WICHITA, Kan. -- Morgan Weber matched a career high with 14 kills on just 21 attempts, and Wichita State completed their second consecutive conference sweep with a 30-28, 25-15, 25-22 win over East Carolina on Sunday afternoon at Charles Koch Arena.
Weber got started early, pouring home a team-high five kills in the first set as Wichita State (7-6, 2-0) cruised out a seemingly comfortable 21-17 lead. But the Pirates battled back, denying set point on a kill by Brittany Wood that evened the score at 24-24. Three points later, East Carolina (5-9, 0-2) had set point of their own at 26-25, but
Morgan Stout and
Kayce Litzau teamed up for a block to keep the Shockers alive. The two teams traded points to reach 28-all, before
Brylee Kelly sliced home a kill and Angeles Alderete followed by banging a ball off the antenna to give Wichita State the opening set.
After Alderete fired home 10 kills in the first frame, the Shockers defense stymied the talented freshman in the second, forcing her into six attack errors and a -.312 attack percentage. Meanwhile, Wichita State used a balanced offensive attack that featured four different players with three kills or more in the set. A massive 10-0 run took an 11-10 WSU lead and turned it 21-10, and a handful of points later
Morgan Stout put the finishing touches on the set with a kill for a 2-0 lead.
It was a back-and-forth third set, as East Carolina took a 15-14 lead into the media timeout on a kill from Carlia Northcross. Out of the break, Wichita State unleashed a decisive 4-0 spurt that provided an 18-15 advantage they would not relinquish. The Pirates pulled within 24-22 down the stretch, but a perfectly executed quick set in the middle to
Natalie Foster set the stage for a match-winning kill.
In addition to Weber's big afternoon, setter
Kayce Litzau put together a strong day with 37 assists, her most in a three-set match this season. The Shockers hit .310 as a team, getting 10 kills from Kelly and Foster, plus eight from
Sophia Rohling.
Lily Liekweg piled up several highlight-reel ups on her way to a match-high 14 digs.
The Shockers head to Florida to continue American Athletic Conference play next week, taking on preseason AAC favorite UCF on Friday night. First serve from Orlando is scheduled for 6:00 pm CT.