[00:00:15] Speaker A: Hello. Welcome to the Roundhouse Podcast with Paul Sullentrop of Wichita State University Strategic Communications. Thanks again for listening. Today we're going to talk Shocker volleyball. We have Reagan Anderson and Grace Hett. They are two of Wichita State's defensive sports specialist, a group that really provided some superb passing and digging over the weekend in the AAC championship. Reagan is a sophomore from Overland Park. Grace is a freshman from Marion. In the tournament, Grace had 19 digs and a team leading four service aces. Reagan contributed 10 digs and one ace. For the season, Reagan ranks fifth on the team with 194 digs. Grace has 78. Reagan's 27 aces are second on the team. Shockers are back in the NCAA tournament after sweeping three opponents last weekend in the AAC tournament at Coch Arena. The NCAA selection show is Sunday at 5pm and the Shockers will learn their destination then. Reagan, what was your favorite moment from the weekend?
[00:01:11] Speaker B: I think my favorite moment was Stout's ace against Tulsa, how it just trickled over the net. I thought that was the best part of the week.
[00:01:19] Speaker A: They call that a waterfall ace, is that right? I'm trying to pick up my volleyball jargon. Grace, how about you? What was your favorite moment?
[00:01:28] Speaker C: I would probably say the match against usf. I just think that really was one of the points where our team was most together that I've seen this season, especially coming from those two tough losses that we had before. I just thought we really found our mojo there.
[00:01:43] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah, that was a big one. USF was the top seed, had defeated the Shockers earlier in the regular season. Did you save confetti from the celebration on Sunday? Did you scoop some up in a little bag or something?
[00:01:53] Speaker B: I didn't save any, but I went to take my shower and I took the shirt off and confetti fell out of the shirt. So it's in my bathroom. So I guess I kind of did save it.
[00:02:02] Speaker A: But, Grace, how about you?
[00:02:03] Speaker C: I did not. I really didn't think about it. I was so in the moment.
[00:02:07] Speaker A: There was a lot going on. Yes, a lot of confetti, a lot of pictures, a little dancing, all of that kind of stuff.
Shockers, they lost their last two regular season matches and then five days later they played, I guess what you might say your best three matches of the season. Grace, how did this team regroup?
[00:02:24] Speaker C: I think we just took it into our own hands and we played together. I think we kind of stopped worrying about the little things and every point was a point for us, and I think we just played Point by point and stopped worrying. And I think that really helped us.
[00:02:41] Speaker A: Regan, what's your view on what went right for the Shockers after kind of an up and down season and certainly a tough way to end the regular season season?
[00:02:48] Speaker B: Yeah, I think we really focused on, like, next ball mentality. I feel like sometimes, like, when we would be down earlier in the season, it kind of just snowball and be hard to get out of it. But I thought this past weekend we did a good job of just next ball, you know, not worrying about what just happened. And I thought we were supporting each other really well. And it was really just like a team first mentality I thought that everyone had out there.
[00:03:13] Speaker A: Yeah, it seemed to me that things that worked maybe for a weekend in September or 10 days in October and then maybe faded away. It all came together over three days. Reagan, is that a good way to think about the championship weekend?
[00:03:29] Speaker B: Yeah, I feel like whatever they like, the coaches put out, I think whoever was out there, they did their job. And I think no matter who was in, it just all clicked together.
[00:03:41] Speaker A: Grace, did you have a good feeling on Wednesday, Thursday, did you like the way practices were going, the mindset, the vibe?
[00:03:48] Speaker C: Yeah, I felt like we were very competitive, and it really felt like everyone wanted to go and sweep all three teams. And I think that's exactly how we practiced and that's how we performed.
[00:03:58] Speaker A: Now, Reagan, you would have been around for the NIVC last year. Are there some similarities?
