WICHITA, Kansas — Even if you respect your mentor as much as Idaho State volleyball coach Sean Carter does his, there is no greater feeling than getting a win against him.

Carter and his wife, Chelsa, one of his assistant coaches, came to Idaho State four years ago after long stints under Chris Lamb, Wichita State's winningest coach. Sean worked under Lamb for eight seasons, Chelsea for five.

On Saturday evening, it looked like Lamb was still administering some tough lessons to the Carters, as his Shockers shut down the Bengals, 25-9, in the first set of a match in the Shocker Volleyball Classic.

But the Carters weren't going to let their team just fold. They knew the Bengals were better than what they showed in that opening set, and they let their team know it, too.

"The best part was seeing our team respond after getting absolutely man-handled in the first set," said Sean Carter. "We challenged them big time and they responded."

Idaho State bounced back to win the next three sets, and the match, 9-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-20. The win gave ISU a 2-1 record in the tournament, matching the host Shockers and Missouri State.

ISU beat Stephen F. Austin in the opener on Friday, 20-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-18. Then the Bengals fell to Missouri State in straight sets Friday afternoon, 18-25, 20-25, 25-27.

"It was an ugly game for us on the stat sheet, but we did a great job blocking and defending," said Carter of the win over the Shockers. "We had some of the most confident and powerful out-of-system swings I have seen from this group."

While he thoroughly enjoyed the win in his old stomping grounds, Carter offered nothing but respect for Lamb, who has taken Wichita State to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances in his previous 26 seasons as their head coach.

"Wichita and coach Lamb made Chelsea and I into the coaches we are now," said Carter. "We owe so much to them, so it was a pretty powerful moment for Chelsea and I seeing the program beat another program with the pedigree of Wichita State. From where we started (at Idaho State) to where we are now is something we are proud of and we believe we are only just starting our ascent."

Mia Walsh, a freshman outside hitter from Rexburg, led the Bengal effort, recording a double-double with a team-high in both kills (10) and digs (15). Sophomore setter Nora Waddoups, also a Rexburg native, finished with a .333 hitting percentage and had 14 digs. Senior middle blocker Jaydin Watts from Lancaster, California, finished with eight kills and a .350 hitting percentage.

The win over Wichita State came after a disappointing straight-set loss to Missouri State on Friday afternoon, just a few hours after the morning victory over Stephen F. Austin.

"Unfortunately, the quick turnaround probably got to us," Carter said. "We just couldn't help ourselves with errors, but Missouri State could be top three in Conference USA and it was great to see a team with their physicality."

In the opening win over the Lady Jacks, junior Tana Howard, an Arizona native, led the Bengals with 15 kills and a .471 hitting percentage. Walsh, the true freshman, began her ISU career with a bang, recording a 14-kill, 11-dig double-double. Waddoups also added a double-double with 42 assists and 22 digs. Watts had six kills and seven blocks, and true freshman Aspen Boice, the third member of the Madison High School mafia from Rexburg, had a team-high 24 digs and eight assists.

"It took us longer than we would have liked to settle into set one," Carter said of the win over Stephen F. Austin. "Then we got the offense going and never looked back."

"So, all in all, disappointed with how we played in the second match, but very happy to get our first win out of the way," was how Carter summarized the first day of the tournament.

The Bengals return to action at the Boise State Classic Thursday through Saturday. ISU opens with UNLV at 3 p.m. Thursday, followed by North Dakota State at 3 p.m. on Friday, and then the host Broncos at 2 p.m. on Saturday.