PHILADELPHIA – Wichita State bounced back quickly from a first set defeat to roll past Temple, 22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-19 on Sunday afternoon at McGonigle Hall.
 
It's the seventh straight win for the Shockers, all coming in conference play. The victory, combined with Houston's loss to East Carolina, moves Wichita State into a three-way tie for second place in the American standings at 7-3.
 
Natalie Foster came through with a career-best and match-high 18 kills, hitting .417 and adding three block assists.
 
WSU (13-6, 7-3) had control of the first set early, at one point scoring nine in a row to take an 11-6 lead. But Temple (5-16, 1-9) chipped away, eventually pulling in front 20-19. A crucial challenge late in the set erased a would-be Shocker kill, and two points later Kayla Spells delivered the finishing blow in a 25-22 Temple win.
 
The Shockers immediately established a foothold in set two, taking six of the first eight points. Brylee Kelly put together her best stanza of the match, smacking six kills on ten swings without an error to help WSU keep the Owls at arm's length. Temple pulled within 20-19, but a vital putaway from Kailin Newsome restored the cushion and set the stage for an ace from Kayce Litzau that brought the Shockers level at a set apiece.
 
WSU controlled set three from start to finish. A quick 10-3 surge out the gates forced a Temple timeout, and Newsome and Foster combined for ten kills to increase the margin. The Shockers stretched the lead to 23-13 before a late surge from Temple ultimately tightened the score to 25-18. WSU held Temple to a .065 hitting percentage in the set, recording four blocks in the process.
 
The Shockers claimed the first four points of the fourth set and never trailed, thanks to five kills apiece from Kelly and Foster. Litzau delivered back-to-back aces late in the set to extend the lead to 19-14, and Temple never got closer than five points the rest of the way. Five different Shockers recorded multiple digs in the set, and Litzau dished out 11 assists to give her 48 for the match.
 
Litzau led the way with 16 digs, while Lily Liekweg added 15. Newsome finished one dig shy of a double-double, stacking 12 kills and nine digs. Kelly finished with 14 kills while adding three services aces and two solo blocks.
 
Wichita State continues the road swing with a trip to Florida for a meeting with South Florida on Friday night. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 PM and can be streamed live on ESPN+.