[00:04:03] Speaker B: Yeah, I remember in the nivc, we only dropped one set. I remember I actually turned to my roommate Haley, and I was like, this feels like just like last year's postseason because we were sweeping everyone and, like, the vibe of the team felt like it did at the end of the year last year. And it just felt like we were rolling and we were playing the best volleyball we've played both at the end of the season, both years.
[00:04:27] Speaker A: So I'll ask you to pick a turning point over the weekend. My pick. We'll see what you think about this. It was 10:10 in that first set on Saturday against USF. Shockers go up 19, 11. And. And it felt like the Bulls spent the rest of the match. They were just kind of trying to. They were chasing the Shockers, and that really flowed into Sunday. Grace, did you have a moment when you felt, all right, we're rolling here, we can do this.
Reagan, while Grace is thinking, we'll let you jump in.
[00:05:00] Speaker B: I think even like, yes, we just beat Tulsa in South Florida, But I think getting through that first set against fau. I knew we were gonna be good because we reverse swept them earlier in the season. So I knew if we got off to a good start that it would. We'd run away with it. So I thought just taking the first set was huge for us.
[00:05:23] Speaker A: Were you concerned at all about, you know, the emotions, bigger crowd, that kind of stuff on Sunday?
[00:05:29] Speaker B: I honestly feel like the bigger crowd, like, helps us. I think we feed off of it. And sometimes when it gets a little emotional out there and, you know, fau, they have some girls that'll bite back, they'll bark at you. So I think that kind of fires us up and it motivates us because we want to shut them down.
[00:05:48] Speaker A: Okay, interesting. We don't seem to see much trash talk in volleyball, but you're saying there's some going on out there?
[00:05:53] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:05:53] Speaker B: Those FAU girls are a little feisty sometimes.
[00:05:55] Speaker A: Okay. All right. What's an example of volleyball trash talk? I don't know that. People are super familiar with that.
[00:06:01] Speaker B: I more feel like it's like the staredowns and, like, more just like how they look at you across the net and stuff, and how they celebrate. I feel like. I mean, they could be saying stuff to people at the net, but I wouldn't know.
[00:06:13] Speaker A: Right, right. Okay. Grace, have you come up with a turning point?
[00:06:15] Speaker C: I have.
I think just that third set of the Tulsa game, actually. I think just seeing that we stuck with it and we didn't let them come back, I think that was a really big thing for us, and it helped us just keep that momentum going and going and going, and I think we were just unstoppable after that.
[00:06:33] Speaker A: Who was the shocker who did their role really well over the weekend that didn't get enough attention? You know, we have a lot of people get on the all Tournament team. People who score a lot always get a lot of attention. Anybody jump out at you that you look back on those three matches and say they played really well and it kind of got overshadowed?
[00:06:49] Speaker C: Yeah, I would say Brooklyn for sure.
I think she deserved that All Tournament team. I think she had a great show out.
Just some great swings, and she's so powerful. I just feel like she also doesn't give up sometimes. You know, you get blocked sometimes it doesn't go the way you want it to, but I really feel like she stuck with it.
[00:07:07] Speaker A: She was certainly really good on Sunday and especially in that third set. Regan, how about you?
[00:07:12] Speaker B: I feel like Katie Galligan doesn't get enough credit. I thought that she was phenomenal all weekend. She held down the back row the whole time. She had some digs. I was like, I don't even know how you did that.
[00:07:23] Speaker C: But, yeah, her defense is insane.
[00:07:24] Speaker B: I thought that she deserved to be on the All Tournament team. I thought she was really good this weekend.
[00:07:29] Speaker A: Who was the Libero on the all tournament team now that you mentioned?
[00:07:32] Speaker B: I think it was the Rice Libero.
[00:07:34] Speaker C: Oh, it was.
[00:07:34] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:07:35] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:07:35] Speaker B: Yeah, that's right.
[00:07:36] Speaker A: Yes. Because they were still there. I think they were up watching.
[00:07:38] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:07:39] Speaker A: That leads me perfectly into my next question. I thought the Littles, the defense, the back row, however you want to tournament. I thought they were really good all weekend. Reagan, why. Why did the Littles. Why did that group play so well?
