TOPEKA, Kan. --- No. 7 Washburn volleyball improved to 26-1 while staying atop the MIAA standing at 14-1 as it cruised past Lindenwood with a three-set victory Friday at Lee Arena. The Ichabods, which out hit the Lions, .257 to .122, claimed their 16 win in straight set fashion. 

Washburn controlled the majority the contest, finishing with a 41-33 advantage in kills, 7-1 advantage in aces and 65-45 advantage in digs. The lone category that Lindenwood (13-12, 5-10 MIAA) claimed was blocks as it edged out the Ichabods, 8-7.

Erica Montgomery led the Washburn attack with a match-best 12 kills behind .296 hitting. Genna Berg chipped in with eight while Kelsey Gordon finished with five kills. 

Allison Maxwell was force on both sides of the net, registering 10 kills and six blocks, for the third time in four matches. Taylor Antonowich was also a multi-faceted threat, finishing with three kills, three aces and nine digs.

Faith Rottinghaus anchored the back line for Washburn as she notched a match-high 18 digs, while Berg followed with 12. Shayla Conner dished out 31 assisted, but saw the end of a 13-match double-double streak as she finished with eight digs. 

Lindenwood was paced by Alexa Pressely who finished with 10 kills and 12 digs.

Set 1: Tied 4-4, Washburn pulled ahead on a 3-0 spurt thanks in part to a pair kills from Montgomery. The Lions lingered narrowing the margin to 10-9. Maxwell then shouldered a 5-0 run with two kills and an assisted block opening the Washburn advantage to 15-9. From there, Washburn never trailed as Lindenwood trimmed the advantage too as much as two, but never got any closer as the Ichabods took the frame, 25-22. 

Set 2: The Ichabods played from behind early as Lindenwood claimed the opening point, though Washburn remained stout in its efforts forcing fives during the first 10 points. After a kill from Conner leveled the set at 5-5, Washburn used a 3-1 spurt to slip out to a 8-6 With WU leading, 10-7, the margin soon disappeared as the Lions assumed a narrow 12-11 margin behind a 5-1 run. Possession however quickly changed hands again as the Ichabods rattled off five unanswered and climbed to a 16-12 lead. Leading 19-16 late, Washburn put the set out of reach with another 5-0 run en route to winning the set, 25-17, to take a 2-0 match lead.

Set 3: Trailing 3-0 early, Washburn blitzed the Lions with an 11-1 rally, including a run of seven straight. From there, the Ichabods continued to roll as using a 3-0 spurt midway through to push the score to 18-9. Lindenwood trimmed the margin to 18-12, but the Washburn again exploded with seven unanswered points, takin the frame, 25-12, as it completed the sweep. During the match-ending run, Maxwell tallied three consecutive blocks and was book ended with kills from Berg and Allison Sadler, while Lexie Longbine closed out the run with back-to-back aces.

Up next: Washburn continues its four-match home stand tomorrow, when it hosts an AVCA Top 15 clash, with No. 15 Central Missouri visiting Lee Arena. First serve is slated for 6 pm.