By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 10-ranked Washburn Ichabod volleyball bounced back from its first loss of the season to post a three-set MIAA road sweep over Pittsburg State on Thursday.
Senior Austin Broadie led Washburn with 13 kills in Thursday's 3-0 MIAA road sweep at Pittsburg State. [File photo/TSN]
Junior Taylor Rottinghaus registered 14 digs in Thursday's 3-0 MIAA Washburn road sweep at Pittsburg State. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods will stay on the road facing Newman at 6 p.m. on Friday in Wichita.
In all three sets Washburn (13-1 overall, 2-1 MIAA) hit over .300 as a team, beginning with a commanding 25-12 first-set win followed by 25-17 and 25-19 victories over the Gorillas (7-6, 1-2).
After Pittsburg State went up 4-1 to open the match, the Ichabods responded with a 7-1 run started by a kill from Bella Limback. The score stayed within four until nine straight points for Washburn, beginning with Corinna McMullen setting up Austin Broadie for a kill. The offense hit .379 as a team while holding the Gorillas to a below zero hitting percentage to take the set by 13 points.
In the second set Washburn jumped out to a 3-0 lead with an ace from McMullen beginning the set. The lead continued to grow slowly until the Ichabods broke the set open with five straight points, capped off by two straight kills by Emery Keebaugh to make it 17-8. After a kill by Broadie made it set point at 24-13, Pittsburg State scored four more until Broadie slashed another kill to end the second set.
Washburn took advantage of miscues by the Gorillas to build a 7-2 lead in the third. The advantage grew to eight points at 14-6 before Pittsburg State went on its biggest run of the night, a 9-2 burst to pull within one. The Ichabods bounced back with three points in a row, starting with a kill by Brynne Topolski. The WU advantage was held until reaching match point on a Broadie kill with the match coming to a close on a kill by Keebaugh from McMullen at 25-19.
The Ichabods hit .361 as a team with 44 kills while holding Pittsburg State to .085 hitting and just 27 kills. Washburn also had a 53-37 advantage in digs and led 44-25 in assists.
Broadie led the way on offense with 13 kills while hitting .458.
McMullen delivered 25 assists while also scooping nine digs. Taylor Rottinghaus controlled the back row with 14 digs.
Anna Dean paced the Gorillas with six kills.
