KEARNEY, Neb. — For the first time since 2011 Washburn volleyball advanced out of the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Central Region Championship after downing sixth-seeded Northern State (26-5), in five sets, 25-9, 23-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-12. Behind a balanced effort which saw four Ichabods (30-4) tally double-figure kills with three others registering double-digit digs, Washburn notched its 30th win of year, marking the first time in five seasons.
After dropping the second and third sets before trying the match with a 25-23 win in the fourth, Washburn opened the decisive fifth set with a 3-1 lead, following back-to-back miscues from the Wolves before Shayla Conner tallied one of her five kills.
Northern State then rallied as it registered five of the next six points to claim a 6-4 lead. WU though answered back with back-to-back tallies including a kill from Allison Maxwell as she finished with 17.
In a race to 15, the Wolves led 8-6 at the turn before tacking on one more. Washburn then exploded for six unanswered points, claiming a 12-9 lead. The run was sparked with a kill from Erica Montgomery, who finished with 10, while Makayla Maxwell had two of her 12 on the day. Taylor Antonowich also added to the effort with a pair of aces as she finished with a career-best five.
Late in the set, Northern State trimmed the advantage to 13-12 before another kill by Conner and NSU error completed the rally, advancing Washburn to Friday's round of 32, while marking the first-ever postseason win over a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in four tries.
Washburn opened the match like gangbusters, sprinting to a 6-1 advantage as the nation's leader in hitting percentage surrendered three attack errors. From there, it was all Washburn as the Ichabods used a 3-0 spurt to open the margin to 12-4.
Leading 14-6, Washburn rattled off six straight points stretching its margin to 13. The Wolves tacked on three points late but it was not enough as Antonowich dropped in a pair of aces helping Washburn close on a 4-0 run.
The Ichabod defense was stout in the opening frame holding Northern State to -.098 hitting with 10 errors, while the Washburn attack hit .276 and put away 10 kills on 29 swings. The 25-9 set decision marked only the second this season Washburn held an opponent to 10 or fewer points in a set, while being the most lopsided single-set score Washburn has been a part of in its NCAA history.
In the second, Washburn was out hit .353 to .195 as Northern State grabbed control of the frame at 5-3 behind an early 3-0 spurt. From then on the Ichabods played catch-up but were unable to close the gap as NSU took the frame, 25-23, and tied the match at 1-1.
Washburn slipped into a 0-3 hole early in the third but battled back with a 3-0 spurt of its own. Northern State then put together a 7-3 run and never looked, finishing the set with 17 kills and .333 hitting. Behind .250 hitting with 16 kills the Ichabods again nipped at the Wolves collective heels but were unable to close the margin as it fell, 25-21.
With momentum working against them, the Ichabods stumbled out of the gates in the fourth, trailing 7-3. The sides traded possession as they pushed the score to 10-6 before Allison Maxwell tallied a kill and an assisted block helping the Ichabods cut the the deficit to 10-9, though continued to trail as the Wolves kept them at arm's length.
Trailing 18-16, Genna Berg sparked a 4-0 run with back-to-back kills erasing the deficit and nudging Washburn out to a narrow 20-18 lead. NSU cut the margin to one but booming strikes from Allison Maxwell and Erica Montgomery landed as part of a 4-1 spurt. The Wolves rallied late, but the effort fell short as Washburn got what it needed to tie the match at 2-2.
Washburn finished the match out hitting the Wolves, .223 to .172, while also edging them out in digs, 78-74, with Northern State dominating the blocking category, 18 to 8.
In addition to the Maxwells, Kelsey Gordon and Montgomery also had double-kill efforts with Gordon racking a 14 while Montgomery finished with 10. Conner had 48 digs and 12 assists for her 24 double-double of the year.
Genna Berg led the defensive efforts, tying a career-high with 22 digs. Makayla and Allison Maxwell each posted four blocks while Gordon had three.
The Ichabods return to action tomorrow at the Health and Sports Center at 5 pm as they take on second-seeded Minnesota Duluth. Match links including free video streaming are available by either visiting wusports.com/live or the team's schedule page.
