TOPEKA, Kan. – In a top-10 battle between two undefeated teams, the No. 2-ranked Ichabod volleyball team found themselves down 2-0 for the first time this season before fighting back to claim the next three sets and take down No. 7 Nebraska-Kearney, 3-2, on Saturday afternoon. The Ichabods have now won three matches in a row against the Lopers, marking just the second time that has happened in program history and the first since 1983-85.

Washburn knocked off Nebraska-Kearney by the set scores of 24-26, 22-25, 25-17, 25-18, and 16-14. The Ichabods improve to 10-0 (2-0 MIAA) while the Lopers are now 10-1 (1-1 MIAA).

The Lopers got out to a 5-2 advantage to start the match before the Ichabods went in front, 10-6, on an 8-1 run that included seven kills by Washburn. Jalyn Stevenson was responsible for four of those kills. Nebraska-Kearney slowly chipped away at Washburn's lead and tied the game at 12 and then pulled within one point on three occasions until the Ichabods created a little breathing room and got back-to-back kills to reach set point at 24-21. The Ichabods were unable to hang on, though, as the Lopers closed out the set with five unanswered points to take away a 26-24 first set win. In the first frame, the Ichabod offense knocked down 19 kills to account for 24 of their total points while the Lopers recorded 13 kills.

Nebraska-Kearney won the opening point of the second game and quickly got out to a 13-5 advantage and benefited from eight Washburn errors during that stint. The Ichabods put together a 5-0 and a 5-1 run to pull within three at 19-16. As Washburn trailed 23-18, the Lopers committed three errors in the midst of a 4-0 Ichabod spurt to make it a one point affair, 23-22. UNK was able to get the last two points with back-to-back kills from Emersen Cyza to take a 2-0 lead into the third.

Washburn came out firing on all cylinders in the third and won the first five points with four kills and a UNK attacking error. The Ichabods led 12-5 when the Lopers started to battle back again and got within two at 15-13. Kealy Kiviniemi knocked down a kill to start a 6-0 burst for the Ichabods to put them up, 21-13. The Lopers never got closer than seven points and Sophie McMullen finished off the 25-17 set win with a monster kill.

The score stayed within two points and had seven ties to begin the fourth set until the Ichabods rattled off six-straight points to go up, 14-9. Washburn stayed in control of the set and won, 25-18, to force a decisive fifth.

Washburn won the first two points only for Nebraska-Kearney to put up two points of its own to level the score in the fifth. The ensuing point was called an attacking error on Washburn and the Ichabods challenged, only to have the call be confirmed and the Lopers went in front, 3-2. Washburn didn't let that impact its momentum and a kill from Kiviniemi sparked another rally, this time a 7-2 run, to put Washburn up, 9-5. The Ichabods held a 12-8 advantage when the Lopers started to make a push again and scored four of the next five points to make it a 13-12 game. Halle Mesiter landed a kill to make it match point at 14-12, but the Lopers would not go away and got a kill and a block to knot up the score at 14-all. Kiviniemi knocked down her fourth kill of the frame to give the Ichabods a one point lead and Austin Broadie put away the triumphant comeback with a kill after a long rally that had several impressive defensive plays made.

Both teams finished the match hitting below .200 as the Ichabods finished at .195 and held the Lopers to a season-low .122 clip. The last time UNK hit below .130 was Oct. 27, 2018. The Ichabods led in kills, 67-55, and blocks, 12-10. The Lopers landed one more service ace than the Ichabods, 7-6.

Four Ichabods finished in double-figure kills led by Stevenson's 15. She also registered her second double-double on the year as she added 16 digs. S. McMullen also notched a double-double as she had 12 kills and 26 digs. Kiviniemi and Broadie each had 10 kills and Broadie was a part of nine blocks on the afternoon.

The setter duo of Corinna McMullen and Sydney Conner also joined the double-double club. McMullen notched 36 assists and 12 digs and Conner recorded 16 assists and 10 digs. Sydney Pullen had a team-high 27 digs in the back court.

The Lopers were led by Cyza, who had a team-high 18 kills, and Fallon Stutheit knocked down 12 kills.

The Ichabods will return to the road for a short trip to Emporia State on Tuesday, Sept. 13 to take on the Hornets at 6 p.m.