or four points came from behind and ended up winning it in five.
And it was truly one of the best comebacks that I have ever seen in any sport or in any particular game or match that I have experienced. And then I found out afterward, they came into the locker room after those first two, and the seniors were going, no way this is happening. There is no way they're going to beat us. And just that determination to come back and win, that's one that will always stand out to me.
You know, there were some big wins over northern Iowa, you know. Yeah, I think just the experience of being at NCAA tournaments and playing some of the comp that went over. Right. Was a really good win before they lost to Texas in 2008. And so, yeah, some of those really stand out to me. There were some, some really good wins in that first year in the, in the american in 2017.
[00:26:42] Speaker A: Also, that 2005 match you referenced, shockers. Won the fourth set 32 30. So that was right, right on the edge there, and then won the fifth set 15 to nine. I think that was such a good group. That story about the seniors doesn't surprise me. You're talking about Elizabeth Myers, Corey Meyer, that group.
[00:27:00] Speaker B: Jen Ray, Darcy Voz.
[00:27:02] Speaker A: Right. And they had been through it. They were the group that built it from, you know, Chris's early years. They had stuck it out together, had success in 2004. I think that's a really, you can tell those are, that group will often come back for the alumni match.
I think it's evident that's a really tight knit group and those things sometimes play out in those kind of situations.
[00:27:23] Speaker B: Something else when you talk about memories, that's been special for me because this is the only women's sport that I've been disinvolved with and done games and matches and so forth. That very first week in 2005, I came to my first practice to try to start learning what I needed to know. And at some point there was a break in practice and Darcy Vaz walks over, extends her hand and says, hi, I'm Darcy and we're so glad you're going to be with us. And I said, it's already 20 some years into my career, that's the first time that's ever happened. And then one year, the year that Emily Hebert and Michaela Rodsep were that senior group, I had a basketball tournament in Hawaii and caught a red eye flight so I could be back for their senior match on, I think it was a Saturday afternoon, and I walked into the gym before the match and Emily and Mikato sprinted across the gym to give me a hug because I'd made the effort to get back for their senior day. And those, I mean, that's just something that's a little bit unique about doing, say, a women's sport as opposed to anything I've experienced in men's sports. And that's kind of special.
[00:28:35] Speaker A: Yeah, sometimes those sports do not take that kind of attention, that kind of coverage from the media for granted. So that's nice. And I had a very similar experience when I started covering volleyball for the Wichita Eagle. And they were just so patient. That group of Elizabeth Meyer and Corey Meyer and all that group, Jen Ray, Sarah Lundgren were very patient in explaining volleyball and talking things through.
[00:28:58] Speaker B: And I talked about that comeback and their reaction after to as competitive a group of athletes as I've ever been around. They were a tremendously competitive. I think from that standpoint, helped set, atoned for what the program went on to become.
[00:29:13] Speaker A: Definitely. Definitely. All right, let's do a couple trivia questions here. First all american under Chris Lamb.
[00:29:20] Speaker B: Whoo. Sarah Yunus.
[00:29:22] Speaker A: Sarah Yunus, 2004, honorable mention.
First all American elevated above honorable mention. Who was that shocker?
[00:29:33] Speaker B: Lundgren or Stockman? Stockman.
[00:29:35] Speaker A: Chelsea Feacon.
[00:29:36] Speaker B: Really?
[00:29:37] Speaker A: The third team in 2013.
[00:29:38] Speaker B: Wow. I didn't realize he was the first to get that high.
[00:29:41] Speaker A: Okay, everybody's been waiting. Let's go with your all time lambo team.
[00:29:45] Speaker B: All right. Stockman on the left, middles, Abby Lehman and boy, I don't know.
Don't know.
I'll go Katie Riley. Just for the balance, Sarah Lundgren on the right.
I would go with Hebert as the setter, although it's so close. I don't know how you choose. I will say this. After they played Texas in Colorado state's tournament one year, Texas's coach, who's a friend of Lambeau's, said there can't be five better setters in the country than Emily Hebert. So quite a tribute. And then on the back row, you've got Kelly Broussard and Karen Augsburger. One's your libero, one's a DS or whatever. I guess that would be my, my team if I had to choose. But there's some close choices there for sure.
[00:30:41] Speaker A: Definitely. And we will stipulate that, yeah, there are, this is, these kind of things are unfortunate because then sometimes you get into, well, how is this player better than that player? Been a lot of good choices. Some other names as I've kind of gone through this mental exercise. Ashley Andrade in the middle would be.
[00:30:58] Speaker B: One powerful, quick hitter, and she was a powerhouse. Absolutely.
[00:31:02] Speaker A: Yeah, definitely. Hooper and Feacon. A lot of good choices at Sutter for Wichita State. You mentioned Gio Chiefita, who did not finish up her career here, but she's an interesting one because I think, as you said, chris has said she was excellent libero during her two seasons here.
Regular season attendance record.
Who was that against in what year?
[00:31:27] Speaker B: Oh, man. I'm gonna, I'm gonna say northern Iowa, but, yeah, I don't know.
[00:31:35] Speaker A: 2007, they drew 6122 for a match against Missouri State. Okay, what's the all time attendance record?
[00:31:44] Speaker B: The number? I don't know exactly, but it was the, those first two rounds of the NCAA when they hosted in 17, and they had the second highest attendance average in the country for all of the first and second rounds that year. Was it over seven?
