Box Score

WICHITA, Kan.- The Wichita State volleyball team (22-5, 12-2) needed five games but pulled away from Evansville (11-15, 5-10) in the final frame to score a 3-2 victory over the Purple Aces inside Charles Koch Arena Saturday night.

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Sara Lungren led all players with 24 kills, which tied a career-high, posting a 20-20 double-double after adding 24 digs. She also tied her career-high with seven block assists. Setter Abby Harsh recorded a game-high 54 assists and added a career-high 24 digs, while Lindsey Eckenrode and Stephanie Tokarz each added double-digit kill efforts.

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Megan Spurlock led the Purple Aces with 20 kills, while Elaine Walroth posted a team-high 27 assists. Julie Walroth led UE with 29 digs.

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Evansville raced out to a 6-2 lead in game one following a Spurlock kill and a Shocker blocking error. The Shockers fought back and tied the game at 11-11, following a UE attack error. The teams then traded points until the Shockers used a 7-1 run to break out to a 23-17 lead following a UE attack error. The Purple Aces would close to as few as two, 26-24, after a Spurlock kill, but two Spurlock errors down the stretch guided the Shockers to the 30-25 win.

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The Shockers opened game two on a hot streak, breaking out to an early 4-0 lead, and extended it to a 7-2 advantage following an UE error. The Shockers then used a kill by Amanda Moore to take a 17-9 lead before Evansville began chipping away at the advantage. The Aces used a 10-4 run, helped by three Shocker errors, to tie the game at 24-24, and opened up a 27-24 lead following a Spurlock service ace. WSU quickly answered to tie the game at 28-28 after a Lungren kill, but an attack error gave UE their first game point at 30-29. An Abby Harsh kill tied the game at 30-30, before a Spurlock kill and a Shocker error gave the Purple Aces the game two win, 32-30.

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WSU again used an early lead to build momentum in game three, after a Harsh kill gave the Shockers a quick 3-0 advantage. The teams traded points for much of the remainder of the game until a Shocker service error allowed Evansville to tie the game at 22-22. UE then used a quick 4-0 run to build a 26-22 lead and never looked back, taking game three by a final score of 30-25.

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With their backs against the wall in game four, the Shockers answered with a strong performance, hitting .263 en route to the 30-16 win, forcing a fifth game. WSU limited UE to just a -.106 hitting percentage in game four.

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The Shockers trailed 3-1 in game five before using an impressive 6-0 run to build a 7-3 advantage. Evansville closed the lead to 8-7 following a Shocker error, but WSU finished the game and the match with a 7-0 run, scoring the final seven points of the match. A Lungren kill clinched the win for the Shockers.

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The Shockers next play on Fri., Nov. 10 at Drake and then travel to Creighton on Nov. 12.

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-Wichita State-

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