KEARNEY, Neb. --- Despite dominating the postgame stat sheet, No. 10 Washburn volleyball suffered a tough loss Saturday, falling to No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney, 23-25, 20-25, 25-13, 25-21, 14-16 in the MIAA Championship finale. The Ichabods out hit the Lopers, .170 to .116, while holding notable advantages in kills, 72-54; digs, 106-95 and blocks, 20-11.

It was Washburn's first five-set match of the season, while the 20 blocks is the most since Sept. 17, 2005.

Washburn fell into an 0-2 hole early as it committed 21 attack errors, including 13 in the first. The Ichabods however staved of a sweep as they regrouped in the third, this time forcing UNK in double-digit errors with 12. 

The third set rally began early into the frame as Washburn used a 4-1 run to take its second lead of the match at 5-3. From there it was all Ichabods as they quickly pieced together a 14-5 run and assumed a double-figure lead before winning the set, 25-13.

Makayla Maxwell led the third set charge with four kills while Genna Berg and Allison Maxwell each had three. The Maxwells were also a presence at the net as Allison posted five blocks with Makayla registering two. Shayla Conner also helped out on both ends with 10 assists and four blocks.

The Washburn push continued in the fourth, as it hit .274, its best single-set mark of the match, while tallying a season-high 21 in the set.

UNK claimed the opening point before the Ichabods sprinted past with an 8-2 run. From then on, the Ichabods remained in the driver seat leading by as much as seven. With Washburn leading, 23-16, the Lopers began to threaten with a late rally cutting the margin to 24-21. The late UNK push though fell short as Berg's sixth kill of the frame secured the point, tying the match 2-2.

WU fell behind early as the Lopers ran out to a 3-0 lead. Two kills from Allison Maxwell and a kill by Montgomery were the lone tallies for the Ichabods at the turn as they trailed 8-3.

Trailing 9-3, Washburn went on a 5-0 run as Gordon and Makayla Maxwell teamed up for a pair of assisted blocks. The Ichabods put together another 5-1 run late tying the set at 14, but the effort was not enough as UNK tallied the final two points.

Four Ichabods had double-figure kills with Allison Maxwell leading the way with 19. Berg and Montgomery had 16 each, while Makayla Maxwell tallied 11. Conner tallied a career-best 63 assists. 

Allison Maxwell was a presence as she posted 10 blocks including one solo as she recorded her first career double-double. Berg and Conner also had double-doubles, finishing with 18 and 15 digs respectively. Gordon and Makayla Maxwell each had eight blocks.

Washburn now awaits it next opponent, as it hopes to be among the eight teams to qualify for next week's the NCAA Central Region Championship. The team will learn of its future Sunday at 9 pm during the NCAA selection show.