[00:31:56] Speaker A: 7258 versus Missouri in the second round of that 2017 NCAA tournament. Conveniently, or amazingly, that was one more person than was there the night before. It was weird how that worked out.
[00:32:10] Speaker B: I think only Nebraska had a higher average for that tournament.
[00:32:13] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that will be. We touched on it earlier, but I think that will be one of Chris Lamb's and legacies is just, he made volleyball something that people really paid attention to. I remember in the early days, I think they would give you free Pizza Hut Pizzas. They would basically bribe you into coming into the games.
And then at some point they were able to sell 1000, 802,000, 2500 legitimate tickets, season tickets. They really made it a thing in Wichita. And I think that's to everyone's credit. Who is involved with that? Chris Lamb's favorite baseball team, San Francisco Giants.
[00:32:49] Speaker B: He's a northern California guy. Giants and 49 Ers fan. And warriors, too. But Giants and 49 ers, he can tell you more than maybe anybody in their organization can tell you. He can tell you with the 49 ers who's on their practice squad and everything. It's amazing his depth of knowledge about his favorite teams, and he lives and dies with him.
[00:33:09] Speaker A: I think I could tell you who his favorite non Giants baseball player is. Who's his favorite baseball player overall? Do you have a sense for that?
[00:33:17] Speaker B: I know we've talked. We've talked because I have an appreciation for these guys, Greg Maddox and Tony Gwin. I think Tony Gwin is one that he would certainly put right up there at the top.
[00:33:27] Speaker A: Yeah. Tony Gwyn was going to be my guest. He mentions him quite often. I'm going to have to ask him that. Who's his favorite Giant? Chris is well known for stories, analogies, metaphors. What's your favorite?
[00:33:38] Speaker B: I guess it would be. He had an assistant coach one year and they were going to do, they were getting ready to have a practice. So we're going to do this drill. Here's what it's called. And the assistant said, oh, yeah, I've done that one before. Well, it's one that Lambo invented and nobody else does. And there was no way he'd ever done it before. And so Lambo's nickname for him, this is kind of how his mind works. Not to his face, but he thought of him after that as Buzz because he said that would be like Neil Armstrong walks on the moon and comes back to the capsule and says, that is the greatest thing I've ever experienced. And Buzz Aldrin says, yeah, I know I've done that before.
I mean, that's pretty typical. If Al Lambeau looks at things and that always cracked me up, that is.
[00:34:22] Speaker A: A good Chris Lamb story. All right. Mike Kennedy, radio and tv. He's seen a lot of Chris Lamb's 24 previous season. Chris is entering season number 25 with Chakra volleyball. Mike, thank you very much for your time.
[00:34:34] Speaker B: Pleasure. Always fun to talk about Lambeau.
[00:34:51] Speaker A: Hi, this is Rick Niuma, president of Wichita State University. Check out the latest episode of the Forward together podcast.
[00:34:58] Speaker C: Each episode, I sit down with different guests from Shocker Nation to celebrate the vision and mission of Wichita State University. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
[00:35:22] Speaker A: Hello. We're back on the Roundhouse podcast, looking at 25 years of volleyball coach Chris Lamb at Wichita State. Our next guest is Tammy Cutler. Tammy is Wichita State's associate athletic director for strategic communications, and she has seen almost every important moment of the Chris Lamb era. She started at Wichita State in 2000. She worked as the media relations person for shocker volleyball from 2003 to 2017. Tammy? Chris Lamb, why was he the right person to take this program and turn it into the force it has become?
[00:35:59] Speaker C: Well, first off, thanks for having me, Paul. Excited to finally be a guest on this podcast.
[00:36:05] Speaker A: I'm excited to have you. You would have all the good lamb stories from all those years. So we're excited.
[00:36:11] Speaker C: You know, I've been thinking about this, and, you know, when he started talking about 25 years of Lambeau and, you know, the start, it was so interesting. I mean, we were talking about how Jim Schauss, you know, hired Lambeau.
He was hired in January of 2000. I started in August of 2000, so he was hired before I started. But just from day one, like walking in the door, shocker volleyball had kind of been not really talked about for, you know, quite a while.
And you could tell, I mean, things were definitely going to be different. He just brought a different mindset, both him and Shannon.
Shannon's also somebody, you know, I wanted to mention and talk about. She came with Lambeau. They built the program together, and, you know, a lot of their blood, sweat, and tears went into this program to take it from. I mean, it was really the bottom of the conference. I think people kind of forget that sometimes, but we weren't making conference tournaments when he started. We weren't obviously, you know, in NCA tournaments. That didn't happen until later. And really what they did from the very beginning, I mean, they just poured everything they had into this program to build it and make it what it is today. And I mean, it's amazing what they did.
[00:37:44] Speaker A: Quite successful. Let's make people, let's make sure we're clear. Shannon Lamb is Chris Lam's wife. She came here assistant coach, director of operations. So she was a big part of this building process. I'm glad you mentioned that. You started out with using the phrase walking in the door, which is a well known lamb phrase. So I'm glad you threw that in.
Turning point, when you look at how this program was built, they first won the Valley title in 2004, went to the NCAA tournament that year for the first time. What do you look back on and say that was when things really began to move in the right direction?
