Alex Eller
ellerag@lopers.unk.edu
Washburn found themselves down by only two at 16-14, after a ball-handling error by the Lopers.
This was as close as the Ichabod’s would get. UNK outside hitter Mary Katherine Wolfe caught fire at the end of the match to help the Lopers pull away and win 25-19.
The junior from Omaha, Ne had five of UNK’s final nine points including two kills to close out the set.ww
The Lopers strong performance was in part due to the high energy they came into the match with.
“Another important factor was getting up early on the hitters to get some good block touches for our defense to pick up. We had great energy in the game and really played well as a team,” Benton said.
With each set win, confidence kept building for UNK.
Set three, showcased the Lopers jumping out early and often on the Ichabod’s. Alison Sadlers serve in the net at 6-6, gave UNK a lead that they carried to the finish.
A surprise in the set and the game was the emergence of Kamryn Schuler. The freshman from Gretna, Ne had seen limited playing time throughout the season but played a key role in the Washburn win.
Schuler had the final kill in UNK’s set three 25-10 victory. On the day she had eight kills and four in the final set.
“Kam had an excellent week of practice and seemed to be ready to contribute going into the weekend,” said UNK Volleyball coach Rick Squiers. “She came up big for us.”
On the road trip, UNK first made a stop at Emporia State on Friday. The Lopers swept the Hornets 3-0. This makes the all-time series against Emporia State 18-0.
“We served well and played very good defense at Emporia. We also did an excellent job taking them out of the things they like to run,” Squier said.
The leader for the Lopers against Emporia State was Emma Benton with seven kills, two blocks, and one ace. Emma has been a player on UNK’s volleyball team
for four years but took a more significant role as a front-row starter this season.
“I believe that with my journey at UNK I’ve had to work on my defense, which includes my blocking. It is very important in my game, by staying involved in long rallies to follow my hitters across the net and stay disciplined by being on time while blocking. We also have a great defense behind our block which allows us to be disciplined, because if we mistime a hitter we can trust that our defense will pick it up,” Benton said.
The Lopers return to action against Newman University (0-11) on Friday, Sept. 27. The game will be broadcast on the radio at 93.1 FM.
