TOPEKA, Kan. --- The No. 2-seeded Washburn volleyball team downed Missouri Western State in three sets (27-25, 25-17, 26-24) Tuesday evening to advance to the semifinal round of the MIAA Tournament which will be hosted by Nebraska-Kearney.
Leanna Willer paced the offense with a match-high 12 kills, while also adding eight digs to her outing.
Sarah Vicory and
Megan Pedersen followed with seven kills apiece, while
Makayla Maxwell and
Taylor Selk each registered five.
Natalie Bates finished with 16 assists, while
Kelsey Barrick posted seven blocks.
Alyssa Carney has a team-best 22 digs and two service aces.
Collectively, Washburn (27-5) edged out Missouri Western State (17-15) in hitting percentage by a slim margin of .152 to .103 while also holding the No. 7-seed Griffons to sub-.100 hitting in each of the first two sets.
Behind lengthy runs of 6-2 and 7-0 the Griffons controlled the opening set and owned a 17-8 lead. Washburn then rallied past as it registered 12 of the next 14 points to assume a 20-19 advantage. The sides alternated tallies until a kill from Vicory and a MWSU attack error helped WU claim a 1-0 match lead.
Trailing 10-9 in the second, the Ichabods again used a lengthy 6-0 run to move out front 15-10. Behind a 4-0 spurt, Washburn led by as much as seven when it took a 19-12 lead. Missouri Western trimmed the margin to 19-15, but the late push was not enough as the Ichabods closed out the frame by posting six of the final 10 points to take a 2-0 lead.
Highlight by a 5-1 run to open, MWSU controlled much the third set. With the Griffons leading 11-8, Washburn began to push back thanks in part to a 3-0 of spurt to tie the frame at 11-11. WU was unable to move past the Griffons as they reassumed a lead. MWSU remained out front until WU capitalized on a Griffons' attack error and back-to back kills from Willer seize a late 24-22 advantage. MWSU knotted it up at 24-24, but kills from Pedersen and Willer put the Ichabods over the hump to complete the sweep.
Washburn will return to action on Friday when they take on No. 3-seed Central Oklahoma at 5 p.m.
