Seated by himself, Chris Lamb surveyed the scene in front of him on Sunday afternoon at Koch Arena.

For the first time since 2017, the Wichita State volleyball team had secured its place in the NCAA Tournament by winning the American Athletic Conference tournament in dominant fashion with three straight sweeps after a 25-22, 25-19, 25-19 win over Florida Atlantic.

Commemorative shirts and hats were passed around, confetti was shot into the air and the players even did a championship “Wobble” dance. And there sat Lamb, in his 25th season as head coach at WSU, all by himself, soaking in the experience.

“If you had my job and my brain and you just turned 60 and you’ve been doing it for 35 years,” he said. “You would be looking for times to sit back and just watch too.”

After an underwhelming regular season, the Shockers (18-13) tapped into their potential to claim Lamb’s fifth conference tournament championship and his 12th NCAA Tournament appearance.

There was no doubt WSU senior middle hitter Morgan Stout, a Nickerson graduate, would be named tournament MVP after leading the team with 35 kills and a .345 hitting percentage in three sweeps. The team fed off its emotional leader, as Stout’s fire made it seem like there was no way WSU was losing on Sunday.

“We just balled out, period,” Stout said. “We went into this tournament and were like, ‘This is a new season. None of the old season matters at all. This is our home court, so let’s freaking do this.’ And we did. God, I love this team.”

WSU will learn its postseason fate during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Sunday, Dec. 1 with regional play slated to begin on Thursday, Dec. 5.

As always, Lamb had already done the math and had his projections ready to go following Sunday’s match.

“My mind says KU, Creighton and Nebraska all ought to be hosting,” Lamb said. “I can’t imagine why (the selection committee) would put us on a plan when they can put us on a bus, so our fans will get to see us again.”

While it was Stout who supplied the team with a consistent fire, it was junior outside hitter Brooklyn Leggett who brought the title home in the third set. Leggett finished with a match-high 13 kills and seven kills in the third game, including the final two to secure WSU’s postseason fate.

“It was pretty special. I’ve had a pretty hard year, so having great teammates and knowing that they have my back is so important,” Leggett said. “Getting that last kill was so freaking special. It takes a whole team, though. There’s so many points leading up to that. The last kill is the last kill, but everybody else did so many things to help us get to that point.”

After Leggett put down her first ball in the third game, Lamb said it became obvious to WSU setter Izzi Strand where to go with the ball for the rest of the match.

The coach said it was “unbelievable” to see Leggett deliver such a high on Sunday after so many trying times throughout this season. Strand echoed that sentiment following the match.

“I know this means so much to her and I honestly want to dedicate that match to Brooklyn,” said Strand, who was named to the all-tournament team. “She’s such a big part of our offense and a big part of our team.

“She’s not just a teammate, she’s a friend. So we knew we had to have her back and we were right there for her all along. I’m so proud of her and I knew she would get through that rough patch and play like she is right now.”

WSU had momentum on its side from the very start, as the team won six of the first seven points in the first set. FAU clawed back to within two points multiple times late in the set, but WSU setter Izzi Strand (four kills in the first set) was deadly on second balls and Alyssa Gonzales secured a 25-22 victory with a kill down the line.

Florida Atlantic was in control for the majority of the second set, but WSU rallied at the end to pull away. The Shockers used a key 4-0 run, capped by a kill from Brooklyn Leggett, to open up a 20-17 lead, then when FAU trimmed the deficit to 20-19, the Shockers scored the final five points of the set for a 25-19 victory after back-to-back kills from Stout and Strand and an attack error by the Owls.

Watching WSU handle adversity so well and bounce back with its best play made Lamb introspective after the match.

“I’m thinking about spring, I’m thinking about Brazil, I’m thinking about August and I’m thinking about a lot of things that didn’t go our way along the way,” Lamb said. “I was worried all spring the Shockers couldn’t score enough points to keep up with the top of the league, but anything can happen on any given day.”

WSU continued to roll in the third set, as FAU was forced to call timeout after falling in a 6-2 hole in the third set following back-to-back blocks by Stout and Sarah Barham. The Owls briefly rallied for a 9-8 lead, but it was all Shockers after that. Leggett took over and WSU cruised to the sweep.

Dating back to last season’s undefeated run to the NIVC championship, WSU has won eight straight postseason matches with seven of those being sweeps.

“I think it’s the single elimination thing,” Leggett said. “I don’t want this to be my last time playing with Stout and Izzi. So I’m going to do whatever I can to keep this season going.”