By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 15-ranked Washburn University volleyball returned home Friday, posting a 3-0 MIAA sweep over Arkansas-Fort Smith in Lee Arena.
Freshman Hayden Meats (12) led Washburn with 15 kills in Friday's 3-0 MIAA sweep over Arkansas-Fort Smith. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods will finish out the two-game homestand against Northeastern State on Saturday at 2 p.m. for the first ever meeting between the two teams on the volleyball court.
Washburn (13-3 overall, 2-1 MIAA) got in front early to take the first set 25-19 and came-from-behind to win each of the next two sets, 25-22 and 25-21, completing the sweep.
The offense clicked early, with the Ichabods leading 9-4 after Hayden Meats took a pass from Lauren Tyler to the floor for a kill.
After the Lions (13-4, 2-2) battled back to within two points, Washburn launched a 5-0 run, starting with a kill from Natalie Hedlund to go up 15-8. Both sides traded points the rest of the way with the Ichabods winning 25-19.
Arkansas-Fort Smith scored the first three points in the second set and pushed the lead to four points at 9-5.
Shortly after, a 4-0 rally by Washburn put the hosts back in front 11-10 after Emma Siron knocked down a kill.
The Ichabods stayed in front until the Lions scored three straight points to tie the set up at 21. After the score was knotted at 22, Meats slashed a kill that started a 3-0 run to end the set.
Just like the second set, the Lions scored the first three points in the third set.
This time the Ichabods quickly re-took the lead before a four-point rally from Arkansas-Fort Smith put it in front, 13-10.
The lead stayed in the visitors' hands until Washburn scored three straight points to lead 19-17 after a kill from Siron. The Ichabods would finish the match out with four straight points, including kills from Meats and Brynne Topolski and an ace by Taylor Rottinghaus to close out the match.
The Ichabods finished the match hitting .287 as a team with 54 kills while holding the Lions to .179 and 32 kills in the three sets. Digs went 69-51 in favor of the home team as did assists, 50-31.
Meats led the way offensively with 15 kills while hitting .519. Topolski had 14 kills and hit .542 while Hedlund added 11 kills.
Rottinghaus scooped up 23 digs from the back row and served a pair of aces. Shannon Frakes and Tyler split the setting duties with 21 assists each while Tyler scooped 10 digs for a double-double.
Lydia Pitts landed a team-high 11 kills for Arkansas-Fort Smith.
