Saturday Sept. 28, Washburn Volleyball hosted Missouri Western State University for their twelfth match of the season. The 10-1 Ichabod team was trying to get their third conference win of the season against a 7-4 MWSU team that was looking for their second conference win.

The Ichabods started the game off well with strong plays by Allison Maxwell. The game plan seemed to be working, as the Bods quickly jumped ahead and kept a good five-point margin throughout the set, winning 25-17.

The second set was a lot more competitive with both teams going neck and neck early on. Washburn’s outside hitter Genna Burg was outstanding during the set, recording multiple kills that helped the Bods remain competitive. They couldn’t keep up with MWSU’s outstanding defense and fell short with a 21-25 loss in the set.

The Bods completely dominated the third set. Berg and Erica Montgomery, senior outside hitter, controlled the net early on, allowing WU to grab a 17-8 lead and win out the set with a 25-16 score.

MWSU came determined to turn the game around, starting off the set with a 5-1 lead. After plenty of mistakes early on, the bods ended the Griffon’s momentum with a big block by Montgomery that ended a long-lasting rally between the teams. Montgomery came up big once again with three kills in a row to tighten up the game and reduce the difference to only two points at 8-10. A long serving streak by Berg allowed the Bods to take the lead and force the Griffons to call their first timeout of the set, with the score of 16-13 in favor of the Ichabods. Montgomery and Berg signed again and recorded multiple kills, allowing the WU to close out the set  25-23 and win the game 3 sets to 1.

Montgomery commented on her confidence as a hitter.

“Coach always tells me to keep hitting, even if it ends up in the stands, he tells me to keep hitting and hitting hard.” said Montgomery, who ended the game with a career high of 21 kills.

Head Coach Chris Herron commented on his team’s win.

“It is a good win for us, a little tense, obviously a tight game. Our outsides carried us tonight, so I am happy for them.” said Herron.

The Ichabods move to 11-1 in the season, while Missouri Western State University falls to 7-5. Washburn will play Friday, Oct. 4 at Newman University.

Edited by Jessica Galvin, Adam White, Jackson Woods, Shelby Hanson