[00:38:21] Speaker C: Yeah, I think I'm trying to remember if it was 2002 or if it was 2003. But there was when we went to that, when we finally made the Valley tournament and I, you know, not every team got to go. I think they took six, maybe. I think the two teams got by as the top two and then I think that's how they did it back then.
And I feel like that first year we made it, it was just like, wow, we made the Valley tournament, like huge deal. You know, program hasn't been there in a while and, you know, I remember we didn't win that first match. I think we, you know, lost to Bradley, but it was just such a big deal to get there and like, kind of see where this program was going even that first year that I was here, like, we got swept by a lot of people that year, early in the year, I think what really, when you bring in a new coach, I mean, you've been in sports a long time. You understand that those first years are kind of a little rocky because now you have where a new coach comes in and they're basically picking their whole team from the transfer portal. It almost feels like, whereas back then you have all those, you have the players that still stay there. They don't go anywhere. So you have players that another coach recruited and then you bring in your players. So you have kind of a mix. And, you know, not everyone is always going to love the fact that you're changing maybe, you know, systems and how things are working.
And so I think sometimes that first year can be a little difficult.
But what I really liked, like I said, early in the year, they were getting swept. And then by the end of the year, I remember we beat Drake. I want to say it was like maybe the last home match of the year and they had swept us earlier in the year. So to beat them, it was such a huge deal. Like everybody was so excited and I, you know, I remember that, like, there was so much momentum, you know, even though the record wasn't good that year, it was that they, they got better as the year went on and you could see the improvements that, you know, Lambeau and Shannon were making in the program and that it was, you know, going in the right direction.
[00:40:38] Speaker A: That is exactly the match I was looking up because he has mentioned that they lost to Drake to open the valley season, were swept and then swept Drake on the valley last night of the regular season. So that was 2000. They went eight and three, two and 16. But I know he is pointed to that Drake match as an example of what he thought he was building. Definitely. I think one of the things that has really stood out about his tenure is his work tirelessly promoting the sport, the match club, talking to boosters before matches, club volleyball. How important is that in this whole picture of success?
[00:41:15] Speaker C: Definitely. I think, you know, before the lambs got here, you know, volleyball, maybe in the Wichita community wasn't, you know, something, maybe I grew up in Nebraska, so obviously volleyball, huge deal there. You know, have played volleyball since I was a little kid.
So to me, you know, it was always part of me. But I think, you know, here in Wichita, it wasn't like that for everybody growing up. And so even all the things they did with, you know, the shockwave group and all the little clinics they would do. So, you know, junior spikers, Shannon started that. You know, they would bring in all the kids to help teach them about volleyball. They also did fast fours. That was another thing they did, you know, invited kids into the gym to, you know, play volleyball and they just did all of these, you know, extra things to just try to get the wich dog community to fall in love with volleyball.
And, I mean, we've seen, I guess, how that's taken off, too.
Not just from, you know, the attendance and all of that. It's, you know, local volleyball players doing well and, you know, going on to play collegiately. So I think that they've, you know, really kind of, I don't know, you.
[00:42:49] Speaker A: Know, what has a very wichita wings feel to it if you're familiar with the soccer team where they were just out there all the time, the indoor professional soccer team in the eighties where they would just do anything and just tirelessly promoting the sport.
I think so much of what Chris has done and what he is just comes back to loving club volleyball, loving being in the gym. There's music, it's energetic, and the gym is just full of people playing volleyball. That's what he really loves.
[00:43:18] Speaker C: He loves teaching. I mean, that's always kind of, you know, I've always given him a hard time about his roster size. Like, you know, like, you have like 22, you know, people on the roster. Most rosters have like, you know, maybe 14 tops. And, you know, he's got over 20 every year, and I'm just like, you know, why so many? And, you know, he just loves to teach the game of volleyball. And that was always kind of what it was like, you know, the more in the gym, the more I can teach, and, you know, the more, you know, lives, I can, you know, impact, basically. And, you know, he's, he's. He's the mad scientist, definitely.
[00:43:58] Speaker A: And you can see that around Wichita, around the state. So many of his former players are involved in coaching, either at the club level or Sarah Lundgren at Caldwell High School or. No, she's not. She's Cheney. She's a Cheney high school. She's from Caldwell. She's coaching at Cheney. Chris has a great way as a storyteller, and I think that makes him really good with fans. I think it makes him really good with the media. He's candid, he's accessible, and as you says, he loves to explain and teach. Was he like that from the start with the public?
[00:44:31] Speaker C: Yeah, definitely. You know, he and Shannon, they knew, you know, they had to really get out and promote their program, and that's what they did. And, yeah, you know, it's amazing. You know, when you work with the media, you work with different teams. Like, some coaches are a little more close to the vest. They don't, you know, necessarily want media watching every practice or anything like that. And, you know, with him, it never bothered him. Media were always invited to come out to practice from the start. You know, they could watch all the practice if they wanted to. I mean, when he first got here, you know, it wasn't like the media were coming out trying to cover shocker volleyball or anything. So when I first kind of remember, remember them getting some media attention was the year we actually played at the Heskett center, and I think he got Ku to come down here and play us in the Heskett center, which that was the year they were renovating the arena. So, you know, it was, you know, interesting with the bleachers and everything in Heskett, but there were actually fans that came out and, and some media came out to cover it, maybe more because Ku was there, who knows? But that was exciting. And then to get to the point where, you know, after they made their first NCA tournament, where I was able to have media days, like when the seasons start on the first day of practice and, you know, the tvs would come out and, you know, I remember the girls would always kind of be surprised, like, oh, wow. Like all these people came out for the first day of practice and it's like, yeah, like, you guys are a big deal. Like, it helps, obviously, that we don't have football because, you know, we have cross country and we have volleyball in the fall. And so there's not, you know, as much, obviously, to cover. But I, you know, they've stepped into that, you know, to kind of fill. I think the media also enjoy talking to Lambo.
