WICHITA, Kan. — Wichita State shook off a sluggish start to roar past Florida Atlantic for a thrilling 19-25, 20-25, 25-14, 25-23, 16-14 win on Sunday afternoon at Charles Koch Arena.
The fifth set was a microcosm of the afternoon, as neither side led by more than two points. The Shockers had a match point at 14-13, but Florida Atlantic’s Valeria Rosado kept the Owls alive with a kill. On the ensuing point, Emerson Wilford sent over a free ball that landed perfectly on the back line for a 15-14 lead and another crack at match point. What followed was a frantic, near minute-long rally that included several diving digs and saves before eventually Morgan Stout tucked a cross-court swing in the back corner on the slide to deliver the win to Wichita State.
The Shockers (9-9, 4-2) had 14 kills in the fifth set, hitting .353 and siding out at 85%.
After two error-riddled frames to open the afternoon, including a first set in which the Shockers committed 10 attack errors, WSU found a different gear offensively in the third set. True freshman Nadia Wasilewski, who had played in just one previous set all season, came off the bench to fire four kills on seven errorless swings and Alyssa Gonzales ripped seven terminations on nine attempts. Katie Galligan tacked on a pair of service aces as Wichita State carved out a comfortable 17-4 lead and cruised to the 25-14 win to stay alive.
The Shockers found themselves facing an 18-13 deficit late in the fourth frame but used a 7-2 run to pull even. A crucial service run from Wilford helped make up the ground, including an ace that tied the score at 20-20. Florida Atlantic (10-8, 2-4) inched ahead 23-21, but committed two costly attack errors to help WSU take their first lead at 24-23. Maddie Wilson delivered the winner, slamming a ball off the middle block and out to send the match to the fifth.
Gonzales starred offensively for Wichita State, logging a career-high 19 kills while hitting .341. She poured in 16 of her 19 terminations over the final three sets.
Not to be outdone, Stout had six kills in the fourth set and four in the fifth, all without committing an error on 21 attempts. The redshirt senior finished with 15 kills, while Wilson joined the two in double-figures with 11 of her own and a team-high seven blocks.
Rosado and Katelynn Robine each had 18 kills to lead Florida Atlantic.
Izzi Strand recorded a match-high 55 assists to go along with 16 digs and Annalie Heliste had a match-high 20 digs.
The Shockers are back in action on the road at Charlotte on Friday, October 18. First serve is scheduled for 5:00 pm CT.
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