JOPLIN, Mo. — Missouri Southern recognized its seniors on Saturday at Leggett & Platt Athletic Center for Senior Day before falling to Washburn (22-6, 9-3 Mid-America Intercollegiate) 3-0.
The Lions (7-17, 1-10 Mid-America Intercollegiate) dropped the match by set scores of 23-25, 20-25 and 13-25. Missouri Southern totaled 34 kills and hit .148, compared with 43 kills and a .267 hitting percentage for Washburn.
Grace Gardner led MSSU with 12 kills and 18 digs while hitting .357. Brenna Weaver finished with 29 assists, six digs and two block assists. Kasey Goldberg collected 16 digs, while Addysen Alvis added nine kills.
The Lions kept the opening set within reach after falling behind 21-17, using a Hanna Lauterbach kill, a Washburn setting error and a block by Tiana Simmons and Lauterbach to pull within 21-20. Earlier, the Lions traded points through much of the set, with Brenna Weaver, Lauterbach, Kenzie Jones and Addysen Alvis all putting down kills as Missouri Southern tied the score at 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, 9-9, 10-10, 12-12 and 14-14. Washburn moved ahead 17-14 and later 21-17, but Southern answered again when Gardner delivered back-to-back kills from Weaver to tie the set at 22-22. Washburn scored the next two points, and after a service error brought MSSU within 24-23, Washburn closed the set 25-23.
Missouri Southern twice worked back from sizable deficits in the second set, but Washburn held off the pushes to take the set 25-20. After falling behind 6-1, the Lions climbed within 9-7 with kills from Gardner, Tiana Simmons, Brenna Weaver and Addysen Alvis, along with two Washburn errors. Washburn answered with five straight points to move ahead 14-7, and Southern later responded again, cutting a 19-12 gap to 20-18 behind a Brenna Weaver-Jones block, two Jones kills, a Kasey Goldberg kill and back-to-back Alvis kills. Gardner added a late kill to bring MSSU within 22-20, but Washburn scored the final three points to close the set.
Gardner gave Missouri Southern its early offense in the third set, putting down the team's first three points off assists from Brenna Weaver as the home side moved ahead 3-2. Washburn answered with four straight points to take a 6-3 lead, then continued to build separation with blocks and sideout points despite kills from Gardner and Addysen Alvis. The Lions continued to get individual responses, including kills by Hanna Lauterbach, Gardner and Alvis, but Washburn repeatedly sided out and built a 24-12 advantage. Gardner added one more kill from Weaver before Washburn closed the set, 25-13.
The match marked the final home appearance of the season for Missouri Southern's seniors, as the Lions recognized their senior class before Saturday's contest.
