TOPEKA, Kan. -- The fourth-ranked Washburn volleyball team won a five-set thriller Saturday afternoon against 14th-ranked Northwest Missouri. The Ichabods are now 17-2 overall on the season and 9-2 in MIAA matches while the Bearcats fall to 14-5 and are 7-4 in the MIAA. 

The Bearcats won the opening point and led 4-3 before the Ichabods scored three in a row with back-to-back kills from Erica Montgomery followed by a service ace by Kelsey Gordon. Northwest Missouri knotted up the match at six and nine but would never take the lead as Washburn scored the final two points to win, 25-20. 

Northwest Missouri jumped out to a 4-1 lead to start the second set. Down 9-7, Washburn powered its way to a 5-1 scoring run with five kills from four different players and went in front 12-10. Washburn held a 16-13 lead when Northwest Missouri put together a run of its own and scored six-consecutive points with four of those points coming from blocks. The Ichabods then benefited from three-straight attacking errors by the Bearcats to even the score at 19-all. The set would not be easily won as there were nine tied scores following the 19-19 point. The teams continued to exchange point and Washburn spoiled the Bearcats' set point four times before NWMSU knocked down back-to-back kills to win the lengthy set, 32-30.

The third set continued where the second set left off as there were five tied scores before Washburn broke away with a three-point rally to go up 11-8. The Ichabods led by six points at 18-12 and then 21-15 and scored four of the final five points to take a 2-1 advantage in the match with the 25-18 triumph. Northwest Missouri struggled with errors in the set, committing 11 and landing just 12 kills for a .025 attacking percentage, while Washburn hit an even .300.

Northwest Missouri came out firing on all cylinders and grabbed an early 6-1 lead. Maxwell led the charge and propelled the Ichabods to a 8-2 scoring tear as she hammered five kills to give WU an 11-10 lead. A service error by the Bearcats gave the Ichabods a one point advantage (14-13) and Washburn earned the next two points on a Genna Berg kill and a Gordon/Berg assisted block. The Bearcats clawed their way back into the match and won seven of the next nine points to retake the lead at 20-18. Washburn got back-to-back kills twice to tie the match at 20 and 23, but it wasn't enough as Northwest Missouri recorded a kill and then a block to cap off the 25-23 set win and send the match to the fifth frame.

In the fifth set, the Bearcats went in front 6-4 before Washburn put together an incredible rally, scoring nine points in a row to lead 13-6. During that nine point stretch, Montgomery knocked down five kills. Northwest Missouri would score just one more point as Washburn claimed the final two points of the set to win 15-7.

Montgomery led the team in scoring with 17 total kills. Maxwell had an impressive afternoon both offensively and defensively as she knocked down 14 kills and made six total blocks, including one solo stop. Berg recorded her seventh double-double in the last eight matches as she landed 16 kills with 13 digs. Emma Palasak had double-digit kills for the second-consecutive match as she totaled 10. Allison Sadler added her eighth double-double of the season with 55 assists and 14 digs. Faith Rottinghaus had a team-best 21 digs and Sydney Pullen contributed 12.

The Ichabods hit the road next week to play two mid-week matches. Washburn will first head to Hays, Kan., to take on the Tigers on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. before traveling to St. Joseph, Mo., on Thursday, Oct. 24. First serve against Missouri Western is also slated to begin at 6 p.m.