Skyhawks soar above Cardinals
BY EMILY SCHERESKY
Intern
The Washburn Cardinals met their match at home hosting the Shiloh Christian Skyhawks on Oct. 16. The first set started off aggressively for the Cardinals, keeping up with Shiloh’s quick pace. However, after a few unsuccessful plays, Washburn started to slip behind the Skyhawks. The Cardinals fought back to try and level out the gap, but to no avail. The set would end 9-25 in Shiloh’s favor.
Washburn wasn’t ready to give up just yet, and the Cards came back with more energy in the second set. A kill by sophomore Madelyn Jennings brought the score to 7-8, keeping the set neck and neck. After a few kills by Shiloh, they began to pull away once again. A kill by freshman Ginger Goven prevented the Cardinals from giving up the set, but Shiloh was able to pull off the win 19-25.
Set three was Washburn’s last chance to take control, and they did in the beginning. The entire first half of the set was dominated by aggressive kills and blocks as well as strategic ball placements. Washburn was ahead 15-12 when freshman Olivia Retterath sent a tip into a far corner, out of Shiloh’s reach.
The set began to slip out of the Cardinals’ hands once Shiloh regrouped. A few kills in a row gave the Skyhawks a better chance to get ahead, and after an ace, they were pushing past the Cardinals 17-20. Washburn battled with a kill by Jennings, but after some communication errors, the Cardinals let their guard down and lost the third and final set 20-25.