Like you said, he's different. He isn't going to give the same cliche answers. He's very. I remember there was one time, I think it was the first day of practice, you know, and somebody asked him a question and this was his response. He was like, well, volleyball players are like bars of soap. And I'm sitting there thinking, where is this going? You know, and I'm. And then listening to him talk about how, you know, as you go throughout the season, their bodies start to wear down like a bar of soap. So you have to, like, just keep kind of protecting them throughout the year so you don't get to the end and there's, like, nothing left. And I thought, well, that's an interesting way to put it. I mean, it made sense.
[00:47:16] Speaker A: Sure. He has a lot of good analogies about the wear and tear of the season, being on the submarine.
[00:47:22] Speaker C: My favorite ones, too.
[00:47:23] Speaker A: From August to December, you are underwater in volleyball, and then you come up at the end.
You can't tell the story of his time here these past 25 seasons without talking about scheduling. And I think that helped grow the fan base. There were, you know, Nebraska, Hawaii, Michigan State, North Carolina. You know, he just really scheduled hard, and he was a master at it because they could earn out large bids, which I think is a really, really hard thing for them to do.
Why did he challenge the shockers with those kind of opponents?
[00:47:57] Speaker C: I think he liked to put them in environments where, you know, it was a big game, maybe, you know, somewhere where there were lots of fans and it was, you know, kind of a difficult place to play. People screaming at you, students, whatever. He liked to challenge them with that for sure to, you know, get them ready for, you know, down the line like his non conference schedules. I mean, you're right. A lot of the time, maybe we didn't even have a winning record coming out of non con just because, you know, we played a bunch of ranked teams and, you know, we weren't there yet. You know, he was still tinkering. I think that's the other thing. Like, he doesn't mind tinkering with things and the non con, just trying to find, you know, the right person in the right spot.
He just, you know, is always, yeah, I always feel like he's, like, steps ahead. Like his brain just works that, you know, he's already thinking about, you know, later in the season, so he's. He's just trying to put the team in the best spot for then. And, you know, there's obviously there's been some big wins, too. I mean, we've beaten some of these people. You know, it's not just, you know, we go in and we get killed. I mean, we've made a name for ourselves, too. During all of that, there's definitely been some, you know, big. I remember 2008, that Cal Poly win was a big deal. I was actually on maternity leave at that time, and I was at home. I remember I was holding my son listening to that match. I think we were down zero two and then came back to win. And it was just crazy. I mean, I remember, I don't know if I texted him or if I called him, you know, all excited about that match. It was just.
[00:49:54] Speaker A: Yeah, we referred to that earlier. I think he has referred to that as maybe the best weekend of shocker volleyball. They were down at Norman and they beat Cal Poly, who was ranked number ten. Then they beat Oklahoma, then they beat Michigan State. And so that was. Started them on to a 32 season 180 in the valley. So, yeah, you could go through a lot of, a lot of good non conference wins. North Carolina, they beat a Kentucky team was ranked. They beat Creighton, Colorado State. You can find it's really paid off and, you know, it's one thing to schedule those teams, but at some point you've got to beat them, too. And he was definitely able to do that. And the tough scheduling hasn't changed. This season's team has already played two ranked teams, Kansas and Arkansas. They've got Arizona State and Nebraska still to come. So that's still an important part of him building the program. Do you have a favorite season or a best season? What year pops into your mind when you're thinking back on Chris Lam's tenure?
[00:50:51] Speaker C: Gosh, that's hard.
There have been so many fun seasons. I feel like, you know, and just moments and maybe like senior groups, too. I feel like there's been, you know, some of the bigger senior classes have been a lot of fun. I mean, that 2004 team with all those seniors, that was fun.
And then later on the 2018, that had a smaller senior class that was just, I think, Kelly and Angela, but had a lot of juniors. So that was kind of an experienced team, but just the going undefeated, you know, until, I think it was the Valley tournament, I think that championship game and then in the.
Is that right?
[00:51:40] Speaker A: Yes. Lost to Missouri State three two in the champ in the. In the Valley tournament, but, yeah, 180 in the valley and then went on to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Rice and then lost to number three, Texas.
[00:51:51] Speaker C: Yes. I mean, that was a fun year, just going undefeated like that, but probably just because of everything. I mean, hosting the NCA tournament, that was. That was such a cool moment in 2017. I feel like that just. Yeah, hosted in front of seven. I mean, to see it from the start, get all the way to 7000 fans in our arena to watch our volleyball team, that was pretty special.
[00:52:21] Speaker A: That was the first team in the American Athletic Conference. The Shockers went 20 and O in their debut season in that conference. And as you said, hosted NCAA play for the. For the first time.
What players stick out as far as people who really change the game, maybe monumental players, whether it would be. I think the names would pop to mind. Sarah Lundgren. We mentioned Emily Stockman. Who are some of the names that you would regard as pivotal to building this program?
