Teamwork makes the dream work
September 23, 2015
Washburn volleyball keeps their winning streak strong in Arkansas, taking their record to 11-0 over the weekend of Sept. 19 and 20.
Washburn kicked off the GAC/MIAA Crossover with a 3-0 win against the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns. WU took the lead early on at 5-4, getting an 11-1 run. The Golden Suns would only see 12 points as WU continued to take the lead (25-12).
Tech recovered in the second, coming back after a 10-all set, pushing the score to 25-24. They were no match for a game winning kill from Leanna Willer, giving the Ichabods their second win (29-27).
At 25-18, WU would take their first win of the weekend. Liz Powell led with 34 assists, five digs and an ace. Alyssa Carney had a team-high of 19 digs, three aces and two assists. Willer had 16 kills and 12 digs.
Many aspects played a part in the team’s success, but overall, the mindset that each player had set Washburn apart from others. Willer gave comments on behalf of herself and her team.
“In general, I expect the same thing out of myself as I expect out of my teammates. As a team we hold high expectations of each other that we will come to practice every day ready to work hard and get better,” said Willer in an email interview after Washburn’s weekend success.
“We understand that there may be some bumps along the way, but upholding the standard and winning tradition of Washburn volleyball is one of our highest priorities. We play for the girls right next to us, not for ourselves,” said Willer.
Washburn’s sweep continued Friday evening, ending with a win over the Harding Bison.
The game would end after three well-played sets (25-17, 25-18, 25-20). WU dominated offensively against Harding, with a team total of 60 digs, 44 assists and 44 kills. Sarah Vicory had nine blocks, tying her career high.
Washburn closed the Crossover on Saturday, beating the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm 3-1 (25-20, 25-12, 22-25, 25-14).
The two teams would keep tight scores in the first set, taking the win with kills from Taylor Selk and Vicory. WU would tie at 12-12 in the third, continuing to 17-13, but SNU would comeback winning at 25-22. WU ultimately won with a 10-4 lead in the fourth set, advancing to 16-10 and taking the final win, 25-14.
Powell added another 28 assists and nine digs to her record, Carney had 14 digs and two assists and Vicory had nine blocks. Vicory, Korie Thompson and Tatiana Schafer each had one ace each.
After last weeks success at Colorado, Coach Chris Herron said most of his players are playing at the level of expectation they have, but there are a few players not able to play with the confidence level needed to succeed in order to play. “This group has been easy to coach so far, so that is enjoyable for any coach,” said Herron.