PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The storybook 2018 Washburn volleyball season came to a bitter close Friday as the Ichabods fell in three sets to top-seeded Tampa, 25-23, 25-19, 25-15. After being picked fifth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, Washburn finished the year 33-5, ranked among the Top 10 in Division II with a regional title and appearance in the NCAA Championship National Semifinals,

In Friday's bout, Washburn was held to season-lows with 27 kills and .041 hitting, while Tampa (32-4) hit .194 with 40 kills. Kelsey Gordon had a team-best eight kills, while Allison Maxwell and Erica Montgomery finished with five each. Shayla dished out 22 assists, finishing her career 10th on Washburn all-time list with 1,951 assists.

Defensively, the Ichabods had 59 digs and finished with three team blocks. Genna Berg paced the dig effort with a team-high 15, while Faith Rottinghaus had 13. Gordon notched a pair of blocks, while Allison Maxwell and Berg each had one. Makayla Maxwell also registered one block, finishing her career seventh-overall in program history with 395 total blocks.

A tightly contested opening frame, Washburn and Tampa combined for 16 ties with nine during the opening 18 points, before the Ichabods conceded a 4-0 run. 

Trailing 13-4, Taylor Antonowich then added her 11th ace of the NCAA postseason helping Washburn to a 5-1 run for the 10th tie of the set at 14-14.

Back-to-back kills from Gordon sparked a 5-0 Washburn run pushing the Ichabods, though it was sandwiched between 3-0 spurts from the Spartans pushing them out to a 21-20 advantage. Three successive UT attack errors and a kill from Gordon tied the frame at 22.

The set however eventually went to Tampa as it tallied back-to-back points to take the opener, 25-23.

The second set opened with the sides trading 4-1 runs. 

Tied at 5-5, Washburn was sideswiped by a 9-2 Tampa run. Kills from Conner, Berg and Allison Maxwell trimmed the deficit to 15-10 until a solo stuff block from Makayla Maxwell added to the cause, but that was closest the Ichabods came as took claimed the second 25-19.

Trailing 8-3 early in the third, Washburn recovered as it pieced together a 7-2 run tying the frame at 10. However it was all Tampa from there though as the Ichabods were overwhelmed by a 10-1 run before dropping the set, 25-15. 

In the final two sets, Washburn was held to .091 and .000 in the second and third, while Tampa hit .224 and .317 respectively.