By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Washburn volleyball took the first four points of the match on Friday and never looked back, sweeping Winona State to improve to 2-0 on the season.
Corinna McMullen led Washburn with 19 assists and 11 digs in Friday's sweep over Winona State in the Kansas City Classic. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods will wrap up the Kansas City Classic on Saturday at 11 a.m. in Liberty, Mo. against William Jewell.
Washburn never trailed on the day as the Ichabods hit .407 as a team en route to 25-10, 25-12 and 25-16 set victories over the Warriors (1-1) in the second match of the season.
After taking the first four points of the match the Ichabods kept their foot on the gas.
An ace from Taylor Rottinghaus put Washburn up 8-2 and the lead grew to double digits at 18-8 after a block from Jalyn Stevenson and Alex Dvorak, which was part of a six-point burst for Washburn to go up by 14.
A kill by Brynne Topolski would wrap up the first set and a 15-point victory.
Two kills each early in the second set from Topolski and Emery Keebaugh put Washburn up, 6-3. Winona State pulled within one before the Ichabods tallied four straight points, capped off on another kill from Topolski off a pass from Corinna McMullen.
Washburn strung together three streaks of three consecutive points with the last featuring a solo block by Austin Broadie to put the Ichabods up by double figures once again at 21-11. The Ichabods held the Warriors to a .000 hitting percentage in the second set and it was defense that ended it as Stevenson and Dvorak once again teamed up for a block.
In the third set Washburn once again used an early 4-0 burst to take control early. A kill from Stevenson midway through the set sparked another string of three straight points to go up, 17-11.
The Ichabods hit .429 in the set with 15 kills, but once again it was defense that ended the match as Abby Leaf and Keilah Rivers came off the bench to make the match-clinching block.
While Washburn hit over .400, the Ichabods also held Winona State to just an .028 attacking percentage for the match with 27 kills and 24 errors.
The Ichabods had an edge in assists, 34-26, and a commanding lead in digs, 47-29. They also did not relinquish an ace in the entire match.
Topolski led Washburn with nine kills while hitting .500. Stevenson had eight kills to go along with eight digs and McMullen led the Ichabods in assists and digs with 19 and 11 respectively.
Sidney Paulson paced Winona State as she finished with seven kills while adding eight digs.
