HOUSTON, Texas -- Wichita State could not hold off a late Houston charge, falling in five sets against the #24-ranked Cougars 20-25, 27-25, 25-22, 18-25, 11-15 on Friday night at the Fertitta Center.
Wichita State (10-8, 5-3) rallied to within 12-11 late in the fifth set, but back-to-back video reviews on Houston attack errors gave two crucial points to the Cougars, who clinched the match on the subsequent point via a kill.
The ending spoiled a brilliant effort from the Shockers, who held a two-sets-to-one lead in search of their first ranked win since the 2017 season. Natalie Foster (16), Brylee Kelly (14) and Emerson Wilford(12) all reached double-digit kills as the Shockers hit .227 against one of the league's best defensive units. The Cougars (18-2, 9-0) fended off a late WSU charge in the first set, scoring four straight points after Wichita State had fought to within 21-20. In the second, however, the Shockers completed the comeback after trailing 18-12. A run of five consecutive points brought the Shockers back to 18-17, then a stretch of three straight gave WSU their first lead at 22-21. Houston fought off a pair of set points, but WSU finally put the set away on a kill from Morgan Weber and an Abbie Jackson attack error.
The third set was tightly contested in the early stages, tied 15-all at the media timeout. Wichita State scored five of the next six to break the deadlock and seize control, featuring back-to-back service aces from Annalie Heliste that made it 20-16 Shockers. The two teams traded the next eight points to bring the Shockers to set point at 24-20, but Houston scored two quick points to trim the lead to 24-22 and force a Wichita State timeout. Out of the break, Foster put down another kill to give WSU the 2-1 lead.
The Shockers surged to a quick 6-2 lead in the fourth stanza, but Houston quickly equalized and later took their first lead at 13-12 on two service aces from Abbie Jackson. The Cougars scored eight of the next ten points to put the set out of reach, eventually evening the match on a kill from Jackson that set the stage for the decisive fifth frame.
Jackson and Isabel Theut each had 19 kills to pace the Houston attack, while Kate Georgiades had a match-high 28 digs. Lily Liekweg led the Shockers with 18 digs, followed by 15 from Kayce Litzau and 14 from Weber.
The Shockers return to action on Sunday at Tulane. First serve from New Orleans is scheduled for 1:00 PM.