FIRST SERVE …
>> The No. 4 Washburn Ichabod Volleyball team will begin the 2019 campaign at home for the fifth consecutive season as it hosts the Washburn Invitational presented by Topeka Capitol Plaza Hotel and Convention Center from Sept. 6-7.
>> The Ichabods' first match of the season will be against William Jewell on Friday, Sept. 6, at noon. Washburn will later play the final match of the tournament's opening day as it takes on Texas Woman's University at 6 p.m
>> The Ichabods return to Lee Arena the following day for another pair of matches as they are set to face Quincy at 11:30 a.m. before closing out the weekend against Central Washington at 3:30 p.m.
WASHBURN INVITATIONAL …
>> Washburn will host the Washburn Invitational presented by the Topeka Capitol Plaza Hotel and Convention Center on Sept. 6-7, 2019. The event, previously known as the Lady Blues Fall Classic, is in its 12th year and will feature eight teams on two courts in Lee Arena.
>> The tournament will include representatives from four conferences/associations with three teams from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), three teams from the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), and one team from both the Lone Star Conference (LSC) and Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC).
>> The Ichabods hold a 43-1 record when playing in the Washburn Invitational. Their lone loss came in 2017.
>> For a complete tournament schedule and other information regarding the Washburn Invitational, please visit wusports.com.
QUICK HITS …
>> Although the Ichabods lost three seniors from last year's team, Washburn has 12 letterwinners returning.
>> This year's squad will also feature five incoming freshman.
>> The Ichabods were voted as the favorite in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, earning seven first-place votes.
>> Washburn is 35-15 in season openers and 23-6 since joining the NCAA and MIAA in 1989.
>> The Ichabods' No. 4 preseason national ranking marks the 15th time Washburn has started the season in the top-25 in Chris Herron's 18 seasons as head coach.
>> Washburn has been nationally ranked in the top-five to begin the season three times since 2002.
ALL-MIAA RETURNERS …
>> Last season, the Ichabods placed a program-best five players on the All-MIAA first-team.
>> Four of those players will be returning: senior Erica Montgomery and juniors Allison Maxwell, Faith Rottinghaus, and Genna Berg.
RETURNING TEAM LEADERS …
>> The top-three players who led the team in kills last year will return for another round. Montgomery led the Ichabods with 385 kills last year while Maxwell was close behind with 382 kills. Berg recorded 359 kills in 2018.
>> Maxwell notched a team-best 126 total blocks, tied for the most in the MIAA in 2018 and ranking her 35th in the nation.
>> Behind the service line, Taylor Antonowhich landed 36 service aces.
>> A defensive force in the back row, Rottinghaus had 670 digs, which ranked her 21st in all of Division II.
BY THE NUMBERS (2018) …
>> 17th consecutive winning season.
>> Seventh-best attendance in Division II (10, 408)
>> Ranked sixth in the nation in kills (1,846) as well as ninth in assists (1,716) and 20th in digs/set (19.27).
>> Led the MIAA in digs/set (19.59)
>> Had the second-best team percentage in the conference for kills/set (14.22) and blocks/set (2.15).
>> Ranked third in the MIAA in assists/set (13.16), aces/set (1.49), and hitting percentage (.236).
>> 12 players named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.
>> Seven total MIAA Athlete of the Week awards earned between three Ichabods.
FRESH FACES …
>> The Ichabods welcome five true freshman in 2019: Reece Rainey, Kassidy Pfeiffer, Sydney Pullen, Hannah Black, and MaryAna Barnes.
>> Rainey, an outside hitter from Excelsior Springs, Mo., was a three-time first-team All-Conference performer and earned All-State accolades as a senior.
>> Also an outside hitter, Kassidy Pfeiffer comes to the team from Kearney, Mo. She helped her team to back-to-back conference titles and was a three-time All-Conference performer including first team honors in 2018.
>> Sydney Pullen from Shawnee, Kan. is a defensive specialist/libero who earned earned three All-Conference honors including first team accolades as a senior in 2018 and was a four-time recipient of the Mill Valley HS team's Defensive Player of the Year award.
>> Middle hitter Hannah Black, also from Shawnee, Kan., was a three-time letterwinner at Shawnee Mission Northwest HS where she also earned All-Sunflower League accolades each season, claiming first-team honors in 2017 and 2018. She was also named to the Missouri-Kansas All-Tournament Team as junior.
>> Rounding out the freshman five is outside hitter MaryAna Barnes from Gardner, Kan. She garnered All-Conference honors, while twice being named to the All-Tournament team.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION ...
William Jewell Cardinals
>> The Cardinals finished 2018 with a record of 12-20 while going 6-12 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
>> The 2019 squad will have 14 returners after losing just four seniors.
>> Head Coach Carolyn Raynes enters her sixth season at William Jewell.
>> Raynes played for Chris Herron and was a setter for Washburn from 2005-08.
