WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State grabbed a two-sets-to-one lead against preseason American favorite UCF, but the Knights rallied for a five-set win, 25-20, 21-25, 21-25, 25-12, 15-12 on Friday night at Charles Koch Arena.
 
It was already the fourth five-set match of the season for Wichita State (6-6, 0-3), which grabbed an early 7-6 lead in the fifth set before UCF (10-5, 3-0) rattled off back-to-back points to take a lead they would not relinquish. The Shockers got within one three times down the stretch, but Heidi Bonde's kill brought an end to the match.
 
Reigning conference player of the year McKenna Melville dominated the first set for UCF, racking up nine kills on 18 swings to help the Knights to a 25-20 win. Wichita State responded with a pair of emphatic victories in sets two and three, highlighted by impressive performances from Brylee Kelly and Morgan Weber, who was playing in her first game since August 28. Kelly finished with a season-best 18 kills while still hitting .359, and Weber contributed 14 kills and nine digs, adding a pair of service aces to her ledger.
 
Kayce Litzau handed out 51 assists and contributed 14 digs, while libero Lily Liekweg led the team with 23 digs of her own.
 
UCF responded to the 2-1 deficit with a comfortable set four win, taking 11 of 14 points in the middle stages to turn an 8-6 lead into 19-9 advantage. The Knights hit .375 in the fourth to force the fifth and deciding set.
 
Melville finished with 23 kills to pace all scorers, while Anne-Marie Watson provided 17 kills on a .389 hitting percentage. Four different Knights recorded double-digit digs on the night.
 
Wichita State is back in action on Sunday afternoon against South Florida. First serve from Charles Koch Arena is scheduled for 1:00 PM.