HAYS, Kan. – The No. 10-ranked Washburn volleyball team posted a 3-1 road victory at Fort Hays State on Tuesday evening. The Ichabods will play next at No. 15 Northwest Missouri on Friday at 6 p.m.
 
The Ichabods dropped the first set, 26-24, before winning the next three 25-18, 25-18, and 25-20 to improve their record to 17-3 (9-3 MIAA).
 
Fort Hays State (9-11, 4-8 MIAA) held a three-point lead on six occasions to start the match when the Ichabods erased a 12-9 deficit with six unanswered points to take their first lead of the set at 15-12. The Tigers used solid defense at the net to pull back into the game and evened the score at 15, 19, and 20 when two consecutive kills gave FHSU a 22-20 advantage. The Ichabods won the following two points to knot up the score at 22, but the Tigers scored the next two to make it set point. FHSU committed back-to-back errors to make it 24-all, but then a pair of WU errors gave the Tigers the 26-24 first set win. Fort Hays made seven total blocks and held Washburn to a .098 hitting percentage in the frame.
 
In the second set, the Tigers got out to a 4-3 lead when the Ichabods strung together a 5-0 run to go up, 8-4, and never trailed again in the game. Washburn extended its lead to double-digits at 22-11 after another 5-0 scoring stretch. Fort Hays State did not give up and scored seven of the next nine points to close the gap to six points, but a kill from Halle Meister finished off the 25-18 win.
 
Washburn rattled off the first eight points of the third set with Jalyn Stevenson being responsible for half of those points after three service aces and a kill. The Ichabods held an 11-2 lead and increased it to 17-8 with a 5-1 run. The Tigers pulled within five late at 23-18, but WU won the final two points on a solo block and kill from Austin Broadie to go up 2-1 in the match.
 
The fourth set was a back-and-forth tussle with four lead changes and 10 ties. Trailing 16-15, the Ichabods knocked down back-to-back kills to jockey in front and the teams took turns scoring for the next three points to level the score at 18. Kassidy Pfeiffer hammered down a kill to break the tie and sparked a 7-2 run that secured the 25-20 set and overall match victory.
 
Washburn finished the night hitting .169 and held Fort Hays State to an .056 attacking percentage. The Ichabods led in kills, 55-39, and in digs, 85-67, while the Tigers dominated at the net defensively and out-blocked WU, 20-11.
 
S. McMullen recorded her third-consecutive double-double as she led all players with 13 kills and added a team-best 22 digs. Meister chipped in 10 kills and hit .300. Stevenson had nine kills, 12 digs, and landed three aces.
 
Pfeiffer and Kealy Kiviniemi both had five kills and were a part of four blocks. Corinna McMullen registered her seventh double-double as she had 27 assists and 14 digs.
 
Mykah Eshbaugh led the Tigers with 10 kills and their libero, Jaden Daffer, had a match-high 26 digs.