[00:52:50] Speaker C: One that maybe people don't maybe remember necessarily was Nicole May. She was on the first. She was lame. Maybe one of his first recruits, she was on. I mean, I'm pretty sure it was the first team, the 2000. And, you know, he was looking for athletes at that point. You know, it's late, obviously, in recruiting. He was just trying to find athletes. She was a little undersized, maybe like 510, 511.
But, you know, Kajump had a big arm and she kind of came in and set a different tone. I felt like as a freshman, like, you know, came from a winning background, you know, wasn't gonna settle for, you know, not winning and kind of help push everybody. I felt like.
It's funny how like she's still, I mean, still comes back. She lives in Colorado, actually married a baseball player and his family's from Andover. So she was back, I think it was for thanksgiving one year and we happened to be playing around Thanksgiving and, you know, I'd stopped in to say hi, but I know still keeps in contact with Kristen Shannon and, you know, she's one, I think that, you know, like I said, she was there from the start and, you know, by her junior, senior year, she wasn't playing as much because she got recruited overdose by that point. But just, you know, a good teammate, good person, that kind of helped jumpstart the program, too. I mean, Sarah Yunus, Karen Augsburgers, Darcy Voss, Andy Hardig, you know, Elizabeth Myers, Jen Rey. I mean, there's so many early on that brought so much to the program to build it up. I mean, and then, you know, we get into the Abbey Harsh's Sarah Lundgren, Emily Stockman's Melissa Granville, Kelly Broussard, Angela Jacob. I mean, we can go on and on with, you know, the players that helped build this program and to where it is now.
And, I mean, there's so many, like, it's hard. Like, I'll be kicking myself later. Like, I forgot to mention somebody, you know, that had such a big role in building this. But yeah, I mean, I think, I think, like I said, some of the earlier people maybe get forgotten. I mean, Sarah and Karen, not really, but, you know, some of the others in a large year, you know, that had a big role in that 2004 team.
[00:55:33] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:55:33] Speaker A: When we do these kind of exercises, we just stipulate people are going to get let off, left off. You can't mention everybody, but there were a lot of people that contributed to this. I always enjoy thinking about that. The first group that you mentioned, Corey Meyer, Jen Ray, Elizabeth Myers, because in my experience, that's when I was first starting being around shocker volleyball. And they had a real purpose and real intensity to what they wanted to do. They had been here when things were getting building and then they were the group that got Wichita State on top of of the valley and they had a really good way about being patient explaining the game. I enjoyed that group, for sure.
Top matches, memories. You mentioned the NCAA. I think anybody who was here was excited to be a part of that in 2017. What other moments stand out?
[00:56:23] Speaker C: The year we went to the Swede 16, we finally broke through.
You know, it's one thing, you know, to make the NCAA tournament, and this is kind of something Lambo would always say to him. It wasn't about what round you got to. It's what team he finished with in the NCAA tournament that, you know, made it special. And, you know, being here in Wichita, we got sent to Nebraska a lot, and, you know, some people would find that disappointing, but he always turned it around to, yeah, but we ended the season. That's Nebraska ended our season. And if they went on to win the national championship or went to the final four, that's who you ended your season with. It's not necessarily about what round you got to. I always thought that was interesting because obviously we want to get as far as possible. And so I think the few years that we didn't get sent to Nebraska, it was always like, okay, here's a great opportunity. And so in 2000, it was 2012, right? Okay, so that first match, so we're playing Arkansas, and everybody, you know, of course, is talking about, oh, if there's a Wichita state ku match up and talking about that. Well, Arkansas was really good that year. I mean, it wasn't like, you know, that was a guaranteed win or anything. Well, we kind of just were a little off or maybe nervous, I don't know, tight. I'm not sure. But the first two sets we lost, I mean, we're down zero two to Arkansas, and it's like, holy cow, this isn't looking good. And they came out of that locker room and just put it all together and came back and we beat Arkansas in five. I mean, it was such an exciting match. I remember afterwards, we're in Allen Field house, you know, running down, you know, to the locker room, and Lambo was in front of me and I came up behind him and I'm slapping him on the back, and he's like, what are you doing? And I was like, oh, my God, Lambo, that was so awesome and amazing. And I'm, like screaming at him and he's just looking at me because, you know, in our position, I mean, we can't cheer out there. So it's like, I'm out there. I want to be excited, and I can't. So I'm just sitting there. And finally that was my time. You know, we're outside of the court, so I can, you know, let loose, and I'm, like, jumping up and down. He's just laughing at me, like, oh, my God, you're like, you know, acting nuts right now. But it was such an exciting match. Like, it was crazy. And then, so the next day, I mean, we beat Ku, but that match wasn't nearly as exciting. Like, we kind of dominated. I mean, it was four sets, but it didn't feel that close after, you know, the match the night before. I mean, the Arkansas match was so tight and stressful that. But the Ku one ended up not being, you know, that. That stressful, I guess.
