Wichita State volleyball teammates headline 2023 class for Shocker Sports Hall of Fame

Emily Hiebert and Abbie (Lehman) Chaffin have shared so many memories together on the volleyball court, dating back to their days together at Newton High School.

It’s only fitting that the duo who would help take the Wichita State volleyball team to new heights during their careers spanning 2013-17 would officially be inducted into the Shocker Sports Hall of Fame together.

Wichita State’s class of 2023 inductees were announced on Thursday, as Hiebert and Chaffin were joined by Victor Everett (track and field), Casey Gillaspie (baseball) and Nikki Larch-Miller (track and field).

A dinner to celebrate the inductees is set for 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 13 at the Beggs Ballroom on WSU’s campus, while the induction ceremony will take place at halftime of the Wichita State men’s basketball game against Tulsa on Jan. 14. Reservations for the dinner can be purchased at GoShockers.com or by calling the ticket office at 316-978-FANS.

“It’s so awesome to be able to go in with Abbie,” Hiebert said. “We have gone through so much together, playing all of our sports together in high school and then Wichita State. We just have a really special bond and it’s going to be so awesome to be able to share this experience with her.”

Hiebert has a strong claim as the best setter to ever come through Wichita State, as she remains the program’s all-time leader in assists (4,988) and assists per set (10.68). Among her top individual achievements, she was named the Setter of the Year in the American Athletic Conference in 2017 and the Missouri Valley Conference in 2016.

Chaffin is considered one of the best developmental stories of the Chris Lamb era, as she went from a lightly-recruited player out of high school to a four-time honorable mention All-American middle blocker for the Shockers. She was named the AAC Player of the Year in 2017, is the program’s all-time leader in blocks (531) and ranks second in hitting percentage (.411) and third in kills (1,378).

“I wouldn’t have even been at Wichita State if it wasn’t for Emily,” Chaffin said. “(WSU coach Chris Lamb) only recruited me because he was there to watch Emily play. So there was no other way I would have been seen if it wasn’t for her.”

The Hiebert-to-Chaffin combination was just about unstoppable for the Shockers during their senior season in 2017. They finished a perfect 20-0 in their first season in the American and earned a bid to host the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament at Koch Arena for the first time in program history.

“It’s hard to explain the kind of connection that we shared,” Hiebert said. “It was one of those things where I always knew where she was going to be and she always knew where I was going to be without even having to say it.”

“You couldn’t have asked for a more perfect senior year,” Chaffin said. “That is probably the number one thing that I think of when I look back. All of our teammates just meshed so well together and that season was just a lot of fun.”

Since graduating from WSU, the pair have become successful volleyball coaches.

Hiebert has led Wichita Northwest to two straight City League championships and Kansas high school state tournaments as a head coach, while Chaffin has joined Adriana Leake’s staff at Bethel College, where they are currently enjoying their first 20-win season since 2010.

Here’s a look at the other three Hall of Fame inductees:

Victor Everett

A standout sprinter on the Wichita State men’s track and field team from 1975-78, Everett was a three-time Missouri Valley Conference outdoor champion in the 400-meter dash (1976, 1977, 1978) and set the meet record with his time of 46.5 seconds, while also adding a MVC indoor title in the event in 1978. His times made him a 1976 Olympic Trials qualifier in the 400 and a two-time national qualifier in both indoor and outdoor track.

Casey Gillaspie

A star first baseman on the Wichita State baseball team from 2012-14, Gillespie was the program’s fifth consensus first-team All-American in program history with his 2014 season, which also earned him the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year award. He had a team-best .389 batting average with 50 runs, 15 doubles, 15 home runs, 50 RBI, 58 walks and eight stolen bases while also earning all-defense honors in his 2014 season.

Nikki Larch-Miller

A multi-event athlete on the Wichita State women’s track and field team from 2013-17, Larch-Miller’s crowning achievement was earning first-team All-American honors in the outdoor heptathlon in 2015, as well as earning second-team All-American status in the outdoor 400-meter relay in 2015 and in the indoor pentathlon in 2017. She won six Missouri Valley Conference championships during her career, earned all-conference honors 21 times and was named the MVC Women’s Most Valuable Athlete four times and the MVC Women’s Most Outstanding Track Athlete two times.