Wichita State Athletics

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Wichita State volleyball battled back from a 2-1 deficit to force a fifth set but came up short in a 3-2 loss to East Carolina Friday night at Minges Coliseum.
 
The Shockers are just the second team in the American Conference to take the Pirates to five sets, battling back and forth to the end in the 26, 25-20, 25-22, 25-27, 15-13 loss
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Wichita State opened the match with a hard-fought first-set victory, overcoming a late East Carolina push to take the frame, 26-24. Wichita State used a pair of service aces from libero Gabi Maas during the closing stretch to secure the win.
 
East Carolina responded by taking the second and third sets to move ahead 2-1, but Wichita State refused to go quietly. The Shockers built an early advantage in the fourth set and held on through a back-and-forth finish to force a deciding fifth set with a 27-25 win.
 
In the fifth, the teams traded points before a few untimely Shocker hitting errors allowed East Carolina to pull ahead late and close out the match, 15-13.
 
McKenzie Jones led Wichita State with 17 kills, while Janaya Weitkemper and Maddie Wilson added 15.5 points apiece. Wilson finished with 13 kills on a .440 hitting percentage and contributed four total blocks.
 
Preseason all-conference setter Jordan Heatherly dished out 31 assists, while Olivia Cohee added 11 kills and 13 digs for a double-double. Maas paced the defensive effort with a season-high tying 25 digs, and Addie Oeth contributed 23 assists.
 
Wichita State finished with a season-high 68 kills, hitting .225 as a team, and recorded 82 digs.
 
East Carolina was led by Ellie Pate, who tallied a match-high 26 kills and 30.5 points. The Pirates hit .282 as a team and finished with 14 total blocks.
 
Both teams struggled behind the service line, committing 15 service errors apiece.
 
The loss drops Wichita State to 5-16 overall and 2-7 in American Conference play, while East Carolina improves to 15-6 overall and 8-1 in league action.