By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 12-ranked Washburn volleyball team will begin a five-match homestand with a Turnpike Tussle against Emporia State at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at Lee Arena.
The Ichabods went 1-1 last week and are now 17-4 overall, 9-3 in the MIAA while the Hornets have lost nine in a row and are 4-18, 1-12.
Washburn swept the Hornets last month in Emporia.
Washburn and Central Missouri are tied for fourth place in the with a 9-4 MIAA record. The top eight teams will compete in the MIAA Tournament which will take place in St. Joseph, Mo. at the Civic Arena, Nov. 10-12.
For the second time this season, Washburn lost at then-ranked No. 15 Northwest Missouri on Friday by the set scores of 26-28, 15-25, 29-27, and 21-25.
In the four sets there were 16 lead changes, 38 ties and two of the sets went to extra points.
Washburn sophomore Jalyn Stevenson is 11th among conference hitters with 224 kills and 2.95 kills per set. She is also second on the team in aces (24) and third in digs (202), She has recorded 11 double-figure kill matches and six double-doubles.
Halle Meister is second on the team in kills with 182 and her .352 hitting percentage is third in the league. She is also the team leader in blocks with 59 and has registered at least four or more kills in 20 of the 21 matches she's played and had at least one block in 19 matches.
Sophie McMullen has a conference-best 37 service aces, scooped up 298 digs (3.87 digs), and has contributed 98 kills in 73 sets. McMullen has had a double-double in four consecutive matches.
Corinna McMullen leads the team with 503 assists (6.37 assists/set) and has recorded a team-best eight double-doubles, six of which have been in the past eight matches.
The Ichabods have now been ranked in the AVCA Top-25 for 47 straight weeks, dating back to Sept. 17, 2018.
Leah Mach leads Emporia State with 220 kills (2.72 kps) and is third on the team with 223 digs (2.75 dps).
Washburn Rural product Shelby Ebert has landed a team-high 38 aces for a 0.47 aces per set average, ranking second in the MIAA . Ebert has also totaled 120 kills, 272 digs, and 21 blocks.
Shawnee Heights grad Megan Stretton leads the ESU defense with 329 digs (4.27 digs per set) and has a .944 reception percentage.
The Ichabods continue their homestand into this weekend and will host No. 19 Central Oklahoma on Friday and Newman on Saturday. Both matches are slated for a 6 p.m. first serve.
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