TOPEKA, Kan. – No. 2 Washburn volleyball turned in a hard-fought battle against No. 13-ranked Northwest Missouri, but came up short in a 3-1 loss on Saturday evening. The Ichabods will play the next five matches on the road, first at Central Oklahoma on Thursday, Sept. 22.
 
Washburn lost by the set scores of 24-26, 14-25, 25-21, and 22-25 and is now 11-1 (3-1 MIAA) on the season.
 
Northwest Missouri (9-3, 3-1 MIAA) started the match off with four-straight points before Washburn answered with four of its own. The back-and-forth battle began after that point as there were 14 tie scores and four lead changes and the score stayed within two or fewer points until kills from Austin Broadie and Halle Meister gave the Ichabods a 20-17 advantage. The Bearcats clawed back and put together a 6-2 run to go ahead, 23-22. Washburn knotted things up again at 23 and 24 before Northwest Missouri won the last couple of points to take the opening set.
 
The Bearcats got the first point of the second frame and the teams exchanged points each step of the way until NWMSU broke a 3-3 tie with five unanswered points. With the Bearcats leading 9-6, they scored eight-consecutive points to extend their lead to 17-6. The closest Washburn got was seven points as Northwest Missouri cruised to the 25-14 victory to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Northwest Missouri jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the third when Washburn slowly chipped away at the deficit and a 3-0 mini run gave the Ichabods their first lead of the game at 8-7. The Bearcats responded with three points of their own to reclaim the lead and 15-12 before the Ichabods went on the attack again. Kealy Kiviniemi knocked down a kill to spark a 7-2 rally to put Washburn up, 19-17. Washburn held a 23-21 lead when setter Corinna McMullen snuck a kill over and then the Ichabods won the set on a Bearcat attacking error. The Ichabods recorded 16 kills in the set and five came from freshman Ella Waters.
 
It was all Northwest Missouri to begin the fourth frame as the Bearcats led 6-1 and benefited from four Washburn hitting errors. Trailing 20-17, the Ichabods went on a 3-1 run to make it a one point affair, but the Bearcats were able to ward off another late rally and held on for the 25-22 match-clinching set win.
 
Both teams hit below .200 in the match as Northwest Missouri finished at .168 and Washburn was held to a season-low .152 attacking percentage. WU finished with the slight advantage in kills, 53-52, and in blocks, 8-6, while NWMSU led in digs, 84-78, and in aces, 5-3.
 
Jalyn Stevenson notched her third double-double of the year and led the Ichabods with 10 kills while also adding career-best 20 digs. Broadie and Waters had eight kills each with Waters hitting .538 on 13 attempts and just one error. Sophie McMullen and Meister chipped in seven kills apiece.
 
C. McMullen and Sydney Conner had 21 and 20 assists, respectively. Sydney Pullen scooped up 24 digs and had five assists.
 
Two Bearcats finished in double-figure kills led by Payton Kirchhoefer's 14 kills to go with 10 digs.