[00:07:50] Speaker B: I think for our position group, we really focus on playing for each other. Like, it's like, I'm gonna dig this ball for the person next to me. It's like, always about who's next to you and stuff like that. And I think we do a great job of keeping each other calm and, like, next ball. And I think that when it comes to bigger games, the Littles are just. They're so ready, and, like, the front row fires them up, and we just want to dig everything so those huge plays can happen.
[00:08:19] Speaker A: Grace, what's your explanation for the Littles and why they played so well?
[00:08:23] Speaker C: I would say for me, personally, as like, a freshman, it's kind of scary to step onto that court against some of those bigger teams. But I always feel like the other Littles have my back and they tell me where to go if I'm a little confused. They are always supporting me if I make a mistake, but they're also there cheering me on when I do something great, something. So I just think it's knowing that we have each other's back and knowing that we're going to stand up for each other, I think that really helps us just be able to go out there and dominate.
[00:08:53] Speaker A: Describe the communication that has to go back on so that you don't run into each other when a serve is coming over the net. How's that work?
[00:09:01] Speaker C: I think it's just you kind of look up to your leaders a little bit. Like, I look up to the upperclassmen a lot.
Regan and I have a really good relationship with that. I just trust her. She trusts me. And I also think on the defensive side, we get thrown out a lot of defenses at us, random points of the game. So it can get a little confusing and just, like, looking at each other and making sure that we both know or we all three know what we're doing, and I think that really helps us.
[00:09:28] Speaker A: So the shockers held their three opponents, Tulsa, South Florida and Florida Atlantic, to a 115 attack percentage, which is really, really good. Highlighted USF hit a season low 112 on Saturday.
And people who really hurt the Shockers in the regular season did not have great matches over the weekend. So this, to me seems to be a triumph of scouting. Report and video review.
Take us through that aspect of it. Why did the Shockers do so well against some of the best attackers in the conference?
[00:10:02] Speaker C: I think our coaches are amazing at scouting. They put so much time into it.
Lambo, his math is insane. He figures out numbers, figures out different plays, and we sit there, we talk about it, and I think the girls do a really good job at going out and doing that.
And he's very good at changing on the fly. So if something is not going the way he thought, he'll change it. And we have gotten really good at changing it just right then and there. And I think that's something that we've gotten better at throughout the season. And so that's why we're starting to click so much. Because when the front row gets it, we get it. But when we have that disconnection, like, I think that's where we, you know, struggle a little bit. But it was so good this weekend.
[00:10:45] Speaker A: Reagan, can you give us an example of something that you changed from a regular season meeting? Whether it was, you know, how you, how you blocked this person, therefore that gave you guys easier passers. Is there an example that would really illustrate why the Shockers were so successful in these areas over the weekend?
[00:11:02] Speaker B: I think back to South Florida, because we played them in the regular season. I remember we had a specific defense and it was called high corner. And for some reason, like, we just really struggled to dig their outsides.
And so I felt like when we played them on. Was that Saturday? Yeah, Saturday, it was more just like a straight up defense. And our blockers did amazing. I mean, they were probably reader squishy, I don't know. But I think the just playing straight up and letting us make those moves ourselves, I feel like we were more relaxed and we just went for everything.
And I thought we defended against their outsides a lot better the second time around.
[00:11:42] Speaker A: Yeah. So in the played South Florida in October and Maria Clara Andrade, she was player of the year in the conference.
She had 19 kills in October. On Saturday, she had 10 and a 108 attack percentage. And then I hope I'm pronouncing her name right. Nya sawtelle. She had 20 kills in the first meeting. You held her to eight and a minus 61 attack percentage. So that's the kind of thing we're talking about. You were well prepared. The spiderweb worked, I guess. Is that right? To say chakra vernacular explain Spiderweb. That's kind of a fun term that I know Chris uses.
