Wichita State Athletics

TULSA, Okla. – Wichita State volleyball battled back to force a fifth set but came up short in a 3-2 (17-25, 27-25, 15-25, 25-22, 14-16) loss to Tulsa Sunday afternoon at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
 
Wichita State (4-14, 1-5 American) showed its resilience throughout the five-set contest, rallying to even the match at two sets apiece after falling behind 2-1. The Shockers claimed a hard-fought second set, 27-25, before taking the fourth set, 25-22, to force a decisive fifth.
 
Janaya Weitkemper led the Shockers with a career-high 18 kills, adding eight digs and three blocks. Maddie Wilson turned in an efficient offensive performance, recording a career-high tying 17 kills on a .441 hitting percentage while contributing six block assists.
 
McKenzie Jones added 12 kills and five block assists, while Olivia Cohee finished with nine kills and 12 digs. Setter Jordan Heatherly dished out 32 assists, and libero Gabi Maas paced the defensive effort with 25 digs.
 
The Shockers found their footing in the second set after dropping the opener. Wichita State built an early lead and weathered a late Tulsa push before closing out the set, 27-25, to even the match. The Golden Hurricane responded by taking the third set, but the Shockers answered with a strong fourth-set finish.
 
Trailing late in the fourth, Wichita State mounted a rally to turn a 20-16 deficit into a 24-22 advantage. Jones delivered consecutive kills to put the Shockers on the verge of the set, and a block from Jones and Wilson sealed the 25-22 victory.
 
In the deciding set, Wichita State continued to battle in a tightly contested frame that saw nine ties and three lead changes. The Shockers came within two points of securing the win, taking a 13-12 advantage, but kills from Olivia Vance and a Golden Hurricane block gave Tulsa a 16-14 set five win to seal the match.
 
Tulsa (14-3, 6-0 American) remains undefeated in American Conference play. The Golden Hurricane was led by Vance, who recorded 15 kills and 14 digs.
 
Wichita State returns home to face UTSA on Friday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. for the Dig Pink match on Alumni Night in Charles Koch Arena.