The Central Missouri Jennies volleyball squad kept their season alive with a 3-0 upset of third-seeded Washburn in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday afternoon in Emporia, Kan.
The sixth-seeded Jennies (29-9) took the season series as both teams won on their home floor during conference play. Central Missouri didn’t make a single substitution in the match and the strategy by Head Coach Peggy Martin paid off as the Jennies controlled throughout the day.
UCM took the first set 25-18, using a 9-0 run after being down 7-4 to start. They hit .243 while the Lady Blues committed eight errors to hit only .050 in the set.
Washburn had an 18-17 lead in the second set before the Jennies used another run to take control. This time it was a 9-3 spurt to close the set, giving UCM a 25-21 win and a commanding lead in the match. Central Missouri had 15 kills in the set and the Lady Blues hit only .146 with seven errors.
The Jennies ran away in set three with a 25-15 match-clinching performance. They had only two errors and hit .257 while the Lady Blues had eight attacking miscues and logged only a .116 hitting percentage.
Central Missouri will face the winner of second-seeded Truman State and seventh-seeded Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