[00:12:15] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:12:18] Speaker C: Goes back to his math and everything he does with that. He calculates their hitting percentage, their kill percentage, their error percentage, their attempts per game. And then we go and watch their film and we translate all that together. And then he tells the blockers what to do, tells the defense what to do. And it's just a really good way to grasp, like who they are, how they're playing recently and everything about them.
[00:12:43] Speaker A: So people will watch volleyball, they'll see the libero, they'll see the dss explain the difference. What's the hierarchy? What are their jobs? You know, how do they differ back there?
[00:12:55] Speaker B: I feel like the libero, it's kind of like uses like the term like quarterback. Like, I feel like they're the quarterback for us Littles and stuff. So obviously the libero has a lot more responsibility.
So they're leading the other DS's and stuff and we just follow suit. And that's why I feel like Katie Galligan is just perfect at what she does because she just has this mentality that nothing's going to hit the floor and then the rest of us just follow.
[00:13:23] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. You mentioned the upperclassmen. Katie Galligan, she's a junior. Annalee Hellesty is a senior. Both of them have a lot of experience. Both of them have played libero. What kind of role models are they? How have they helped out the younger Littles?
[00:13:37] Speaker C: I think they're awesome.
I know they'll tell me if I have a question. They're going to tell me the truth. They'll be honest with me if I'm not doing something correct. But they're also gonna be like my biggest cheerleaders when I do something right. And I just think it's awesome to have them there because in practice they don't take plays off. So I start to follow them. And I think that it's helped me get better throughout the season because I get to watch those girls and I just try to, you know, follow them and follow their lead.
[00:14:08] Speaker B: Yeah, I feel like they also help us like keep calm because they've been in the same situations we've been in. So it's like they know the right things to say to us, like, when it is a close game, even if it's just like a quick, like, hand squeeze or something. And I feel like I know that they trust me, so that helps, too.
[00:14:28] Speaker A: Grace, let's say you get invited back to Marion High School to talk to some sophomores and juniors who are. They're a good athlete. They're kind of getting started on this journey they're looking for. You know, how do I. How do I pick a college for athletics, for academics? What's your advice?
[00:14:43] Speaker C: I would just say go with your heart.
I think that my decision here was the best decision I could make, but I just really felt at home when I was here. I felt like the coaches had confidence in me. And just when you pick a college, you can't think too deep about it. You just have to kind of go with how you feel.
And I think you have to go somewhere that pushes you to become better. You have to go through a little bit of struggle. Like, wow, I'm not as good as I thought I was. But that really only makes you better. And so you have to be able to let yourself go through some struggles just to get to the higher part of that. So don't give up.
[00:15:27] Speaker A: How have the coaches pushed you to be better?
[00:15:31] Speaker C: Well, playing against these girls who you know are way better than I've ever played before has really helped me. And I feel like the coaches hold me to a very high standard and sometimes higher than I think I can go, but they know I can go there, so I think that helps me a lot. Sometimes it's hard. You're like, I can't do anything perfect. But you know that they think that you can, so it helps you. It's like, gives you confidence to go out there and be able to do that, because, you know that they think that, and I think that, you know, like, Smash, she's very. She can give me criticism, but she'll also give me, you know, compliments when I need them, and I think that that's really helped me.
[00:16:12] Speaker A: Smash might be my favorite nickname on this team. Explain who you're. Explain who you're talking about.
[00:16:16] Speaker C: Ashley.
[00:16:17] Speaker A: Ashley Holton, one of the assistant coaches, and she does a lot of the work with the. With the Littles.
[00:16:21] Speaker B: Yes, she does.
[00:16:21] Speaker A: Yes. Okay, Reagan, same question. St. Thomas Aquinas invites you back to talk to talk to some youngsters. What's your advice?
[00:16:30] Speaker B: Like, same thing. Follow your heart. I feel like you always have this gut feeling deep down, you know, go somewhere that feels like home because you're not at home anymore. So you want to be somewhere where, like, you feel comfortable and you feel welcomed and the culture is good and stuff like that. I feel like you need to go somewhere where you can see yourself like this for a while, too.
