LINCOLN, Neb. – For as long and agonizing the Lady Topper’s wait was to find out if they were in the NCAA Tournament, their stay in the tournament was a short one.

Western struggled to find a rhythm through all three games, losing 3-0 (30-21, 30-19, 30-25) to Wichita State Friday afternoon at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln, Neb.

“I think we picked one of our more poorly played matches of the year,” coach Travis Hudson said. “That’s to take nothing away from what Wichita State did.”

The Shockers were able to hit .305 in the match and a match-high .484 in game two.

Midway through the third game no Lady Topper had double-digit kills, and by the way things were going, it didn’t look like anyone was going to get there. But then a glimmer of hope was seen.

“For the first time in the match we had a little bit more of a rhythm in terms of our side out offense,” Hudson said.

The Lady Toppers hung with the Shockers two-thirds through game three and junior middle hitter Megan Argabright finished with a team-high 11 kills.

Freshman Emily Teegarden finished with eight kills. Senior middle hitter Jenna Gideon was able to wear the Western uniform one more time after battling a shoulder injury much of the month of November.

She finished with six kills and a .250 hitting percentage in her career finale.

The Lady Toppers ended their season 27-9 and earned the first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in school and Sun Belt Conference History.

What’s in a name?

Four schools, and four unique mascots are all represented in Lincoln, Neb. this weekend. The Shockers of Wichita State, the Huskers of Nebraska, the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State and of course the Lady Toppers are all braving the below-freezing temperatures inside while looking to advance to the next round in the NCAA Tournament.