Washburn volleyball won its final home match of the season, sweeping the Fort Hays State Tigers, 3-0.
The Bods recorded the first four points of set one on their way to an early 9-2 lead. A later 5-0 run would push the lead to 21-10. Washburn eventually took the first set, 25-13, thanks to 15 kills.
The second set saw the Bods produce separate runs of 8-2 and 8-3 on their way to a 19-10 lead. The set went to Washburn, 25-15. The Bods had 5 blocks and a hitting percentage of .364. Freshman outside hitter, Emery Keebaugh, led with six kills. Senior outside hitter, Jalyn Stevenson, added four.
The third set began with Hays taking what would be its only lead of the night. After the set was 3-2 in favor of Hays, Washburn would take the lead, going on a 13-3 run. The set was evenly matched toward its conclusion with Hays going on an 11-9 run before a match-point attacking error completed Washburn’s three-set victory. Stevenson led with five of Washburn’s 18 kills. Four separate players had three kills: Keebaugh, Taryn Pridgett, senior outside hitter, Austin Broadie, senior middle hitter, and Bella Limback, junior middle blocker.
Head coach Chris Herron praised the way his team played off the back of a defeat the night before.
“We passed the ball so well tonight, and that makes the setter’s job real easy when they have three options,” Herron said.
“But even when we were out of system,” Herron said, “I thought [Keebaugh] and [Stevenson] did a really good job of swinging hard and high.”
Keebaugh had 12 kills, leading the team for a second straight night.
Herron described her arm talent as “tremendous,” saying she has gotten better and better as the year has gone on.
Stevenson had 10 kills, moving her career tally up to 14th in school history with 1,259 kills.
Stevenson was among the five seniors honored prior to the first serve, along with Broadie, Pridgett and defensive specialists, Maddie Steiner and Emma Williams.
Herron did not entertain any suggestion about having different expectations for his senior players related to playing in their final two regular-season games.
“It’s just our team,” Herron said. “We don’t want their careers to be over, so we’re not going to think about the end of them.”
“[Herron] is just trying not to get emotional,” said Pridgett, a native Topekan who recorded a season-high nine kills in her final game in Lee Arena. “It hasn’t quite settled in yet, [but] I think it will toward the actual end of the season. It was definitely a little emotional for me knowing that was the last time I’d be playing here. This is home for me. [I] put in a lot of work, being here for five years. You always know it will come to an end eventually, so to end on such a high note is an amazing honor and a privilege as well.”
Highlighting some standout performers: Keebaugh had 12 kills, Stevenson had 10, Pridgett had nine, Broadie had six, and Limback and junior middle hitter, Alex Dvorak, each had five. Sophomore libero, Taylor Rottinghaus had 15 digs, moving her over 900 in her career and Williams recorded two, along with six service attempts.
Washburn had a hitting percentage of .317, racking up a total of 47 kills to nine errors, compared to 30 kills and 23 attacking errors for Hays. Washburn also led in blocks nine to two.
Coming off of its weekend performance, Washburn earned the No. 24 ranking in the country.
Washburn has a pivotal test in the next match as it will travel to No. 10 University of Central Oklahoma Nov. 15 before closing out the season against the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith the next day.
Edited by Morgan Albrecht and Lexi Hittle
