FIRST SERVE …
>> After a five match road swing, No. 4 Washburn volleyball (15-2, 7-2 MIAA) returns home to continue this week's challenging schedule as the Ichabods will face two more opponents ranked in the top-15 nationally. Washburn will take on No. 9 Central Missouri (13-5, 7-2 MIAA) on Friday, Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. before facing No. 14 Northwest Missouri (13-4, 6-3 MIAA) the following day. First serve against the Bearcats in Lee Arena is slated for 3 p.m.
QUICK HITS …
>> In the MIAA standings, Washburn is tied for second place alongside Central Missouri.
>> Nebraska-Kearney leads the conference with an unblemished record and Northwest Missouri is sitting in third place right behind WU and UCM.
>> The Ichabods are 6-1 when playing in Lee Arena this season.
>> Under Coach Herron, the Ichabods are 40-20 when playing ranked opponents at home in Lee Arena.
LAST TIME OUT …
>> The Ichabods were shut out by undefeated No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney (18-0, 9-0 MIAA) in Kearney, Neb., on Oct. 15.
>> Washburn's only two losses of the season have been against UNK, both by the score of 3-0.
>> Genna Berg recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 14 kills, 13 digs.
>> Faith Rottinghaus made 32 digs, a season-high for the team so far this year.
>> Allison Sadler knocked down her 100th career kill.
ICHABOD LEADERS IN THE MIAA …
>> As a team, Washburn ranks in the top-five in every statistics category in the MIAA except one.
>> The Ichabods lead the league in assists/set (13.09), kills/set (14.27), and service aces/set (1.56).
>> They also lead in holding their opponents to the lowest average in assists/set and kills/set.
>> Several Ichabods are ranked in the top-10 throughout the conference statistics list.
>> Berg has the second-best kills/set average in the league with 3.84.
>> Kelsey Gordon and Sydney Fitzgibbons are in the top-10 for hitting percentage. Gordon is hitting .317 (seventh) and Fitzgibbons holds a .303 attacking percentage (ninth).
>> Taylor Antonowich leads the conference with 0.42 service aces/set.
>> Sadler is second in assists/set, averaging 11.02.
>> Gordon and Allison Maxwell are back-to-back on the top-10 blocks list, as Gordon is averaging 0.89 blocks/set while Maxwell is at 0.83/set for sixth and seventh, respectively.
>> Rottinghaus is third in digs/set with 5.40.
NATIONAL RANKS …
>> Washburn volleyball has been ranked in the AVCA Top-25 Poll for the past 17-straight rankings, dating back to Sept. 17, 2018. The team has also been in the top-five for the entirety of this season.
>> The Ichabods are 10th in the nation in kills/set, 16th in assists/set, and 18th in opponent hitting percentage.
>> Washburn is also tied for ninth in winning percentage (.882).
>> Sadler's assists/set average is the 17th-best in all of Division II.
HEAD COACH CHRIS HERRON …
>> Chris Herron is in his 18th season leading the Washburn volleyball program and holds an overall record of 519-105 and is 243-61 in MIAA matches.
>> He has won 594 matches as a collegiate head coach (combined record between Washburn and Benedictine) and is six victories away from 600.
>> Herron's career collegiate winning percentage of .817 is seventh-best among active Division II coaches and is 18th-best all-time in D-II.
>> Herron is 16-21 against UCM and 32-4 when playing NWMSU.
>> He also holds a record of 40-20 when playing ranked teams in Lee Arena.
MILESTONE TRACKER …
>> Antonowich needs 27 more digs to reach 500 in her career.
>> Rottinghaus is 54 digs away from 1,600 and needs 34 more to move up to sixth all-time in the Washburn record books.
>> Sadler needs 38 more assists to reach 1,800 in her career.
>> Montgomery is chasing 900 career kills and is currently 19 away.
>> Berg is nearing 1,000 kills and is 85 away from the milestone.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION ...
No. 9 Central Missouri Jennies
>> The Central Missouri Jennies are currently 13-5 (7-2 MIAA) and are on a four-match winning streak, dropping just one set during that run.
>> The Jennies have had a difficult schedule this season as this upcoming match against the Ichabods will be their ninth opponent ranked in the top-20 and fourth in the top-five.
>> They have also put in some lengthy matches with five of them going the distance of five sets.
>> As a team, UCM is hitting .242 while holding its opponents to a .174 mark.
>> The Jennies have 964 kills on the season to their opponent's 783.
>> They have landed 105 service aces and average 1.5 per set.
>> Audrey Fisher leads the team in kills (185) and aces (23). She also leads the team and the MIAA in hitting percentage at .381.
>> Setter Ally Offerdahl averages 10.81 assists per set and has 757 so far this year.
>> Hannah Engelken has been a wall at the net, making 66 total blocks.
>> Flip Piontek is in his 11th season as the Jennies' head coach and 34th year with the program after spending time as their assistant coach. Since 2009, he holds a record of 293-69.
>> UCM leads the all-time series 53-17.
>> The two teams split the series last year as the Ichabods won 3-1 in Warrensburg (Sept. 22, 2018) and then were swept in Lee Arena (Oct. 27, 2018).
No. 14 Northwest Missouri Bearcats
>> The Northwest Missouri Bearcats are currently 13-4 (6-3 MIAA) and have lost three of their last four matches. The team will take on Emporia State on Friday, Oct. 18 before coming to Topeka the following afternoon.
>> The Bearcats are hitting .242 and limiting their opponents to a .169 attacking percentage.
>> NWMSU is averaging 12.7 assists/set and 14.1 kills/set.
>> Heavy hitter Hallie Sidney leads the league in number of kills and kills/set as she has registered 247 for an average of 4.12 per set. Her kill/set average is also the 15th-best in Division II.
>> Maddy Ahrens has set up the offense for success as she averages 11.05 assists/set and has dished out 707 this season. She has been named the MIAA Specialist of the Week four times this season. She also leads the team with 22 aces.
>> Defensively, Hannah Koechl leads the team in digs (239) and Bethan Elkins leads the team with 58 total blocks. Elkins also has a team-high .359 attacking percentage with 155 kills on 343 swings.
>> Amy Woerth is in her eighth season leading the Bearcats.
>> Washburn is 48-20 all-time against Northwest Missouri and has won 14 of the last 16 matches.
