WICHITA, Kan. — Wichita State held Temple to a hitting percentage of .000, sweeping the Owls 25-13, 25-21, 25-15 on Friday night at Charles Koch Arena in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
The Shockers (6-6) shut down one of the conference’s most powerful hitters in Temple’s Taylor Davenport, who entered the match averaging more than four points per set. The Shockers forced her into 13 errors on 36 swings, managing just seven kills for a -.167 attack percentage. With Davenport limited, Wichita State went showcased their arsenal of offensive weapons, hitting .307 and getting three or more kills from six different players.
The first set was all Shockers, as a blistering 9-0 run keyed by Brylee Kelly at the service line turned a 9-8 lead into an overwhelming 18-8 advantage. Natalie Foster and Sophia Rohling each had a trio of kills in the flurry, and the Shockers also got four blocks in the frame to enhance the margin. After the Owls (6-6) fought off a pair of set points, a service error from Magdalena Rogalska clinched the opening set at 25-13 for WSU.
In the second, it was Temple that established an early offensive rhythm, building a 12-6 lead on the strength of three kills from Jelena Prolic. But the Shockers slowly whittled away at the deficit, then erased it completely with a massive 10-1 run. Trailing 19-14, WSU picked up two kills apiece from Kayce Litzau and Morgan Stout, combined with three straight attack errors from Davenport, the last of which was upheld after a Temple challenge. A WSU service error made it 24-21, but the Shockers clinched the set on the succeeding point thanks to incredible individual efforts from Annalie Heliste and Brylee Kelly, the former of which kept the play alive twice with diving ups, and the latter of which ended the set with an emphatic solo block.
Wichita State controlled the third set from start to finish, never trailing after taking an early 3-2 lead. A 7-2 run in the middle stages gave the Shockers all the cushion they would need, ballooning the margin to 17-8 and prompting a pair of Temple timeouts. The lead grew to ten at 19-9, and WSU cruised to the finish thanks to kills from Stout and Kelly.
It was a balanced offensive effort for WSU, with Kelly’s nine kills leading the way. Foster hit .700 with eight kills on just ten attempts, while Rohling added seven and Stout five. Litzau delivered 28 assists, while Morgan Weber paced the Shockers with 10 digs and Lily Liekweg had nine.
The Shockers are back in action on Sunday afternoon against East Carolina. First serve from Charles Koch Arena is scheduled for 12:00 pm.
