Surprising Volleyball Near Top of Big 12 Standings

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In what has been a year full of surprises, Reed Sunahara's West Virginia University volleyball team is delivering another one this fall.

The Mountaineers swept TCU two weeks ago to boost their record to 5-3 and move them into a tie with Kansas State for third place in the Big 12.

West Virginia hasn't won five conference matches since the 2017 season when it won 21 matches and advanced to the semifinals of the NIVC, volleyball's version of the National Invitation Tournament.

Since then, it's been tough sledding for West Virginia in the traditionally tough Big 12.

WVU won just two conference matches in 2018 and three last year on the way to a 12-17 overall record.

COVID-19 has forced the Big 12 to play a condensed schedule this fall consisting of eight doubleheader matches on consecutive days. The team that finishes with the highest winning percentage in league play will be crowned Big 12 champion.

Only the Big 12, ACC, SEC and Sun Belt are competing in volleyball this fall, with the rest of the conferences beginning play this spring when the NCAA is expecting to hold a 48-team national tournament instead of the normal 64-team field.

How that all goes down is still yet to be determined.

"We will see what happens when we finish up," Sunhara said last week. "Our last two are at Oklahoma and if we can complete a 16-match fall season, great. Then we are going to prepare for the spring and see what happens with what the NCAA comes up with and be prepared to play again."

Sunahara said West Virginia will have a maximum of 12 matches in the spring to give it 28 total matches for consideration for postseason play. With the NCAA field being reduced from 64 to 48 teams, that means there will be just 16 at-large bids for the taking.

Undefeated and No. 1-ranked Texas is likely going to get the Big 12's automatic bid, while 7-1 and No. 2-ranked Baylor is also likely to grab another bid next spring.

If there are more bids coming from the Big 12, it will likely come from a pool of teams that includes 3-3 Kansas State or West Virginia.

Everyone else has a .300 winning percentage or lower.

K-State is presently ranked 13^th in the latest AVCA volleyball poll, which is ranking only 15 teams this fall. West Virginia garnered 34 votes.

Earlier this month, West Virginia swept then-No. 10-ranked Kansas in Lawrence in a pair of hard-fought, 3-2 matches.

Sunahara thought those two victories were really valuable to his team.

"Beating the No. 10 team in the country is huge, especially on the road," he said. "It was different situations both nights, but kind of the same match. We go up two sets to one the first night and then we win in five. The second night, we're down 2-1 and we come back and force a fifth and ended up winning in the fifth so that was great."

The momentum West Virginia got from those two big road wins at Kansas carried over the following week against TCU, led by former Mountaineer coach Jill Kramer.

West Virginia needed five sets to dispose of the Horned Frogs the first night, and then took them down 3-1 the next evening.

"Winning in five the first night was big for us because I didn't think we were playing that well, but we just kept fighting and fighting and fighting and making plays at the right times and scoring points. I thought that was good, especially on national television."

Since dropping the season-opening match at Texas Tech 3-0, West Virginia has fought tooth and nail for every point since. It began with a 3-1 triumph over the Red Raiders the following night and continued with a pair of tough, five-set losses to Kansas State.

"Even after that first night at Tech, I still thought we were playing pretty good at times, but not consistent," Sunahara said. "I thought we had chances to score more points and we were in it.

"The next night we lose the first set and our kids were like, 'Hey, we can do this' so we win the next three, and I think that was a breakthrough to the success we've had so far," he added. "They know they can play with teams."

The difference for this year's team has been at the net where the Mountaineers are currently second in the Big 12 averaging 2.33 blocks per set.

That area is occupied by senior Briana Lynch, West Virginia's best player. The Jones Creek, Georgia, resident was named All-Big 12 Second Team last year and was the first WVU player since 2017 to be named to the conference's preseason team this year.

As well as she's played so far, Sunahara believes Lynch has even more to offer.

"She has worked really, really hard after her first two years," he said. "It's unbelievable the confidence she's playing with right now. She's stronger, she's jumping a little higher now and she's having a great season up to this point."

Sunahara also likes the veteran leadership he's getting from team co-captains Audrey Adams and Lacey Zerwas.

Adams is a natural leader who is co-president of West Virginia's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) while Zerwas is a rare two-year captain.

"We count on them a lot," Sunahara said.

Energetic Oak Glen High freshman defensive specialist Skye Stokes has been a big boost to the team this year. The Chester, West Virginia, resident led cross-river East Liverpool (Ohio) High to three straight Ohio Valley Athletic Conference titles before transferring to Oak Glen for her senior season last year.

She helped the Golden Bears to an undefeated campaign and a Class AA state championship. Sunahara calls Stokes a "baller."

"She loves to play volleyball, she's a great kid and she just loves life," he said. "She struggled a little bit early and now she's beginning to figure things out like a lot of freshmen do. The speed of the game and the strength of the players is different, but she's catching on pretty fast. She loves West Virginia, and she just wants to be here and make this program better."

Sunahara said he saw those qualities in Stokes from a young age.

"I always knew she could play," he explained. "She's an outside hitter by trade, and if she was four inches taller, she would have been one of the top recruits in the country. I like the way she competes."

Junior outside hitter Natali Petrova is also performing well. The Sofia, Bulgaria, native has boosted the team's maturity level after spending a couple of years in the United States, first at Missouri State and then last year at Tyler Junior College.

She gives the Mountaineers additional size and experience at the net.

"Natali is a little bit ahead of (Turkey native) Melisa (Temiz), who is brand new and is trying to figure out the differences here in culture, the way we practice, the way we play … the food, there are so many different factors involved," Sunahara said.

"They bring a lot more maturity to the program, one, because I think they appreciate the opportunity a lot. Plus, they can't swim home, and it's tough to fly right now," he joked.

Sunahara said the present weekly match format has made it easier to prepare for one team per week, instead of two different teams on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Still, there are many challenges.

"The tough thing is the first night we play then you've got to come up with a different plan based on what they did against you (the night prior)," he explained. "That part is a little tough, but you are preparing for just one team."

Looming for the Mountaineers are some difficult matches, beginning Thursday night in Waco against No. 2 Baylor.

After two against the Bears, West Virginia will face Texas for a pair of home matches against the 10-0 Longhorns on Nov. 12-13.

Iowa State and Oklahoma, a pair of 2-6 teams, will be played on Nov. 6-7 and Nov. 19-20 respectively.

"These four teams have historically been in the top four or five in the league every year, so we're going to see what we're made of," Sunahara said. "Hopefully, the bye weekend gave us a little bit of time to recover and get rejuvenated.

"No one is sneaking up on anyone now," he added. "They have a little bigger sample size to look at. We're going to keep doing what we're doing and hopefully it's good enough."

In a year full of surprises, perhaps the Mountaineers can continue delivering even more of them.

Schedule

Players Mentioned

Audrey Adams

Briana Lynch

Natali Petrova

Skye Stokes

Lacey Zerwas

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