TOEPKA, Kan. --- Season lows in kills and hitting spelled disaster for No. 11 Washburn volleyball on Friday as it fell to 26-3 on the year, after succumbing to No. 17 Central Oklahoma in straight sets, 18-25, 14-25, 20-25.

The Ichabods, which slipped into a three-way tie for second in the MIAA standings with UCO and Northwest Missouri at 14-3, tallied 33 kills and hit .087, marking the first time this season they were held to sub-.100 hitting.

Kelsey Gordon was the lone standout for the Washburn attack as the sophomore registered double-figure kills for the first time this season and was two short tying a career-best as she finished the night with 10. Gordon also hit a team-best .316 while adding two blocks.

Washburn blazed out to an 8-2 lead to open including five straight with Gordon and Allison Maxwell each landing back-to-back kills during the run. A UCO timeout however allowed the Bronchos to rest as they responded with eight straight taking a 10-8 lead.

An assisted block from Maxwell and Erica Montgomery tied the score at 11 following kills from Shayla Conner and Genna Berg as part of 4-1 run before a UCO attack error nudged WU out to a narrow 12-11 lead.

Possession then held in limbo for a brief moment as the sides battled to three ties over the course of the next five points. Tied at 14, Central Oklahoma began to pull away using a 5-0 run, as it capitalized a trio of Ichabod errors. A pair of late kills from Gordon were not for a Washburn rally as it dropped the first set, 25-18.

The Ichabods' came out flat to start the second and quicky fell behind as UCO sprinted out to a 6-1 lead before soon advancing the score to 11-4. From there the Washburn was unable to recover as the Bronchos out hit the Ichabods, .381 to .045, en route to taking the frame, 25-14.

Trailing 10-6 in the third, Washburn showed a bit of a pulse as Taylor Antonowich shouldered a 3-1 spurt with two kills and an assisted block, pulling the Ichabods within two, 11-9. Washburn then stayed within arm's length, trailing by no less than two points, but was unable to close the gap further before Central Oklahoma used a 4-0 spurt to pull away prior to taking the set, 25-20.

Conner finished with 24 assists, while Berg and Antonowich had five kills each. Faith Rottinghaus finished with a match-best 21 digs.

Despite its position, Washburn heads into its season finale with Pittsburg State tomorrow at Lee Arena, still in contention for a share of the MIAA regular-season title. Pending the outcome of their 2 pm senior day-match with the Gorillas, the Ichabods would need help from Northwest Missouri as it visits current league leader, Nebraska-Kearney in a match slated for 6 pm. 

In addition to a share of the championship, a Bearcat win over UNK would help Washburn secure the top-seed in next week's MIAA Tournament, with the potential of home-court advantage throughout.