HOUSTON — Wichita State dropped their second heartbreaking five-setter of the season to Rice on Friday night, falling 25-20, 22-25, 22-25, 25-22, 14-16 at Tudor Fieldhouse.
The Shockers (14-11, 9-4) had a chance to steal the match late, leading 13-12 deep in the fifth set. Rice setter Savannah Skopal came up with consecutive kills to flip the margin; an Alyssa Gonzales termination briefly kept the Shockers alive at 14-all, but two more putaways from Katrina Jensen and Loola Ford secured the win for the Owls (16-6, 11-2).
It was a match in which neither team could seize a strangehold, featuring 38 ties and 14 lead changes. Wichita State put together perhaps their most comprehensive frame of the night in set one, hitting .275 and getting five kills from Brooklyn Leggett to build a five-point lead the Owls could not overcome. The Shockers took a 15-10 lead following three straight Rice attack errors and managed to hold it, despite the Owls cutting the deficit to 17-16 late in the set. Three Rice service errors got WSU to set point and a service ace from Izzi Strand capped off the 25-20 victory.
WSU held a 19-18 edge in set two, but out of a Rice timeout the Owls rattled off three straight points to take control. Two Morgan Stout kills kept Wichita State within striking distance, but a Rice block from Skopal and Kaitlyn Knobbe evened the match with a 25-22 decision.
The Shockers again squandered a late lead in set three. Izzi Strand’s kill gave Wichita State a 20-18 advantage, but Rice scored seven of the next nine points to claim another 25-22 win.
Wichita State stayed alive by claiming set four, albeit in somewhat uncomfortable fashion after claiming a decisive lead midway through the stanza. A Samarah Hill attack error put WSU in front 18-12, a six-point margin that was prompty erased when Rice strung together a 6-0 run. A crucial service ace from Grace Hett and two big blocks from Sarah Barham helped the Shockers inch back in front before Brooklyn Leggett sent the match to a fifth with a kill.
Hill led all scorers with 29 kills for Rice, while Stout paced the Shockers with 20 terminations. Gonzales had 14 and Leggett 11 via 50 assists from Izzi Strand. Katie Galligan led the Shockers defensively with 20 digs.
Wichita State is back in action on Sunday at Tulane. First serve from New Orleans is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
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