Game Notes
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The fifth-ranked Lady Blues will begin their 43rd season of volleyball Friday and Saturday at the Midwestern State Hampton Inn-vitational. Friday they'll take on Texas A&M International at 10:30 a.m. and Incarnate Word at 3:30 p.m. Saturday they'll play Nova Southeastern at 10 a.m. and then host school Midwestern State at 12:30 p.m.

Washburn went 32-3 last year and shared the MIAA title with an 18-2 record.  The Lady Blues, under 10th-year coach Chris Herron, will be looking for another strong year and a chance to go to the NCAA tournament for the eighth straight year. They return 12 letterwinners and five starters including five all-region hitters.

Lady Blues earn 27th straight top-10 vote
The Lady Blues have now been in the top 10 in the AVCA national poll 27 straight weeks as they earned a No. 5 spot in this year's preseason poll. They stayed that way all last year being ranked as high as second and as low as ninth throughout the year. They were also in the top 10 every week of the regular season in 2009 after a No. 11 spot in that preseason poll.

Washburn has been in the top 10 in 52 of the last 56 AVCA polls. They have been ranked in the poll every week since the start of the 2004 season and there have only been 10 weeks that they weren't ranked since Chris Herron began in 2002, including his first seven weeks.

Washburn joins three other MIAA schools in this year's preseason poll. Central Missouri is No. 2, Emporia State is No. 18 and Truman is No. 20 in the nation. Future opponent West Florida is No. 19.

Herron begins 10th season of complete turnaround at Washburn
Head coach Chris Herron will begin his 10th season at Washburn 21 victories short of 300 on the Lady Blues bench. Herron inherited a program that had just three winning seasons in its first 13 years as an NCAA II school and member of the MIAA. Right away, Herron turned Washburn into a contender by winning the league in 2002, his first year.

Washburn went .389 in its first 12 years of DII and since then, Herron has led the Lady Blues to an .843 winning percentage, winning at least 26 matches every year. That winning percentage is the highest amongst all MIAA schools since he started.

At 279-52 (.843) in his first nine years, he holds the school records for total victories and winning percentage. He's 354-81 (814) in his career including three years at NAIA Benedictine (Kan.).
Herron started the year seventh with an .814 winning percentage among active NCAA II coaches with at least five years experience. He was 30th in career victories with 279. Herron's winning percentage was 17th amongst all coaches in all divisions with at least five years experience.

Herron's win total is highest in the MIAA. He is the second-highest tenured coach in the MIAA behind
Pittsburg State coach Ibraheem Suberu who has coached the Gorillas for 12 years.

About This Week's Opponents
The Lady Blues will play three opponents they are a combined 4-0 against in series history and one school they have never met.

Texas A&M International will start the year with new head coach Al Givens. The  Dustdevils went 1-25 and 1-11 in the Heartland Conference last year. They were swept in their final seven matches. Junior Jacquelynne Matula returns after leading her team with 2.19 kills per set. She hit .110 in an offense that had just a .082 attack percentage.

Incarnate Word went 9-15 last year and 6-8 and in its first season in the Lone Star Conference. The Cardinals were picked to finish seventh in the LSC this year.  Junior Stephanie Bonura led UIW with 2.38 kills per set and earned all-LSC second team honor.

Nova Southeastern went 8-19 last year and 3-13 in the Sunshine State Conference. The Sharks were picked to finish seventh in this year's SSC poll. Junior Rachel Woodson returns after leading Nova Southeastern with 2.49 kills a set.

Midwestern State, the tournament host, went 15-14 last year and 9-5 in the LSC. The Mustangs were picked fourth in this year's preseason poll. Senior libero Kiara Jordan was named preseason defender of the year in the conference. She had 4.79 digs per set.

The Lady Blues are undefeated against three of the four teams they face this weekend and they have never faced Texas A&M-International. They beat Incarnate Word in 2008 in the only meeting, topped Nova Southeastern in 2007 and defeated Midwestern State in both 2008 and 2009.

Lacy will enter senior year first in career hitting percentage and 53 kills shy of 1,000
With 947 career kills, senior middle hitter Mollie Lacy will enter her final season just 53 kills shy of becoming the 14th member of Washburn's 1,000 kill club. With 228 total blocks, she would then need 72 to join the 1,000 kills/300 blocks club.

Lacy is also at the top of the WU career chart with a .373 attack percentage. Her first three single-season totals are in the top four in school history and she set a school record with a .405 percentage in 2009 to become the only Lady Blue to hit .400 or better. Mandi Cox is second on the career chart with a .326 attack percentage.

Lacy was an honorable mention All-American her sophomore year and she's earned all-MIAA all three years, including first team honors her sophomore and junior year.

Washburn picked second in MIAA preseason poll
The defending MIAA champion Lady Blues were picked second in the preseason MIAA coaches poll released in August by the conference office.

In 2010, the Lady Blues won a school and MIAA record-tying 18 conference games en route to the third league championship in program history. They finished the season 32-3 and qualified for the NCAA tournament for the seventh straight year and eighth time overall under head coach Chris Herron. The Lady Blues advanced to the South Central Region final for the second time in school history.

Washburn trailed Central Missouri in the preseason rankings for the top spot. The Jennies received nine first-place votes with 81 points. Washburn was second with one first-place vote and 73 points. The Lady Blues were followed by Truman with 65 points, Emporia State with 50 points and Pittsburg State with 47 points. Northwest Missouri was sixth with 39 points followed by Missouri Southern with 34 points, Missouri Western with 30 points. Southwest Baptist was ninth with 22 points and Fort Hays State was tenth with nine points.