UCO Heads To Kansas For Weekend Matches

Central Oklahoma wraps up a Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association road swing this weekend with a trip to Kansas for two matches on back-to-back nights.

The Bronchos, 16-9 overall and 8-7 in league play, go to Topeka Friday for a 6 p.m. contest against No. 4-ranked Washburn (20-2, 12-2) before moving on to Emporia to take on Emporia State (5-17, 1-13) at 7 p.m. Saturday.

UCO is fifth in the conference standings with five matches remaining. The top eight teams advance to the MIAA Postseason Tournament, set for Nov. 21-23 in Kansas City, Mo.

ABOUT THE BRONCHOS: UCO dropped a tough five-set decision at Missouri Southern Tuesday to start off its three-match road trip.

The Bronchos are led by senior Dominique Lipari, who is putting together one of the best back-row defensive seasons in school history. She tops NCAA Division II in digs per set with 6.72 and is second in total digs with 591, which ranks eighth on the school's single-season list.

Lipari has had 20-plus digs in 17 of UCO's 25 matches, with five of 30-plus. She's had 72 digs in the last two outings, collecting 33 last Saturday in a win over Fort Hays State and a career-high 39 in Tuesday's loss to MSSU.

Freshman Amanda Desch continues to rank No. 1 nationally in triple-doubles, having reached double digits in kills, assists and digs seven times this season. She leads the Bronchos in kills (212), assists (509) and blocks (43) while ranking second in digs (280).

Three other youngsters have at least 170 kills – freshman Courtney Lane (197), sophomore Lauren Jenkins (172) and freshman Bailey Combs (170), with Combs hitting a team-high .280. Lane and Desch have each had 10 matches with 10-plus kills this year.

ABOUT THE ICHABODS: Washburn's only two losses this season have been to unbeaten and No. 2-ranked Nebraska-Kearney. The Ichabods swept UCO in Edmond on Oct. 5 in this year's first meeting and have a 13-9 lead in the series.

Genna Berg has a team-high 277 kills for WU, ranking second in the MIAA with 3.74 per set. Allison Maxwell is hitting .305 with 198 kills and 61 blocks, Kelsey Gordon has 178 kills with 67 blocks and Allison Sadler is averaging a league-best 11.09 assists per set.

ABOUT THE HORNETS: Emporia State hosts Newman Friday night before taking on the Bronchos. UCO swept the Hornets in Edmond on Oct. 4 and owns a 17-12 lead in the rivalry.

Yuchen Du leads ESU with 242 kills, while Aliyah Bernard is hitting .323 with 155 kills and Mikayla Simons has 141 kills.

NEXT WEEK: Central closes out its home schedule next weekend, hosting Central Missouri and Northwest Missouri on back-to-back nights.

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Players Mentioned

#15 Amanda Desch: S; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#10 Lauren Jenkins: OH/RS; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#1 Dominique Lipari: DS/L; 5' 1"; Senior

#2 Bailey Combs: RS/OH; 5' 10"; Freshman

#11 Courtney Lane: OH/RS; 6' 0"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#15 Amanda Desch
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: S

#10 Lauren Jenkins
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: OH/RS

#1 Dominique Lipari
: 5' 1"; Senior
: DS/L

#2 Bailey Combs
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: RS/OH

#11 Courtney Lane
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: OH/RS