WICHITA, Kan. -- South Florida got a combined 39 kills from Naiya Sawtelle and Maria Clara Andrade to battle past Wichita State, 25-13, 22-25, 25-18, 27-25 on Friday night at Charles Koch Arena.

The Bulls (9-7, 5-0) stayed tied atop the conference leaderboard, hitting .268 on the evening compared to .167 for Wichita State (8-9, 3-2). 

South Florida stormed out of the gates in the opening set, quickly building a 13-4 lead while holding the Shockers to a -.073 hitting percentage for the frame. Andrade racked up 10 digs in the first set alone and Sawtelle provided the offense with five terminations, helping the Bulls stretch the advantage to 20-10 and eventually clinch the frame via an Ally Cavanaugh kill.

The Shockers battled back to take set two with some stingy defense, racking up four blocks and forcing the Bulls into eight total attack errors. Despite the miscues, South Florida still held a 19-17 lead before WSU ripped off four of the next five points to take a 22-20 edge. A block from Maddie Wilson and Alyssa Gonzales got the Shockers to 23, then USF a service error one point later set the stage for another rejection, this time a set-winner from Izzi Strand and Sarah Barham.

South Florida found their footing again offensively in the third, leading for the entirety of the set as Andrade notched six kills and Sawtelle five.

Wichita State very nearly pulled off a stunning rally in the fourth set. The Shockers faced a 23-19 deficit but scored the next three points, getting kills from Strand and Gonzales around a Brooklyn Leggett solo block. The Bulls had match point at 24-22, but Andrade was blocked on the next two swings to level the score at 24-all. Jalynn Brown misfired on an attack that gave WSU a set point chance at 25-24, but South Florida scored the next three to secure the win. Lia Schneider wrapped up the victory with a service ace.

Gonzales led Wichita State with 13 kills, hitting .297, while Emerson Wilford poured in 12 kills on 42 swings. Reagan Anderson set a new career high with 15 digs plus two service aces, while Strand handed out 33 assists.

The Shockers wrap up the homestand on Sunday afternoon against Florida Atlantic. First serve is scheduled for 1:00 pm.