TULSA, Okla. -- Wichita State got multiple blocks from seven different players and another dominant offensive effort from Natalie Foster to defeat Tulsa 25-19, 21-25, 25-21, 25-17 on Wednesday evening at Reynolds Center.
It's the seventh consecutive win in the series for the Shockers against Tulsa.
The Shockers (15-12, 10-6) ended the night with 14.0 blocks, led by six apiece from Foster and Morgan Stout. On the offensive side of the ball, Foster poured in 16 kills with just one attack error on 28 swings, good for a .536 hitting percentage. Morgan Weber parlayed an excellent first set into a double-double, firing home 12 kills to go along with 13 digs. Lara Uyar and Katie Galligan each established new career highs for digs with 20 and 11, respectively.
Weber keyed the WSU attack in the opening stanza, notching six kills without an error plus two blocks. Foster added five, as the Shockers hit .293 in the set. Wichita State led just 14-13 midway through the opening stanza, but seized control by scoring four of the next five points. Tulsa (12-16, 5-11) pulled to within two after a service ace from Arianna Mongare made it 21-19, but the Shockers scored the final four points of the set on kills from Brylee Kelly, Weber, Stout and a Stout block.
Wichita State led 10-5 in the early stages of the second set, but the Golden Hurricane fired off a 7-0 run with Ryann Thomas at the serving line to move in front, 12-10. The Shockers would not lead again, briefly cutting the lead back to two at 22-20 following a Tulsa attack error, but the Golden Hurricane evened the match by scoring three of the next four points.
In the pivotal third set, the Shockers and Golden Hurricane traded blows to reach 18-18. WSU seized the initiative, scoring thrice via kills from Weber, Sophie Childs and Foster, then Weber provided a clutch service ace to bring Wichita State to set point. Kelly put the finishing touches on the set by hammering a ball home off the block, providing the Shockers with a key 2-1 advantage.
The defining stretch of the fourth set came early, as the Shockers strung together three quick points to take a 12-9 lead that forced a Tulsa timeout. The Golden Hurricane would get no closer than three the rest of the way, and WSU used a balanced offensive onslaught that included six players with multiple kills to preserve the lead. It was Childs who delivered the final blow, slamming her fourth kill of the match to secure the win for Wichita State.
Kayce Litzau authored a superb performance at setter, compiling 49 assists and 11 digs. The Shockers hit .255 for the match, compared to Tulsa's .172.
The Shockers return home on Sunday for their final regular season match at Charles Koch Arena this season. First serve against Cincinnati is scheduled for 1:00 pm.