>> Friday's matchup against the Ichabods will be the first match of the new season for both teams.
>> The Ichabods lead the all-time series against the Cardinals, 7-1, and have won the previous six matches.
>> The two teams have never played each other in Lee Arena.
Texas Woman's Pioneers
>> The Pioneers went 18-13 overall last season and tallied a 10-10 record in the Lone Star Conference.
>> TWU returns 10 players from the 2018 squad and will have six seniors.
>> Among the group of seniors is Katy Ranes, who had a standout 2018 season, and was named to the LSC first-team, All-Region first-team, and was an AVCA All-American honorable mention. She led the league in assists (1,329) and also chipped in 63 kills and 58 blocks.
>> Maggie Pyles, also a senior, recorded the second-most kills for the team last season with 315.
>> The Pioneers are led by Jeff Huebner, who is entering his third season.
>> TWU holds a tight 4-3 series lead over WU, and won the last match 3-1 in 2013.
Quincy Hawks
>> Last year, the Quincy Hawks went 12-19, including a 2-16 record in the GLVC.
>> The Hawks return 13 players for the new season.
>> Sarah Brown had the second-most kills for Quincy last season, knocking down 238, and led the team with 77 total blocks.
>> Mark Jones begins his first season at the helm for Quincy.
>> The Ichabods are 5-0 against the Hawks, all of which were shut out matches.
>> Washburn last played Quincy at the Washburn Invitational in 2016.
No. 23 Central Washington Wildcats
>> The Central Washington Wildcats concluded the 2018 season with a 23-6 record, while going 16-4 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference matches. The team reached the NCAA West Regional Semifinal match.
>> Several Wildcats earned postseason accolades for their performance on the court. CWU had five first-team All-GNAC selections, three AVCA All-West Region selections (all of whom are returning in 2019), and three AVCA All-American honorable mention honors.
>> Kyla Morgan, the conference's Defensive Player of the Year, returns for her senior season. She led the team with 596 digs, which amounted to 5.84 digs per set - a number that led the GNAC and ranked 19th nationally.
>> Alongside Morgan, Makala Swart, Gabrielle Aihara, and Bridgette Webb were recently named to the GNAC Preseason All-Conference team after making notable contributions in 2018.
>> Central Washington is led by Mario Andaya who will begin his 24th season with the Wildcats.
>> The Ichabods and Wildcats have faced each other only once before. CWU held on to a close five set win in a neutral site match in 2013.
2018 SEASON REWIND …
>> The Washburn volleyball program completed an historic turnaround season in 2018 as it advanced to the NCAA National Semifinal round and finished with a record of 33-5 (15-3 MIAA). The Ichabods were a force to be reckoned with on the road, going 10-1 in away matches and 12-1 in matches at neutral sites.
>> After winning 18 matches for the whole 2017 season, Washburn put together an incredible 22 match winning streak to start the 2018 campaign that included 13 sweep victories and didn't allow any match to go beyond four games. During the regular season, the Ichabods won four matches against opponents nationally ranked in the top-20, highlighted by defeating the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers, who at the time were ranked as the No. 1 and then No. 2 team in Division II.
>> Heading into the MIAA tournament, Washburn was ranked 10th in the nation and hosted Emporia State in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament. The second-seeded Ichabods swept the rival Hornets, 3-0. Washburn then traveled up to Kearney, Neb., and won 3-1 against No. 16 Central Oklahoma in the semifinal match, earning head coach Chris Herron his 500th career win at Washburn. The conference championship against No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney was a tight match in which Washburn put together an impressive rally after losing the first two games and forced a fifth set, but ultimately fell by the score of 23-25, 20-25, 25-13, 25-21, 14-16.
>> The Ichabods' postseason run continued on to the Central Region tournament as the three-seed for their 14th NCAA tournament appearance in program history. Washburn defeated Northern State in five sets and then swept past Minnesota Duluth in the semifinals. In yet another close five set finals match, Washburn was victorious against Concordia-St. Paul to win the program's second NCAA regional title.
>> Washburn joined seven other teams in Pittsburgh, Pa. for the NCAA National Championship Tournament. The Ichabods carried their momentum from the regional championship match to the national quarterfinal match against Wingate as they downed the Bulldogs 3-0. Advancing to the national semifinal round for just the second time in program history, the Ichabods squared off against a tough University of Tampa team. Washburn narrowly lost the opening set, 25-23, and were unable to recover from the deficit. The 33 Washburn victories was the most wins in a single season since 2009.
>> The Washburn coaching staff was recognized for their strong leadership. Chris Herron was named the AVCA Central Region Coach of the Year for the second time in his career while assistant Lauren Ramatowski became the first Ichabod coach to receive the AVCA/USMC National Assistant Coach of the Year award.
>> In addition to being selected to the All-Region team, Allison Maxwell and Shayla Conner became the 24th and 25th recipients of Washburn to earn All-American accolades as they each earned honorable mention recognition.
