PITTSBURG, Kan. -- No. 5 Washburn volleyball recorded its sixth-straight victory and 12th sweep of the season with a 3-0 decision over Pittsburg State Saturday afternoon. The Ichabods improve to 15-1 overall this season and hold a record of 7-1 in MIAA matches, while the Gorillas drop to 9-8 (4-4 MIAA).

Washburn started the match slow as Pittsburg State jumped out to an early 5-2 lead. The Ichabods trailed by two or three points until a three point burst tied the match at 11-all. The two teams exchanged points and kept the match tied six times before back-to-back kills from Kelsey Gordon gave Washburn its first lead at 19-18 and the Ichabods added two more kills and a block to push the lead to 22-18. The Gorillas put together a late 5-1 scoring run to tie the set at 24 and then knotted the score at 25, but Erica Montgomery landed the go-ahead kill and Emma Palasak put the set away with a service ace to win 27-25. Genna Berg contributed nine kills to the winning effort.

The Gorillas started out strong in the second set as well, quickly grabbing a 7-0 advantage. Montgomery started a six point run that helped the Ichabods close in on the Gorillas' 7-6 lead. Pittsburg State won the next two points and pushed their lead to three when Washburn responded with four unanswered points to go in front for the first time in the set and never relinquished that lead. The Gorillas got within one at 21-20, but the Ichabods won the final four points thanks to two kills by Montgomery, a service ace by Sydney Fitzgibbons, and a PSU attacking error.

For the third-straight set, Pittsburg State scored the opening point, but it would be the only lead the Gorillas would hold as the Ichabods controlled the final game. Holding an 11-7 lead, Washburn scored five in a row with a block and kill from Fitzgibbons and three PSU errors. A kill from Montgomery gave the Ichabods a double-digit lead at 19-9. Washburn claimed the five final points of the game with four kills and a block to win 25-10 and complete the shutout.

Washburn finished the match with a .330 attacking percentage and held Pittsburg State to .138 on the day. The Ichabods also led in kills, 47-35.

Berg led the Ichabods offensively and registered double-digit kills for the sixth-straight match as she finished with 17 kills and hit .444. She was also one dig short of adding another double-double to her collection this season. Montgomery chipped in eight kills and Fitzgibbons added seven. Allison Sadler had 33 assists and Faith Rottinghaus had a team-high 14 digs. Berg and Gordon each made two solo stops at the net as the Ichabods finished with six total blocks. Behind the serving line, Washburn landed five aces from five different Ichabods while the Gorillas recorded two in the match.

The Ichabods will play a trio of matches next week conclude their five-match road trip on Tuesday, Oct. 15, in Kearney, Neb. The top-five showdown between the No. 3 Lopers and No. 5 Ichabods is set to begin at 6 p.m.