NEW ORLEANS — Wichita State fell in five sets for the second time in three days, as Tulane claimed a 25-17, 19-25, 23-25, 25-21, 15-4 on Sunday afternoon at Avron B. Fogelman Arena.
Wichita State (10-9, 5-4) led two-sets-to-one after a stunning rally in the third set. The Shockers trailed 21-13 before ripping off 10 of the next 11 points to take a 23-22 lead. Tulane (7-14, 2-8) evened things up on the subsequent point, but a service error and attack error gave Wichita State the set at 25-23.
The Shockers held a slim 14-13 advantage midway through the fourth, and were as close as 21-20 following a Morgan Stout kill. Tulane strung together three straight points out of the ensuing timeout and put the set away on a kill from Amarachi Osuji to force a fifth stanza.
The fifth set was all Green Wave, as Tulane scored six of the first seven points and never let the Shockers any closer than six the rest of the way.
Brylee Kelly led the Shockers with 17 kills and a career-high 18 digs, while Natalie Foster hit .424 with 16 kills and six blocks. Kayce Litzau had 44 assists and 15 digs. Sophia Rohling had eight kills in her return to the lineup, while Lara Uyar notched ten digs in her first start at libero.
Mackenzie Martin had 23 kills to pace Tulane, while Osuji added 19. The Green Wave hit .315 for the match, while Wichita State hit .239.
The Shockers return to action on Friday night against South Florida. First serve from Charles Koch Arena is scheduled for 7:00 pm.