MARYVILLE, Mo. — The No. 15-ranked Washburn University Ichabods recorded a four-set triumph over the Northwest Missouri State University volleyball squad Tuesday night at Bearcat Arena.
The Ichabods won the non-conference matchup by set scores of 25-20, 23-25, 25-17 and 25-21. Washburn improved to 12-3 overall, while Northwest dropped to 5-7 overall.
Northwest senior
Sophia Gartner landed a match-high 17 kills. Senior setter
Mya Karrick collected a double-double with 36 assists and 11 digs. Junior
Ellery Luhring gained a match-high 25 digs. Sophomore
Natalie Herrington hit .357 with six kills, two service aces and two block assists.
Northwest served 10 aces but hit .095 with 28 attack errors, while Washburn finished at .206.
Northwest made a late push in the first set, trimming an 18-11 deficit to 21-19 with points that included a
Sophia Gartner kill, a
Mya Karrick service ace, a
Gabrielle Gartner kill and a
Lauren Schnettler ace. Earlier, Northwest opened with a 6-2 lead as
Sophia Gartner,
Maddie Roenfeld and
Natalie Herrington put down kills and
Elle Heckenlively and Karrick added service aces. Washburn moved in front during the middle of the set, tying it at 8-8 and later building the 18-11 advantage while Northwest was hurt by attack and service errors.
Jada Smith's kill brought Northwest within 22-20 late, but Washburn answered with the final three points to close the set 25-20.
In the second set, Northwest won four of the final five points, coming back from a 22-21 deficit to take the set 25-23. Earlier, Northwest kept answering Washburn's early pushes, getting three kills from Herrington before
Ellery Luhring's ace made it 13-12.
Gabrielle Gartner and Roenfeld added kills as Northwest moved ahead 16-14, but Washburn responded with consecutive Emma Siron kills for a 17-16 edge. After
Sophia Gartner tied it at 18-18, Northwest benefited from a Washburn attack error and Karrick's ace to go up 20-18, and
Jada Smith later put down a kill for a 24-23 lead. A Washburn setting error on the next point ended the set at 25-23 for Northwest.
A 6-0 Washburn start left Northwest trying to recover in the third set, with
Sophia Gartner putting the home side on the board on a kill from Karrick. After Washburn pushed its advantage to 16-4, Northwest earned points on a service error and a block by Roenfeld and
Abby Bulthuis before Roenfeld added a kill. The home side's best response came with four straight points to move the score to 17-10, including a Gartner kill from Karrick and Bulthuis service ace. Gartner, Herrington and
Lily Zimmerman helped the Bearcats keep adding points late, but the Ichabods closed out the set 25-17.
In the fourth set, Northwest erased a 10-8 deficit when Herrington served four straight points, a stretch that included two service aces, a Bulthuis kill and a
Gabrielle Gartner kill for a 12-10 lead. Earlier, Northwest opened the set 4-0 behind two
Sophia Gartner kills and two Washburn attack errors, but Washburn answered with a run that put Northwest down 9-5. The home side won seven of eight points to recover from that gap, then carried a 16-13 lead after a
Sophia Gartner kill and another Washburn attack error. Washburn responded with seven straight points to move in front 20-16, and although
Gabrielle Gartner, Roenfeld and a
Gabrielle Gartner/Herrington block helped Northwest close to 23-21, Washburn scored the final two points for a 25-21 set win.
Up next, Northwest travels to St. Joseph, Mo., to face Missouri Western on Friday, Sept. 25, at 6 p.m.
