TOPEKA, Kan. --- After a grueling five-set match two weeks ago in Maryville, Missouri, the No. 14-ranked Washburn volleyball team made quick work of No. 16 Northwest Missouri State on Friday evening, sweeping the Bearcats in three sets (25-12, 25-19, 25-13). With the result, the Ichabods improved to 21-5 overall and 11-2 in the MIAA were they sit at No. 2 in the standings.

Anchored by a stout defense that collected seven team blocks, Washburn was able to hold the Bearcats to a sub-.100 hitting percentage for the contest including a -.121 mark in the first set. On the flipside, the Ichabods were able to find openings in the NWMSU defense, converting 42-of-111 attempts, good for a .297 hitting percentage.

Pacing the attack was senior Leanna Willer with 13 kills. Willer also picked up 12 digs for her 12^th double-double of the season and 58^th of her career. Also contributing was classmate Sarah Vicory with eight kills and a match-best .467 hitting percentage while sophomore Kelsey Barrick followed with seven kills. Vicory also finished with four blocks while Barrick tallied three. Juniors Makayla Maxwell and Taylor Selk combined for 11 kills. Senior Alyssa Carney led the defensive effort for the Ichabods with a match-high 18 digs, pushing her Washburn career total to 1,632 and moving her into fourth in program-history for most digs.

In the opening frame, Washburn blitzed Northwest Missouri (21-3, 9-3 MIAA) to the tuned of a 13-4 run. The Ichabods eventually widened the gap to 22-8 late. A 4-1 spurt by the Bearcats down the stretch trimmed the WU advantage to 11, but the rally was too late as the Ichabods closed the door with back-to-back tallies to claim the set.

A slow to the start to the set found Washburn trailing NWMSU 4-1 early in the second. The Ichabods though soon made up the difference and moved out front with four unanswered points pushing the score to 5-4. A furious exchange that then ensued bringing the score to 16-14 in WU's favor. The Ichabods then began to pull away as Northwest Missouri conceded five straight points due to errors putting WU comfortably in control with a 21-14. Another late push by NWMSU cut the lead to as much as five but stalled out as WU picked up the final points to earn the set and a 2-0 match lead.

After tussling to a 5-5 tie, Washburn seized control of the third set thanks to a 6-0 run. The Ichabods never looked back as they quickly stretched the gap to double-digits before completing the sweep by scoring six of the final eight points of the match.

The Ichabods return to action on Saturday when they take on conference foe Missouri Western State at 6 p.m.