By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- No. 14 Washburn University volleyball thwarted No. 17 Emporia State's rally to earn its first ranked victory of the season with a 3-2 MIAA win on Saturday night in White Auditorium.
Freshman Hayden Meats (12) registered 16 kills for the second straight day in a 3-2 Washburn win over Emporia State. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods will return home for one match on Tuesday, hosting Central Missouri in Whiting Fieldhouse at 6 p.m.
After Washburn (16-3 overall, 5-1 MIAA) took the first two sets, 25-15 and 25-22, Emporia State (15-3, 2-2) responded with 25-22 and 25-19 set victories to force a fifth set. After trailing 8-4 in the fifth set, the Ichabods rallied to come from behind and win 15-13.
The first two points of the match went to the home team before Washburn went on a 9-1 run to lead 9-3 after an Emma Siron kill.
A kill by Morgan Sears later on capped off a 5-1 burst and extended the WU lead to double figures at 17-7.
The Ichabods ended the first set with five straight points, hitting .455 as a team to win the opening set, 25-15.
The two teams traded the first 12 points in the second set before both Washburn and ESU went on 4-0 runs.
The lead continued to trade hands throughout the middle of the second set before Washburn was able to create some separation with a 4-0 run to lead 19-16 after Lauren Tyler set up Hayden Meats for a kill.
The Hornets were able to come back, pulling within one at 23-22 before an attack error and block from Siron and Brooklyn Morrisey ended the 25-22 decision for the Ichabods.
Emporia State jumped out to an 11-7 lead in the third set just before Washburn scored four in a row to tie the set up at 11. They would never take the lead as the Hornets came back with four in a row and would later push the lead to five at 23-18 before closing out the set at 25-22.
Emporia State got out to an early lead again in the fourth set, this time leading 11-6 after three straight points. The Ichabods were able to rally and pull within one after a kill from Morrissey but once again they could not pull in front.
The Hornets had their most efficient offensive set of the night to hold on 25-19 and force a fifth set.
In the final set the home squad got out to an 8-4 lead before a successful challenge by Washburn started a six-point rally that swung the set towards the Ichabods at 10-8.
Emporia State was able to tie the set at 13 before kills from Natalie Hedlund and Meats closed out the match.
Washburn ended the day hitting .191 with 59 kills while the Hornets tallied more kills with 63, but were held to .174 hitting as a team. Both sides collected 74 digs while assists went 59-54 in favor of ESU.
Meats tallied 16 kills for a second straight day, hitting .208 with 11 digs for a double-double. Hedlund finished in double figures with 13 kills and hit .270.
Siron finished one kill shy of the first triple-double for Ichabod volleyball in more than 20 years as she slashed nine kills with a team-high 24 assists and added 10 digs.
Tyler also had a double-double with 18 kills and 13 digs while Taylor Rottinghaus scooped 17 digs.
Emporia State was led by 15 kills from Lavra Krizanic and 47 assists by Brailee Bogle.