[00:16:54] Speaker A: So, Reagan, you went to St. Thomas Aquinas, which wins just about every Class 5A volleyball championship. What was it like playing in that kind of a. Kind of a high school program?
[00:17:03] Speaker B: Oh, it was so much fun. I also think it prepared me for college a lot because I played with girls who are playing in some of the top teams in the country right now.
So I feel like playing at that level helped coming here because I'm like, okay, if I could dig Eva Martin and Caroline Bien in practice, and hopefully I can, you know, dig balls here too. So I think it just helped prepare me. And the coaches there just gave insane feedback and stuff. So I really thought that I grew as a player there.
[00:17:37] Speaker A: St. James Academy. Is that the big rivalry?
[00:17:40] Speaker B: Yes, it is.
[00:17:41] Speaker A: Yes. I'm familiar with both of them. Grace. I spent the morning watching some Grace Hett three point shooting highlights on huddle. Are you the best shooter on this volleyball team?
[00:17:52] Speaker B: I don't know.
[00:17:53] Speaker A: Would you win a game of horse if you lined up everybody on this team? Because Morgan Stout has told me she's quite the basketball player.
[00:17:59] Speaker C: Morgan, stop. That would be my competition right there. Yeah, me and her could get pretty competitive at that. But it'd be fun.
[00:18:06] Speaker A: Those two.
[00:18:07] Speaker B: Remember, we did a scavenger hunt thing, and we had to take a video, and she shot it and she made it on her first try. I was like, oh, my gosh, those.
[00:18:16] Speaker A: Highlights are for real. How'd you choose volleyball over basketball?
[00:18:20] Speaker C: That was a very tough thing for me, actually. I loved basketball. I actually started playing basketball before volleyball. Was in love with it. I started volleyball later, and I had to drive an hour for my practices for basketball and volleyball. And at that point, it was kind of. You had to choose which one. And I was kind of starting to fall in love with volleyball more. So I chose volleyball, and I'm so glad I stuck with it. But it was still. I still love basketball to this day.
[00:18:47] Speaker A: You certainly gave Berean Academy hell on the. On the highlights that I saw, and I'm sure they have not recovered from the. From the Gracehead three point explosion. Okay. You probably have a bus ride coming up next week. We would imagine the shockers will maybe go to someplace close. Lawrence or Lincoln, something like that. Reagan what will you be reading or watching or listening to when you get on that bus?
[00:19:10] Speaker B: Well, since Christmas is coming up, I'll probably be watching some Hallmark movies or, you know, some Netflix rom coms. So probably do that. Hopefully do some homework too, but we'll see.
[00:19:22] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:19:22] Speaker A: Okay. Grace, what about you? Do you have a favorite? Do you have a book or a podcast or a video you'll be watching on the bus?
[00:19:29] Speaker C: I'd probably agree with Regan. It's probably something Christmas related. I just love watching those movies. I'll probably also be listening to some music just to kind of calm the nerves a little bit. But they're going to be excited nerves.
[00:19:44] Speaker A: I feel they will be excited nerves. All right. The Shockers are back in the NCAA tournament. First time since 2017. They put up one of those blue dot banners that Chris Lamb likes to Talk about. The NCAA selection show is Sunday at 5pm on ESPN. The Shockers will learn where they are going then. Reagan Anderson and Grace Hett, thank you very much for your time.
[00:20:05] Speaker C: Thank you. Thank you.
[00:20:21] Speaker A: Hi, this is Rick Miuma, president of Wichita State University. Check out the latest episode of the Forward Together podcast. 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.
Thank you 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 find more roundhouse
[email protected] it's over. It is over, ladies and gentlemen. Say it slowly and savor it. Wichita State is going to the Final Four for the first time in 48 years. Unbelievable. What a scene, folks. The Shocker fans are just going crazy in the stands. Just maybe the greatest win in the history of Wichita State basketball.
