Women's Volleyball 11/12/2025 9:00:00 AM

No. 7 Bronchos End Season With Two Tough Road Tests

UCO Faces No. 24 Emporia State and No. 8 Washburn On Consecutive Nights

No. 7-ranked Central Oklahoma heads to Kansas this weekend to conclude the regular season with two huge MIAA road matches.

The Bronchos, 25-3 on the season and 11-3 in league play, go to Emporia, Kansas Thursday for a 6 p.m. meeting against No. 24 Emporia State (20-5, 11-3) before moving to Topeka, Kansas to take on No. 8 Washburn (22-3, 11-3) at 6 p.m. Friday in the season finale.

No. 16 Missouri Western leads the crowded conference standings at 12-2, while UCO, Emporia, Washburn and No. 5 Nebraska-Kearney are tied for second at 11-3 heading into the final weekend.

The eight-team MIAA Volleyball Championship is set for Nov. 20-22 in St. Joseph, Mo. The winner of that event earns the league's automatic berth into the 64-team NCAA Division II national tournament that starts with eight, eight-team regionals Dec. 4-6.

"It's obviously an important road trip for us with a lot at stake," head coach Edgar Miraku said. "We have a lot of great teams in our conference and there are a bunch of big head-to-head meetings this week.

"We just have to worry about ourselves and what we can control, which is playing to the best of our ability. It's going to be a big challenge, but our players are looking forward to it."

ABOUT THE BRONCHOS: UCO is riding a six-match winning streak after closing the home schedule last weekend with a sweep of Newman and a hard-fought five-set victory over Pittsburg State.

The Bronchos have reached the 25-win mark for the third straight season and the eighth time under 13th-year head coach Edgar Miraku, who is 327-96 for his career.

Three players have 200-plus kills to spearhead UCO's balanced offensive attack.

Senior Mikiah Perdue leads the way with 270 kills (2.87/set) and a .291 attack percentage. She also tops the team in solo (28) and assisted (55) blocks.

Sydney Huck has racked up 243 kills despite having missed six matches to injury. She leads the MIAA in both kills (3.92) and points (4.23) per set.

The senior outside hitter ranks 10th in career kills at UCO with 1,376, needing 12 more for ninth and 30 for eighth on that list. She's had 10-plus kills in 74 matches during her stellar career.

Senior Kedron Burk is right at 200 kills on the season (2.56/set) with a .284 attack percentage. She's also second in solo (20) and assisted (38) blocks.

Lindsey Houran has directed UCO's potent offensive attack from her setter post. She leads the league and ranks sixth nationally in assists per set with 11.45 and is eighth in Division II in total assists with 1,042.

The senior standout is just the third player in school history to have four 1,000-plus assists in a season and ranks third in career assists with 4,934. Houran has had 40-plus assists in 57 matches during her sensational career.

Kaitlyn Parrott is one of the top defensive players in Division II, entering the week ranking fifth in digs per set (5.85) and seventh in total digs (550). She's had 13 matches with 20-plus digs this season.

ABOUT THE HORNETS: Emporia State knocked off Nebraska-Kearney on the road in its last outing and is enjoying its best season in several years.

The Hornets are led by Nyia Anderson, who has 272 kills (3.09/set) along with 268 digs and 24 total blocks. Laura Krizanic has collected 197 kills (2.56/set), 166 digs and 45 total blocks, while Emma Klett has 172 kills (2.53/set).

UCO owns a 24-12 lead in the series and has won the last eight meetings between the two teams.

ABOUT THE ICHABODS: Washburn has made 18 Division II national tournament appearances in the 2000s, including last year when the Bronchos won a five-set battle in the semifinals of the Central Regional.

The Ichabods lead the MIAA and are fourth nationally with a .294 hitting percentage and feature the top two hitters in Division II.

Bella Limback is first nationally at .472 with 162 kills along with 95 blocks, while Alex Dvorak is second at .462 with 137 kills and 73 blocks. Austin Broadie is hitting .334 with a team-high 273 kills to go with 52 blocks.

Washburn has a 17-15 lead in the series with UCO, though the Bronchos have won the last four meetings.

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Players Mentioned

#1 Lindsey Houran: S; 5' 8"; Senior

#14 Sydney Huck: OH; 5' 10"; Senior

#9 Kaitlyn Parrott: DS/L; 5' 5"; Junior

#15 Mikiah Perdue: MB; 5' 9"; Senior

#3 Kedron Burk: MB; 6' 2"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#1 Lindsey Houran
: 5' 8"; Senior
: S

#14 Sydney Huck
: 5' 10"; Senior
: OH

#9 Kaitlyn Parrott
: 5' 5"; Junior
: DS/L

#15 Mikiah Perdue
: 5' 9"; Senior
: MB

#3 Kedron Burk
: 6' 2"; Senior
: MB