TAMPA, Fla. – Wichita State extended their winning streak to eight matches with a comprehensive three-set win over South Florida, 25-18, 25-15, 25-21 on Friday night at The Corral in Tampa.
 
The victory matches the eight straight wins that Wichita State recorded to begin last season. It's the longest stretch of conference wins since the 2017 campaign for WSU. The Shockers improved to 7-0 all-time against South Florida.
 
WSU (14-6, 8-3) set a new season high with 13 aces, breaking their previous high of ten against Kent St. on September 10. Lily Liekweg established a new career and individual season high with five aces, while Kailin Newsome added four of her own. Three different times during the match, WSU fired back-to-back aces.
 
The Shockers turned a tight first set into a rout thanks to a lightning-quick run in the middle stages. With the score tied 10-10, the Shockers rattled off six of the next seven points, then a few moments later strung together four consecutive points to take control at 22-14. The Bulls (6-16, 0-11) tried to claw back into the set late, but a service error from CC Clausen gave the Shockers the set.
 
Set two proved a thorough performance from the Shockers in all facets, as WSU hit a blistering .429 to side out at 66%, both their best of the match. Brylee Kelly hammered home five kills on seven swings, Newsome added four, and the Shockers tallied three solo blocks to sprint to an early lead that ballooned out to ten at the set's conclusion.
 
It seemed WSU would cruise to the sweep in the third set, taking a comfortable 20-12 lead thanks in large part to six aces from Liekweg and Newsome. But the Bulls made things interesting by scoring the next four points and eventually slicing the lead to 23-21 after an ace from Tizi Puljiz. But Kelly answered with a kill and a Puljiz attack error got the Shockers across the finish line.
 
Kelly finished with a team-high ten kills, hitting .381, while Kayce Litzau handed out 28 assists and Liekweg scratched out 11 digs.
 
Wichita State wraps up the road swing with a crucial match against UCF on Sunday afternoon. First serve is scheduled for 12:00 PM and can be streamed live on ESPN+.