PITTSBURG, Kan. – The No. 8-ranked Washburn volleyball team trailed two sets to one before winning the fourth game and then claiming the decisive fifth, 15-12, to defeat Pittsburg State in five sets on Saturday evening. Washburn will wrap up its five-match road trip on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at No. 6 Nebraska-Kearney before returning home to face Missouri Western and No. 18 Central Missouri, Oct. 7-8.
 
Washburn won by the set scores of 15-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-17, and 15-12 and improves to 13-13 (5-3 MIAA).
 
It was all Pittsburg State (11-7, 5-4 MIAA) in the opening set as the Gorillas never trailed and cruised to the 10-point victory.
 
The Gorillas led 3-2 early in the second when the Ichabods put together an 8-1 scoring stretch to jump in front, 10-4. Pittsburg State trimmed the deficit to two at 12-10, but Washburn won seven of the next nine points to push its lead to 19-12. Ella Waters knocked down two kills to finish off the 25-18 win and tie up the match at one game apiece.
 
In the third frame, Washburn held a 5-4 lead before Pittsburg State used an 8-2 spurt to leap ahead, 12-7. The Ichabods fought back and answered with a 5-1 run to pull within one, scoring all five points on kills including three from Kealy Kiviniemi. Washburn stayed close and leveled the score at 17, 18, and 19, but Pittsburg State held off the Ichabods and finished the set with a 6-2 run to take a 2-1 lead.
 
Washburn's offense started clicking on all cylinders in the fourth as the Ichabods hit .405 with 18 kills and just three errors while holding Pittsburg State to a .111 attacking percentage and 10 kills. The Ichabods led from start to finish and a kill from Kiviniemi completed the 25-17 win to force the deciding fifth set.
 
The Ichabods got off to a 4-1 advantage in the final stanza and built a 9-4 lead after three unanswered points that consisted of a kill by Austin Broadie and back-to-back service aces from Halle Mesiter. Pittsburg State battled back and closed the gap to two points on four occasions, but could get no closer as Jalyn Stevenson knocked down the last kill of the match in the 15-12 set win.
 
Washburn finished the night with a .242 attacking percentage and held Pittsburg State to a .174 clip. The Ichabods led in kills (64-55), blocks (10-5), and digs (70-67) while the Gorillas had an 8-3 advantage behind the service line.
 
Kiviniemi led the offensive charge, hitting a scorching .500 after knocking down a career-best 20 kills and committing just two errors. Broadie also chipped in double-digit kills with 11. Meister and Jalyn Stevenson each had eight kills apiece. Meister was a part of a team-high seven blocks and Stevenson scooped up team-best 13 digs.
 
Sydney Conner notched a double-double for the third-straight match as she had 28 assists and 10 digs. Corinna McMullen added 22 assists and eight digs.
 
Four from Pittsburg State recorded double-figure kills and two of those added double-doubles as Meg Auten had 13 kills and 14 digs and Janae Thurston finished with a dozen kills and digs.