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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

The end wasn't what Washburn University's volleyball team had hoped and dreamed for.

But it's the journey that the Ichabods will remember.

Striving for the first NCAA Division II volleyball championship in school history, Washburn came up just short in Saturday's title match at the Bob Martinez Athetics Center, with Tampa earning its fourth title with a 25-21, 26-24, 25-21 sweep on the Spartans' home court.

"We just talked about this in the locker room, 10 years from now they're going to come back for reunions and they're going talk about the year and they're going to talk about this, that and the other, but most of the time what they're going to do is they're going to enjoy the time they've had with each other,'' Washburn coach Chris Herron said. "It's extemely rewarding for me to see how tight knit this group is.''

Super senior Kelsey Gordon, an Emporia native, agreed.

"Ths most memorable thing that we will be taking away from this year is the friendships,'' Gordon said. "Volleyball, and any team sport, brings us together. It brings everybody together and it creates an inseparable bond and I think that is above all the best thing that comes from sports.''

Washburn's volleyball team finished a history-making 31-6 season with a runner-up finish in the NCAA Division II tournament Saturday in Tampa, Fla. [Photo courtesy of Joy Smith/Washburn Athletics]

After making it to the national championship match for the first time in program history, Washburn finished the season and its third trip to the Elite Eight with a 31-6 record.

"I'm certainly disappointed for our players,'' Herron said. "I'm happy we're here, but disappointed that we didn't play our best and Tampa had a lot to do with that.''

Tampa, meanwhile, finished off a 34-2 season with its 21st straight victory and its second national title since 2018.

"All the credit in the world to them, they're a really good team,'' Herron said of the Spartans.

Washburn fought uphill most of the day in Saturday's final, but Washburn battled to the end, losing the three sets by a total of 10 points and having a chance at a set point in the second set.

Washburn led as late as 6-5 in the opening set and there were ties at six and seven before the Spartans began to pull away.

Tampa eventually build leads of 19-14, 20-15 and 23-17 and withstood a mini-WU rally to close out the four-point win.

The second set was probably the one that hurt the most for the Ichabods, who went up 24-23 on a Genna Berg kill before Tampa ran off the final three points.

Tampa took the lead for good at 14-13 in the third set and went up 21-16, but Washburn fought back within 23-21 before the Spartans closed out the championship with two straight points.

"I'm sorry that it didn't go different, but I want to assure everybody who's watching at home and everybody who's in Tampa that we left it out there,'' Gordon said. "We tried, and I'm hoping you're proud of us.''

Senior Genna Berg finished with a team-high 15 kills for Washburn in Saturday's national championship match. [Photo courtesy of Joy Smith/Washburn Athletics]

Senior Kelsey Gordon delivers one of her 12 kills for Washburn in Saturday's national championship match. [Photo courtesy of Joy Smith/TSN]

Berg finished the match with 15 kills for WU while Gordon finished with 12 kills, Allison Maxwell eight and Sydney Fitzgibbons seven.

Allison Sadler finished Saturday's national championship match with 37 assists as Washburn finished a 31-6 season with a runner-up national finish. [Photo courtesy of Joy Smith/Washburn Athletics]

Senior setter Allison Sadler had 37 assists while Faith Rottinghaus had 15 digs and Taylor Antonowich 14 digs and two service aces.

Kate McKiel registered a match-high 16 kills for Tampa while 6-foot-2 middle Taylor Fosler added nine kills on .615 hitting.

"Obviously No. 11 (McKiel) had a great night, but I think the biggest thing was 16 (Fosler), the middle,'' Herron said. "We didn't have an answer for her. Yikes, .615. That's the national championship match and she hits .615.''

Melissa Elisa finished with 28 assists while Claudia Rivera had 23 digs for the Spartans.

MATCH RESULTS

Tampa def. Washburn, 25-21, 26-24, 25-21.