[00:59:17] Speaker A: Definitely a high point, the 2012 team. So that would have been Chelsea Feakins, etcetera, Elizabeth Field, Ashley Andrade, definitely Sam Sanders. Sam Sanders. They went 24 and ten, finished third in the valley, 13 and five in the valley, and then went down and were defeated by USC in the sweet 16 in Austin. And so, to explain, volleyball is set up regionally. The bracket is set up regionally. So, yes, as you said, you may get, if you're in Wichita, you may get sent to Texas or Nebraska quite often. And in the case like basketball, if it was seeded one through 64, I think there were seasons where you could look at what Wichita State did, who they beat in the non conference, and the fact that the valley was a pretty good volleyball conference. You know, they may have been seated higher, had a chance to advance farther in the. Farther in the tournament. So that's kind of a quirk of volleyball that did not work out well for Wichita State in some cases. Yeah, let's talk about the valley, because it was a strong volleyball conference. When Chris started, Uni was very good. They were regularly ranked, hosting regionals. That was kind of the team Wichita State had to get passed. Missouri State was also strong. Illinois State, and then later Creighton really developed into a strong NCAA kind of program. Who was your favorite MVC rival?
[01:00:36] Speaker C: Oh, gosh, that's hard, because like you said, I mean, there were so many good teams in the valley in volleyball.
I think it maybe, you know, time frame, it would kind of, you know, depend. I think when we first started getting good, it was northern Iowa. It was. They were the team to beat. I mean, I don't know what their winning streak against us was at that time, but it was a lot. And I know just when we won in the West Gym for the first time, that was such a huge deal.
[01:01:08] Speaker A: Yeah, I was going to ask about that. That would be a famous match. Were you at that?
[01:01:11] Speaker C: I was not. I did not travel with volleyball until post season, so I was not at that match. I was listening on the radio to that. But, yes, very exciting.
And, I mean, just any time, you know, you played northern Iowa, you knew it was going to be a big match.
I mean, they were just, you know, this huge team in the valley. I mean, they were the ones that had, you know, the bullseye on their back when, you know, we started, you know, getting better with Lambeau and then, you know, Missouri State always, you know, it was always interesting because their coach and Lambeau were such good friends. And so, you know, it was some rivalry, too, but it was a, you know, respectful rivalry, I guess, like, I think both teams, you know, it was. It was pretty evenly matched. I mean, you know, every time you played Missouri State, I felt like it went five sets of. I mean, it was just a battle back and forth, back and forth. You know, I'd always tell, you know, who's helping keep stats. Like, hey, be ready for a lot of long rallies against Missouri State. That's just how it is. Both teams know each other so well and, you know, it's. It's not just, you know, you set the ball and there's a kill. It's going to be back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Like both teams are just, you know, giving it their all, every single point. When you play Missouri State, that's just how it is. And, you know, then Creighton obviously, like you said, got good, then, you know, a little bit later, and then that became, you know, another rivalry. And Creighton was always a rival with Wichita State and other sports. So just adding in the volleyball, you know, angle to that, too, definitely, you know, with our fans, I'm sure they all enjoyed that as well.
And, you know, there would always be, I feel like, you know, somebody you didn't want to overlook, you know, and that Illinois State, you know, is one of those teams. Bradley. I mean, there. There were always. There was always somebody. Yeah. You definitely didn't want to overlook because they could come and get you in the valley.
[01:03:25] Speaker A: That win at the west gym, northern Iowa 2004. Wichita State beat them, ended a long home court win streak for the Panthers, who were, as we've said, they were all, you know, they were quite often hosting NCAA play, and they were definitely the very strong volleyball. Volleyball team. No doubt about that. Here's another question that I think people say they hate, but secretly they love. Who's your all time lambo team?
This is the. This is the big one. This is. Everybody else has done it.
[01:03:57] Speaker C: Wow. So how many players did they choose?
[01:04:00] Speaker A: We don't have a lot of firm rules, but just kind of go position by position.
[01:04:04] Speaker C: Okay.
Oh, gosh.
Let me pull up my book here so I'm not just completely.
[01:04:11] Speaker A: We'll give you plenty of time to research.
[01:04:14] Speaker C: All right, well, let's start with setter.
Setter. I mean, there's going to be a few. It's nothing. I'm not going to be able to narrow that to one by any means.
I mean, you've got, Burt is the obviously career leader, but then Mary Elizabeth Hooper and Chelsea fecund also, I mean, belong on that team, that's, you wouldn't be able to leave any of them off fecund.
[01:04:50] Speaker A: A 13 all Americans. So she was the first, I believe, still the only shocker to rise above honorable mention all american. So she would definitely be a strong candidate for that.
[01:05:00] Speaker C: Yes.
You know, it's hard to leave, you know, Abby Harsh or Andy Hartig off of, you know, the setter team, but, you know, they would probably rank behind those three for the O Lambo team and not because, I mean, those two ran a six two together for a while, so they didn't, you know, they weren't able to put up the same numbers as, you know, Hooper and Hebert were running five ones and they were like four year starters. So obviously those two, their career numbers are going to be a little crazier. And then fecund, she only, you know, got to play for two years because she's sat behind Hooper for a couple of those years. So, you know, her career stats aren't the same either, but just the impact she had in those two years. I mean, not just setting, but offensively, too. I mean, I don't think we've ever seen, you know, an offensive setter like Chelsea Feacon here.
[01:06:00] Speaker A: You know, again, she's definitely spoken of highly. She would have been the setter on the 2012 Sweet 16 team with Mary Elizabeth Hooper. I always like to mention she was a freshman in 2008, so really stepped into an experienced team and helped them go 30 and 218 and O in the valley. I think she was national freshman of the year at the center position. So she had a fabulous career. Really got off to a kind of a significant start for a freshman.
