TOPEKA, Kan. -- No. 4 Washburn split its first two matches of the Ichabod Classic on Friday falling for the first time this season, 3-2 to Missouri-St. Louis in the opener before sweeping Arkansas at Monticello in the nightcap. The Ichabods will play two more on the final day of the tournament beginning at 10 a.m.
Match one: Missouri-St. Louis 3, Washburn 2
Washburn opened the match with 25-17 and 25-21 victories before the Tritons came from behind to win 25-23 in the third and carried the momentum into 25-10 and 15-6 victories in the ensuing two sets.
The Ichabods led 7-3 early after Shannon Frakes knocked down a kill but Missouri-St. Louis battled right back to tie and take the lead. Both sides went back-and-forth until Washburn opened up the set with six-straight points capped by two straight kills for Brooklyn Morrissey. The final four points of the set went to the Ichabods as they hit over .300 as a team in the opening frame.
Next time out the Tritons started out with a 5-1 run and it was Washburn that fought back to tie the set at eight. After multiple ties the Ichabods scored four in a row to go in front 15-12. Missouri-St. Louis came right back to tie the set up twice more before Washburn finished the set with three straight kills starting with a slash from Natalie Hedlund.
After an early run from the Tritons they stayed in front throughout the middle of the third set. The Ichabods landed three kills in a row to tie the set up at 22 after a kill by Siron. Four of the next five points went to Missouri-St. Louis to take the set and make it a 2-1 match.
Three aces in the first five points of the fourth set put Washburn in front 4-1. The Tritons came right back to take a 5-4 lead and never trailed the rest of the set. An 8-0 run put them up 16-7 and they went on to win 25-10 in the fourth, evening the match.
A 6-0 run for Missouri-St. Louis put them up 13-4 in the fifth set and they traded points the rest of the way to win 15-6 and 3-2 in the match.
The visitors tallied 62 kills while hitting .262 as a team, on the other side of the net Washburn hit .222 with 58 kills. Digs went in favor of the Tritons 81-77 as did assists, 58-53.
Natalie Hedlund led the offense with a career-high 16 kills while hitting .457. Emma Siron had a 13-kill and 12-dig double-double. Shannon Frakes tallied 38 assists with 14 digs and Taylor Rottinghaus had a team-high 21 digs.
Maggie Johnson led Missouri-St. Louis with 25 kills and hit .271 while Marly Burbach had 50 assists.
Match 2: Washburn 3, Arkansas at Monticello 0
Washburn increased the distance in each set in the final match of the night winning 25-17, 25-16 and 25-15 over Arkansas at Monticello.
Both teams split the first 16 points of the match before the Ichabods notched four-straight points to lead 12-8 after Finley Rieke knocked down a kill. The Weevils continued to hang around, staying within four points until a 6-1 run ended the opening set with a 25-17 win for Washburn after hitting .371 as a team.
Arkansas at Monticello led 6-3 early in the second before a pair of aces from Josie Cleveringa capped off a 4-0 rally that put the Ichabods in front. Shortly after a run of six points that included a pair of aces from Lauren Tyler created separation and made it 15-9. A solo block by Morgan Sears capped off the second set for Washburn with a 25-16 win.
Once again both sides were back-and-forth early in the third, trading the first 18 points. Emery Keebaugh was able to finish off a 6-0 rally with a kill that put the Ichabods up 15-9 mid-way through the set. Washburn led the rest of the way, finishing the set and match with three straight points to win 25-15 after Cleveringa and Sears combined for a block to end it.
The Ichabods hit .311 as a team with 49 kills while holding the Weevils to 17 kills and .012 hitting. Digs went 49-37 in favor of the home squad as did assists, 47-17.
Six players had at least five kills for Washburn led by seven for Sydney Buscher, Kennedy Derks and Hayden Meats each had six. Lauren Tyler dished out a Washburn career-high 42 assists with 10 digs for a double-double. Taylor Rottinghaus had 10 digs from the back row.
