Wichita, Kan.— Wichita State erased a two-set deficit to win their 17th consecutive home match against Tulsa, reverse sweeping the Golden Hurricane 20-25, 22-25, 25-15, 25-18, 15-12 on Wednesday night at Charles Koch Arena.
Things looked bleak for the Shockers (9-8, 4-2) after the opening two frames, as Tulsa (9-9, 2-4) hit .333 and .347 respectively to grab a 2-0 lead. Star outside hitter Kayley Cassaday did most of the damage, piling up 13 total kills in the first two sets, including a pair late in the second stanza to blunt a late WSU rally when the Shockers pulled within 22-20. Tulsa trailed just once in the first two sets, a 1-0 deficit to start the second after a service error.
The script flipped in the third, as Wichita State uncorked a 6-0 run to turn a 7-7 tie into a 13-7 lead. Kayce Litzau sparked the rally at the service line, and also delivered one of four kills from four different players to give the Shockers the initiative. The Golden Hurricane never got closer than five the rest of the way, committing five service errors to help Wichita State to a comfortable 25-15 win.
The Shockers again pulled away in the middle stages of the fourth set, this time with a 5-0 flurry to erase a 10-9 deficit. Natalie Foster was virtually unstoppable in the set, piling up six kills on nine swings without an attack error, part of her match-high and career-high 21 kills. Another 5-0 spurt ballooned the WSU lead to 19-11, forcing two Tulsa timeouts in quick succession. The Golden Hurricane battled back to within 21-18 later in the set, but kills from Brylee Kelly and Morgan Weber capped one more 4-0 run that gave the Shockers a 25-18 set win.
The fifth was a tight affair throughout, deadlocked at 11-11 following the 20th kill of the night from Cassaday. Foster gave the Shockers the lead at 13-11 with two putdowns of her own, then combined with Litzau for a huge block on Cassaday that brought WSU to match point. The Shockers appeared to win when Litzau slammed home an overpass on the ensuing point, but a net violation upon review kept the match alive for Tulsa. Now leading 14-12, the Shockers put the match away when Kelly sliced a kill down the line for the winner, a play that Tulsa unsuccessfully challenged. It was Kelly's 18th kill of the night and Litzau's 55th assist, a new season high for the Wichita State setter.
Libero Lily Liekweg delivered a career-best 33 digs of her own, spearheading a WSU defensive unit that held Tulsa to .139, .122 and .105 hitting percentages over the final three sets. The Shockers committed just five service errors to Tulsa's 16, and hit .256 on the evening.
Wichita State ends the extended homestand at 4-2, and now takes to the road for three straight matches beginning Friday night at Cincinnati. First serve is scheduled for 5:00 pm CT.