[01:06:28] Speaker C: Yes. No, for sure. That was, you know, it was always interesting to see, I mean, Lambeau was a setter, so, you know, setting is, you know, his baby. Like he likes to red shirt usually. I mean, not anymore because the game has changed and obviously with the portal and everything, you know, you're not doing that as much. But he did like to red shirt freshman Emily Hebert red shirted, I mean, Chelsea fecund red shirted more to, I think, put space between her and Hooper. But, you know, Hooper came in. I think she even came in early. I think she came in January and worked with the team all spring. And so I mean, that was really the. I mean, plan from the start with her was, you know, you're going to start and as a freshman and, yeah, what she did was, I mean, leading that team to that undefeated record, a great start.
[01:07:25] Speaker A: Let's go to Libero.
[01:07:27] Speaker C: Ooh, Libero.
I mean, Kieran Augsburger, Kelly Broussard, those two probably stand out to me the most.
Karen. I mean, so Karen started as a setter, actually, and not. That was before the libero was part of volleyball. Like, when she came here, there weren't liberos yet. And so Lambo recruited her because he knew that little Barrow was going to become part of the game. So he recruited her, I think, to be a libero, but she was a setter. Like maybe her first year, maybe her second. No, no. I'm trying to remember if she was two years or maybe just one year, but then she became Libero and then zero three, I think, was the first year and she was, you know, the Valleys Libero the year, her first year and then her senior year as well. So zero three and zero four.
So with Karen, I mean, she really kind of started the trend of really good liberos here as well. So Karen, I mean, is a no brainer on that list, I think. And then Kelly Broussard, she came in, you know, kind of made her name during that 2008 season as well. We were talking about Hooper in 2008, but Kelly being the libero for the undefeated team, she was just, you know, so quick.
I just remember watching her play. I mean, you know, just a spark plug, like, all over the courts and, you know, she jumps out to me.
[01:09:13] Speaker A: So she also a freshman on that zero eight team?
[01:09:16] Speaker C: No, she was a senior. She was in zero eight. Yeah. So her and Angela Jacobov are the two seniors on that zero eight team and, yeah, just kind of, you know, she just really, I mean, kind of took off later on. I mean, she wasn't a four year starter at Libero or anything, but, you know, really grew into that role and was a really good, you know, like I said, vote leader.
[01:09:45] Speaker A: Yeah, I think people really remember her fondly just for her energy. Spark plug. She was just very feisty. She just kind of had that attitude as a libero that, you know, I think people would, you know, she would take a hard hit and kind of put it back over the net and act like it was nothing. And I think that was really a big part of her Persona back there. People remember Kelly Broussard fondly. Definitely.
[01:10:09] Speaker C: Yeah, for sure.
[01:10:10] Speaker A: All right, let's go to the pin players.
There's some easy choices.
[01:10:17] Speaker C: Emily Stockman obviously comes to mind.
[01:10:20] Speaker A: Emily on the left.
[01:10:21] Speaker C: Yes, for sure.
[01:10:29] Speaker A: Tammy's research.
[01:10:30] Speaker C: Gonna be hard. This is. This one's gonna be really hard.
[01:10:32] Speaker A: We will again stipulate that you can't mention everybody, but there are, I think.
[01:10:38] Speaker C: Emily Stockman and Sarah Lundgren. You know, probably, you know, top two for me there.
Sarah Yunus kind of went between the left and the right. I mean, obviously, I guess Sarah Leningrad kind of did, too. But we won't differentiate between left and right. Was anybody else doing that or just kind of.
[01:11:00] Speaker A: We had a lot. We gave people a lot of latitude.
[01:11:04] Speaker C: So how many is that so far? I've got Emily Stockman. I've got Sarah Eunice. Sarah Lundgren.
[01:11:16] Speaker A: Sarah Lundgren, valley player of the year, zero six and zero seven. Emily Stockman, player of the year in zero eight. They were both all Americans. Sarah Lundgren, honorable mention in zero seven. Emily Stockman, honorable mention in zero eight and zero nine.
Sarah Yunus, also an honorable mention all american in 2004 and Valley player of the year in 2004.
The Shockers had a real run of valley players of the year there. Between zero four and zero eight.
[01:11:44] Speaker C: Yeah, no, for sure.
That was a lot of fun.
Darcy Voss on the right, she, I think, sometimes gets forgotten just because she was on some of those earlier teams. And maybe the offense was so balanced during those years there, like 2005, 2004.
Lambeau took great pride in each hitter was going to average two point something kills per set, and it was hard to figure out who to stop on our team, because anybody, you know, on a given night could step up and, you know, have that big match. So during that time, like, Darcy might not. You might look at her numbers and say, well, she didn't have that many kills or she didn't, but she was a force to be reckoned with. And, you know, she was playing on the right side.
I think she may have even played in the middle at times, but I think she was mostly on the right side. That 2004 picture is one of the. I mean, it was obviously the biggest moment at the time in 2004 when we won the valley championship here at Coca arena to go to our first NCAA tournament. Darcy was the one who actually blocked the game winning point. She thought there was an open net, and Darcy just came out of nowhere to stuff her to end the match and, you know, send us to the NCAA tournament. And, you know, she. She just had this smirk on her face, and she just was this big, like, I mean, she was a great blocker, but she was also a big, vocal leader on that team. And you didn't want to mess with Darzee like she, you know, I think she grew up on a farm, and, you know, thinking back, you know, lambo's gotten, you know, quite a few farm girls on his team. Maybe that's, you know, a group he likes to recruit. I don't know, but they're hard nosed, you know, and they don't. They don't take any craft. They just.
