TOPEKA, Kan. --- Washburn volleyball continues its home stand at Lee Arena with a pair of weekend MIAA matches as it host Pittsburg State on Friday (7 pm) before welcoming a streaking No. 8 Central Oklahoma on Saturday (6 pm)
THEY GOT HISTORY
Friday's match-up with the Gorillas will be the 84th meeting all-time while Saturday's clash with the Bronchos will be just the 17 meeting in the series' history ... Washburn leads the Pittsburg State series, 62-21, with a 27-6 mark at home and holds a 16-match win streak dating back to October 10, 2009 ... the Ichabods are 10-6 all-time against Central Oklahoma, including a 7-0 record at Lee Arena.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
The 2017 lineup for the Ichabods features 11 underclassmen including seven true freshmen ... head coach Chris Herron has relied heavily on the younger players with five freshman seeing regular playing time and with just one upperclassman as a regular starter ... going into this weekend's slate of games sophomore Erica Montgomery is the team leader in kills (187) and kills per set (2.88) with freshman Genna Berg registering 163 and 2.67, respectively ... freshman Faith Rottinghaus headlines the list of names for digs (300) and digs per set (4.62) ... Allison Maxwell is second in total blocks (54) and blocks per set (0.96) ... Allison Sadler leads the Ichabod offense with 478 assists (8.85 per set).
GOING TO THE MAX(WELLS)
Allison and Makayla Maxwell (no family relation) have a been force and presence on both sides the net for the Ichabods this season ... the duo have accounted for 257 of Washburn's 812 kills (roughly 32 percent) while causing opponents problems as the team's top blockers ... Makayla (junior) leads the team with 72 blocks (13 solo-59 assisted) with Allison (freshman) following with 54 blocks (10 solo-44 assisted) ... the older Maxwell is also third in the MIAA in blocks and blocks per set (1.13) ... the younger Maxwell is meanwhile is seventh in the MIAA in hitting percentage (.293) and ninth in blocks per set (0.93) ... the title for this section is a reference to the 'The Maxx' from the TV sitcom "Saved by the Bell".
MISS 60
Allison Sadler's 60-assist outing against Central Missouri on Sept. 29 was the first time in nearly nine seasons that a Washburn player distributed 60 or more assists in a single-match ... the last player to accomplish the feat was Kate Hampson with her 63-assist performance at Pittsburg State on Nov. 8, 2008 ... Sadler's outing was also a single-match best thus far this season for the MIAA and tied Carolyn Raynes for the 19th-best single-match performance - Raynes' set her mark on Oct. 8, 2005 ... the Washburn single-match record is 74 set by Nicole Nantz, on Sept. 18, 1999 while at Southwest Baptist.
RECORD WATCH LIST
• Junior Shayla Conner is among the top 25 in Washburn's all-time assists list ... Conner ranks 22nd overall with 562 assists and is 27 assists shy of moving into the top 20 ... Conner has averaged 194 assists over the last two seasons.
• Junior Makayla Maxwell ranks 28th on Washburn's career block chart with 202 ... Maxwell has averaged 65 blocks her in last two seasons.
• Senior Carley Swan currently sits at 21st on the Washburn's block per set chart (0.71), 35th in total blocks (164) and is 47th overall in kills per set (0.97).
• Senior Taylor Selk is 32nd in hitting percentage (.166), 33rd in blocks per set (0.50) and is 35th in total kills (562).
• Freshman Allison Sadler is listed 25th on Washburn career assists rankings with 478.
ACES WILD
After a hot start, the Ichabods have cooled off recently, slipping to fifth in the MIAA and 148th nationally with 75 total service aces ... Jade Hodge's 18 aces is a team-best while being tied for seventh in the MIAA and 197th in Division II.
WEEKLY WRAP-UP
Washburn played three five-set matches last week going 1-2, falling to Emporia State and Lindenwood while upsetting No. 18 Central Missouri.
1,000-WIN CLUB
After starting the 2017 season seven wins shy of 1,000 victories, the Ichabods reached the milestone with a 3-1 victory over Christian Brother (Tenn.) during the Arkansas Tech Invitational on Sept. 15 ... the result made Washburn the 48th program in NCAA volleyball history and 10th Division II member to accomplish the milestone.
AVCA STREAK
The Ichabods began the weekend in the AVCA Coaches' Poll receiving votes categories for the first time since the 2003 season. As a result, Washburn's top 25 streak comes to ends after 178 consecutive polls dating back to the final ranking of 2003. The Ichabods have 200 all-time mentions. The streak ended this season with the AVCA's release of its fourth regular-season poll on Sept. 26.
MIAA PRESEASON POLL
The Ichabods were predicted to finish third in the MIAA after earning 101 points and one first-place vote. Last season's champion Nebraska-Kearney topped the poll with 120 points and 10 first-place votes, while Central Oklahoma came in second with 105 points and also garnered one first-place nod ... WU finished the 2016 season with a 16-2 conference record and run to the conference tournament finals.
TRADITION OF SUCCESS
The Ichabods have made a habit out of appearing in the NCAA tournament, reaching the milestone 13 times in the past 15 seasons under head coach Chris Herron ... Washburn has won five MIAA Championships under Herron and were runners-ups in 2016 ... In the last five seasons, Washburn volleyball has had 12 All-Americans, including three in 2016.
UP NEXT
Washburn will wrap up its home stand as it hosts Southwest Baptist and Missouri Southern on Oct. 13-14, respectively.
