By Kyle Manthe
The Washburn Review
Coming into its second week at the top of the NCAA Division II rankings Washburn University volleyball once again had a target on its back as the Ichabods faced Newman University Friday night at Lee Arena.
Ever since the team took control of the top spot Washburn coach Chris Herron has made sure the focus is always on the next match.
“What’s the difference between one and two or four or six, you’re still going to have that target on your back,” said Herron on the team's ability to keep a high energy level.
The Ichabods defeated the Jets in three sets, 25-12, 25,19, 25-12, moving to 13-1 on the season and a perfect 5-0 in MIAA play. While the team ran into some turbulence in the second set, they were able to keep the Jets grounded for the night.
Washburn senior Allison Maxwell celebrates a kill in Friday's 3-0 MIAA sweep of Newman at Lee Arena. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/The Washburn Review]
The first set began back and forth before Washburn was able to break away in the middle of the set and ultimately bring it to a close, getting contributions from all around the front line with five players recording at least two kills in the first set.
“We have a lot of offensive weapons, so our setter has some easy choices sometimes,” said Herron.
The second set was where Newman presented the biggest challenge for the Ichabods. Errors on the part of Washburn and opportunistic play from the Jets allowed the set to remain close before the Ichabods took three of the last four points.
“I thought that they (Newman) started to dig more balls in the second set, even though we won the rallies just the fact that sometimes you hit a ball and it's not going down sometimes kids get into their own heads,” said Herron.
The focus was readjusted and paid off as the Ichabods came out strong in the second set, winning the first seven points on its way to a 22-7 advantage before closing out the set and match.
Washburn celebrates a point during Friday's 3-0 MIAA win over Newman at Lee Arena. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/The Washburn Review]
“I think we had known that we were making a lot of mistakes in the first and second sets so we were like, 'Let's try to minimize those and really focus,' ” said senior middle hitter Allison Maxwell.
Freshman outside hitter Jalyn Stevenson led Washburn with nine kills while recording a .474 hitting percentage. Maxwell and senior Sydney Fitzgibbons each added eight kills in a balanced offensive effort that featured five attackers with at least seven kills.
Senior setter Allison Sadler finished the night with 34 assists while senior libero Faith Rottinghaus paced the team with 14 digs, showcasing the strong defensive play in the front row.
Former Washburn Rural standout Abby Borough finished the match with three kills and two digs and former Highland Park Scot Imani Jones recorded two kills.
MATCH RESULTS
Washburn def. Newman, 25-12, 25-18, 25-12.
