Washburn University's volleyball team will host the MIAA Spring Tournament Friday and Saturday at Lee Arena. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn volleyball team will host the Spring MIAA Volleyball Tournament Friday and Saturday at Lee Arena, with the Ichabods opening their tournament bid with a 1 p.m. Friday match against Northwest Missouri State.
Washburn will take a 13-4 overall record and 5-3 MIAA mark into its opening match while Northwest Missouri is 12-2, 6-2.
The tournament will get under way at 11 a.m. Friday, with Central Oklahoma (5-4, 5-3) facing Fort Hays State (3-9, 0-8) at 11 a.m. on Court 1 and Newman (3-14, 1-7) facing Pittsburg State (5-9, 3-5) on Court 2.
Washburn will face Northwest Missouri at 1 o'clock on Court 1 while Emporia State (2-12, 2-6) will take on Missouri Western (2-6, 2-6) on Court 2.
Top North Division seed Nebraska-Kearney (13-3, 7-1) will face the Newman-Pittsburg State winner at 3 o'clock on Court 1 while Missouri Southern (6-11, 5-3) will take on the Central Oklahoma-Fort Hays State winner on Court 2.
No. 1 South Division seed Central Missouri (10-3, 8-0) will close out Friday's schedule at 5 o'clock on Court 1 against the winner of the Emporia State-Missouri Western match.
The tournament semifinals will be played at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, followed by the championship match at 4 o'clock.
NO. 15 ICHABOD GOLF CLOSING OUT REGULAR SEASON
Coming off a team championship in last week's Mules Invitational, Washburn University's No. 15-ranked Ichabods golf team is closing out its regular season in the NSU Classic at the Muskogee (Okla.) Country Club.
Washburn golf team was tied for sixth place as a team after a shortened first day of the tournament on Monday due to lightning in the area.
The tournament is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning, with competitors finishing up their last few holes in the second round, before beginning the third and final round.
All of the Ichabods got through the first 15 holes of the second round, with senior Andrew Beckler ending the day tied for 12th, going 5 under par in the first round and sitting 3 over par through 15 holes in the second round.
Jackson Wexler currently sits at 19th place with a first round score of 69 and a 2-over-par score in the second round.
The NSU Classic, hosted by WU's MIAA opponent, Northeastern State, while MIAA schools Central Missouri, Missouri Western, Lincoln, Newman and Rogers State are also in the field, along with Winona State, Bemidji State, Minnesota State-Mankato, and Bemidji State of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, Harding, Southwestern Oklahoma State, Southeastern Oklahoma State, Southern Arkansas, Henderson State, Oklahoma Baptist, Arkansas-Monticello, Southern Nazarene and Northwestern Oklahoma State of the Great American Conference, Seminole State College of the NJCAA and Oral Roberts of the Division I Summit League.
Washburn won last week's 23-team Mules Invitational last Monday and Tuesday while former Washburn Rural state champion Beckler tied for first place in the 119-person field and finished third in a playoff with an even-par 54-hole total of 210 (71-69-70).
DICU HONORED BY MIAA
Washburn junior Raul-Alin Dicu was named the MIAA Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week of the North Division, the conference office announced this afternoon. This is the second time Dicu earned the accolade this season and the third time in his career.
The No. 17-ranked Ichabods took a 6-1 win over Bethel College Sunday, bouncing back from a 4-0 loss to Southern Arkansas in their first watch of the weekend.
With the win over the Threshers Washburn improved to 10-3 on the season.
Washburn will host an exhibition match against Cowley County Community College on Thursday at 1 p.m. at Washburn Tennis Complex before closing out the season against MIAA foe Northwest Missouri on April 24 at 1 p.m.
Washburn catcher Kros Bay applies the tag at home against Emporia State last Saturday at Falley Field. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
WU BASEBALL TO HOST ROGERS STATE
Coming off a 2-1 series win over Emporia State, Washburn's baseball team will take on MIAA foe Rogers State for the first time in program history Friday and Saturday at Falley Field.
The Ichabods (10-17 overall, 9-12 in the MIAA) split last Saturday's doubleheader against Emporia State, bouncing back from a 13-10 first-game loss before closing out the series victory with a 5-4 come-from-behind win.
Tyler Clark-Chiapparelli drove in the tying and winning runs for the Ichabods in the second-game win while Zach Philbin picked up his first career win over the Ichabods and Joel Casillas picked up his first save.
Peter Shearer had a pair of homers on the day for WU.
LANE SETS POLE VAULT MARK
For the second week in a row Washburn's Peyton Lane set the school record in the men's pole vault, posting a second-place finish in the Wichita State open while recording an NCAA provisional mark of 4.87 meters (15 feet, 11.75 inches), topping his previous mark of 4.80 meters.
The Ichabods will be back in action next week at the KT Woodman Combined on Wednesday and Thursday in Wichita and the UCM Relays on Friday.