They just get things done. And, you know, Darcy, she just kind of embodied all that, and, you know, she's someone, I think, that gets forgotten.
[01:14:11] Speaker A: That was the 2004 Valley championship game in the tournament in Coca arena. Shockers won a five set match over Missouri State, 1511 in the fifth. And that led to the picture and the celebration that you're talking about sent the shockers off to NCAA tournament, where they swept Nevada in their first NCAA game and then lost to Nebraska at Nebraska.
Middles, is that where we should. I guess that's where we should go next. A lot of middles. Middles seem to have a special place in the Chris Lamb program because of how often he uses them and what they mean to his program.
[01:14:48] Speaker C: Yes.
You know, I always think, like, if you're a really good middle, like, wouldn't you want to come to Wichita State? You get so many. You know, I was talking with this about somebody else the other day, like, you're gonna get so many more attack attempts. You're gonna get, you know, I don't know, just so many more opportunities. I feel like as a middle at Wichita State because, you know, he loves setting the middle. And, you know, in a lot of other programs, you know, if you're watching, like, you know, it's maybe a couple times a set, maybe they, you know, they're always going out to that big outside hitter, you know, and. And we don't always have, you know, this big outside hitter, so he's, you know, found a way to, you know, help us get on the scoreboard, you know, using our middles. And we've had so many good middles over the years, this might be one of the hardest ones to narrow down.
Abby layman, I mean, jumps out for me. I was kind of thinking about her earlier about the. You were talking about, like, cool matches. Like, the match that she had 15 kills on, 15 swings to, like, tie an NCA record and set our school record. I mean, that match was insane.
I mean, to watch somebody do that, I mean, get a kill on every single swing you take, and you, it's not like you took five swings, you took 15. I mean, it was three sets. And, I mean, that was such a crazy match. And so she, I mean, she jumps out.
[01:16:23] Speaker A: You know, to me, that was against Bradley in 2014. Yes. 15 swings, no errors, 15 kills.
[01:16:31] Speaker C: Yeah, funny story. Her line should have actually been 13, 115. So on two of her swings. So one of them, Bradley, actually dug her, but their blocker was in the net. So when that happens, the hitter automatically gets a kill.
And then on another one, she hit it out of bounds like it was just wide of the sideline. But again, a Bradley girl was in the net, and so she got a kill in that one, too. So there was a little luck involved in that match, too.
[01:17:00] Speaker A: But Abby from Newton, she was a three time honorable all american. She was American Athletic conference player of the year in 2017.
And I believe an essential part of the Abbey layman story is she was headed to Pittsburgh State to play basketball and then decided to go volleyball at Wichita State instead. And it turned out really well for her and the shockers.
[01:17:22] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, it always felt like she was unstoppable. You know, she just always put up big numbers.
I mean, I think you have to talk about. I mean, I think Jen Ray and Elizabeth Myers, you know, they kind of, they started the whole tradition of middles, I feel like. And they were on those early teens in the conversation, for sure.
I think Katie Riley, you know, Sarah McGee, Ashley Andrade, Elizabeth Field.
There are so many, you know, Jody Larson was another outside that, you know, I think needs to be mentioned, too.
[01:18:15] Speaker A: Very well rounded. Yeah, I think of Jody. That's what I think of her ability to do almost anything you needed her to on the, on the volleyball court and still playing professionally over, in, over in Europe.
[01:18:26] Speaker C: Yes.
[01:18:27] Speaker A: To the middle conversation, I would add. Morgan Stout, I think she's, with what she's done over the, you know, the last couple years and what she's off to here as a senior, she deserves to be in that conversation. Just having a fabulous career.
[01:18:39] Speaker C: I mean, you look at, you know, Stephanie Tokar, Angela Jakubov, you know, they were playing in the middle as well, and they had really good years.
[01:18:48] Speaker A: Ashley Andrade was co conference player of the year along with Chelsea Fecin in 2013. You mentioned Sarah McGee in the middle. She was Valley defensive player of the year in 2010.
[01:18:59] Speaker C: Emily Adeney is another outside hitter that it seemed like we were talking about Jody Larson doing everything. Emily Adney was another one of those that, you know, she did everything on.
[01:19:09] Speaker A: The court for you six rotation players. Kami Zwistler would be another good one to mention in that vein. Very versatile. She was Valley defensive player of the year in 2011. All right, Tammy, well, thank you very much for your time. We've given people a really good look at 25 years of Chris Lamb volleyball. Thank you.
[01:19:27] Speaker C: Thank you for having me, Paul.
[01:19:44] Speaker B: Great insight as always. Thanks for listening to the Roundhouse podcast, courtesy of Wichita State University Strategic Communications. We encourage you to rate, review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can always find more roundhouse
[email protected]. and they let him pass it up court. Then he gets picked off a long three by Pangos. No good. 1 second. It's over. It is over. And Wichita State has beaten the number one team in the nation to go to the Sweet 16. Go crazy, Wichita. I know you are.
