into a major force on coach Chris Lamb's Shocker
team. "She's a prolific attacker," he reports.
The first Shocker star of the Chris Lamb era was Sara Younes, an undersized Californian who brought a valley girl vernacular and, more importantly, winning volleyball to Wichita State.
Younes, the Missouri Valley Conference player of the year before graduating last spring, contrasts markedly with the player who is rapidly developing into the program's next major force.
Sara Lungren is a 6-foot-4 sophomore, a small-town girl who grew up on a Kansas wheat farm and feels perfectly comfortable behind the wheel of a combine.
While their backgrounds differ dramatically, Lungren shares at least one trait with Younes — the ability to dominate on the volleyball court.
Through 16 games the Shockers were 14-2, and Lungren led the team with 153 kills. "She's a prolific attacker," Lamb reports.
And, obviously, a quick learner.
While attending Class 1A Caldwell High School with only 21 other seniors, Lungren was a multi-sport athlete and didn't participate in club volleyball, a rarity for a Division I collegiate player. So she arrived at WSU an unpolished product, to say the least.
"You could say I was pretty raw," she says. "Like attack selection? I didn't even know that existed. I just went up and hit it." After a valuable redshirt year, Lungren made an immediate impact and was named to the all-Valley freshman team.
Lamb says Lungren was blessed with natural talent, but he also credits her attitude for the rapid improvement. "She works her butt off in practice and she works her butt off in the classroom," he says. "If you had a daughter, you'd want her to be just like Sara."
Predictably, then, Lungren credits Abby Harsh and Andee Hartig with providing accurate sets. And Lungren is also quick to point out that she is far from being WSU's only weapon.
"You can't stop one person and stop the Shockers," she says. "When we're on, we're on — and there's no stopping us."
— Kollen Long '90/96
Record-Setting Season
With a record of 15-2, Wichita State's volleyball team traveled to Tulsa, Okla., Oct. 11 to take on Oral Roberts (11-7). The Shockers were looking for their 14th-straight win, which would be a new school record. WSU had tied the record on Oct. 8 with a win against Southern Illinois. In Tulsa, the Shockers accomplished the feat with a 3-1 victory over Oral Roberts. Now 16-2, WSU won by scores of 30-28, 29-31, 30-26 and 30-24.
Sara Lungren led the Shockers with 13 kills and seven blocks, while Jen Ray added 11 kills and Cori Meyer and Elizabeth Meyers had 10. Meyer also had a team-high 17 digs for the Shockers.
— WSU Sports Information
Wins and a Couple of Losses
Aug. 26, vs. Houston, W 3-0
Aug. 27, vs. Texas Tech, W 3-0
Aug. 27, vs. Stephen F. Austin, 2-3 L
Sept. 1, vs. Michigan State, 0-3 L
Sept. 2, vs. Ball State, W 3-1
Sept. 3, vs. South Florida, W 3-0
Sept. 8, Va. Commonwealth, W 3-0
Sept. 13, vs. North Texas, W 3-0
Sept. 16, vs. Illinois State, W 3-1
Sept, 17, vs. Indiana State, W 3-0
Sept. 20, UMKC, W 3-0
Sept. 23, vs. Missouri State, W 3-2
Sept. 24, vs. NDSU, W 3-0
Sept. 30, vs. Creighton, W 3-0
Oct. 01, vs. Drake, W 3-0
Oct. 07, vs. Evansville, W 3-0
Oct. 08, vs. Southern Illinois, W 3-0
