TOPEKA, Kan. -- No. 2 Washburn closes out the regular season at home this weekend hosting Missouri Western and No. 5 Northwest Missouri. Both matches will begin at 6 p.m. in Lee Arena.
FIRST SERVE …
>> Ten Ichabod seniors will be recognized on the court at the conclusion of Saturday's match.
>> The Ichabods have won five in a row and are 24-3 (16-2 MIAA).
>> The Griffons have lost four of their last five matches and hold a record of 14-13 (6-12 MIAA). Missouri Western is 2-7 when playing on the road this season.
>> The Bearcats are coming off three sweep victories last week and are now 22-4 (15-3 MIAA) on the year. They have gone 8-1 in true road matches this season.
>> Washburn faced both of these teams earlier this season, falling at Northwest Missouri in five sets on Oct. 15 and then posting a sweep at Missouri Western the following day.
>> The Ichabods are 12-1 in Lee Arena this season.
QUICK HITS …
>> The Ichabods have won five MIAA regular season titles all under Herron - 2002, 2005, 2010, 2011, and 2013.
>> Washburn shared the regular season title with Central Missouri in 2010, 2011, and 2013.
>> Should the Ichabods win both matches this weekend and Central Missouri win its match on Thursday, the two teams will be Co-MIAA regular season champions again.
>> This season, Washburn has gone 9-1 on Friday matches and 10-1 on Saturdays.
>> As a team, Washburn leads the MIAA in nine of its 12 statistical categories and is ranked in the top-three nationally in kills per set (15.17 kills/set - first in DII), assists per set (13.79 assists/set - second in DII), and hitting percentage (.304 percent - second in DII).
>> The Ichabods also hold their opponents to a conference-low .134 hitting percentage as well as the lowest in opponent assists (9.54 assists/set), kills (10.54 kills/set), service aces (0.80 aces/set), and blocks (1.37 blocks/set).
>> Allison Maxwell (.450) and Sydney Fitzgibbons (.422) are the only two hitters in the MIAA who currently hold an attacking percentage above .400. The next closest hitter is Anna Squiers from Nebraska-Kearney who is hitting .374 on the year.
MIAA SETTER OF THE WEEK …
>> Allison Sadler was named the MIAA Setter of the Week on Nov. 8 for the third time this season after she set up an offense that hit .386 and averaged 14.57 kills per set in road victories last week.
>> She averaged 11.00 assists per set and closed out the week with a .478 setting percentage.
>> In the four set win at Pittsburg State, she finished with 49 assists, nine digs, four kills on five attempts, one ace, and one block.
>> Washburn has had at least one player win MIAA Athlete of the Week honors in six of the 10 weeks this season.
>> Faith Rottinghaus has been the MIAA Defensive AOTW four times, Sadler has been the Setter AOTW three times, Maxwell is a two-time Offensive AOTW, and Genna Berg won the very first Offensive AOTW award.
COACH CHRIS HERRON …
>> Chris Herron is in his 20th year leading Washburn and holds a record of 555-110 (.835) while going 270-63 in MIAA play.
>> Herron has led Washburn to five MIAA titles and 15 trips to the NCAA Tournament since taking over the program.
>> He has coached at least one All-American in every year but 2002 and 2017 season.
>> Against Missouri Western, he is 30-4.
>> When coaching against Northwest Missouri, Herron holds a record of 32-5.
>> In three set matches, his teams have gone 371-42.
IN THE RANKINGS …
>> The Ichabods moved up one spot for the second straight week to No. 2 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll.
>> Washburn has been ranked in the top-five in 25 of the last 26 official polls (excluding the 2021 spring season), dating back to the final rankings of 2018. The Ichabods were ranked No. 8 in this fall's preseason poll.
>> Washburn was atop the AVCA national poll for four weeks and prior to this season, WU had never been ranked No. 1 before.
>> Washburn held down the No. 2 spot for the first three weeks of the 2008 season and then again in the seventh week during the 2010 season.
>> The MIAA continues to be well-represented in the nationall poll as Central Missouri checks in at No. 4, Northwest Missouri is No. 5, and Nebraska-Kearney is No. 12.
>> The second edition of the NCAA regional rankings were released on Wednesday, Nov. 10 with Washburn moving up one place to No. 3 on the list. Eight of the top-10 teams in the final Central Region rankings will advance to the NCAA Tournament.
MIAA POSTSEASON PICTURE …
>> The top-eight teams in the final conference standings will compete in the MIAA Tournament Nov. 16, 19, and 20. The quarterfinal match will be hosted by the top-four seeds and the semifinals and championship match will be played on the campus of the highest remaining seed.
>> Washburn has already clinched a place as one of the top-four teams and will host the MIAA Tournament quarterfinal match on Tuesday, Nov. 16.
>> Central Missouri received its second conference loss of the season last weekend, fallling to Nebraska-Kearney. UCM defeated Central Oklahoma on Tuesday evening to move to 17-2 in MIAA play and will close out the regular season on Thursday against Newman.
>> Northwest Missouri is currently third with a 15-3 MIAA mark.
>> Nebraska-Kearney sits in fourth at 13-5 MIAA and Central Oklahoma rounds out the teams who have clinched with a 12-8 conference record.
>> Pittsburg State (8-10 MIAA), Missouri Western (6-12 MIAA), and Fort Hays State (6-12 MIAA) are currently the top-eight teams with Newman (5-14 MIAA) on the bubble.
LAST TIME OUT …
>> Washburn posted two road victories last week with a 3-1 win at Pittsburg State and a sweep at Missouri Southern.
>> After dropping the first set, Washburn went on to win in four against the Gorillas, 22-25, 25-12, 25-14, and 25-20.
>> Allison Maxwell led the way offensively and defensively as she hit .600 with 14 kills and made five blocks.
>> The Ichabods cruised to a 25-8, 25-8, and 25-10 sweep at Missouri Southern.
>> WU recorded its second-highest hitting percentage of the season at .486 while MSSU had a .025 hitting percentage. The Ichabods also led in kills, 41-16, and in digs, 40-18.
>> Four Ichabods had seven or more kills and hit above .429, led by Berg's nine kills on 11 swings with zero errors for an .818 attacking percentage.
>> All 18 available Washburn players got into the match.
TEAM LEADERS …
>> Genna Berg: Leads the team with 330 kills and is second in the MIAA with 3.59 kills per set. She has recorded double-figure kills in 19 of the 27 matches played.
>> Allison Maxwell: Has hammered down 292 kills this year and is third in the nation with a .450 hitting percentage. She is also second in the conference with 1.10 blocks per set and 3.17 kills per set ranks ninth in the league.
>> Faith Rottinghaus: Averages 6.49 digs per set (third in Division II) and has 597 total digs (eighth in Division II). She has had 20 or more digs in 17 matches.
>> Kelsey Gordon: Is third on the team with 222 kills and fifth in the MIAA with a .350 hitting percentage. She has 21 multi-block matches.
>> Jalyn Stevenson: Leads the team with 26 service aces. Hit .500 against Pittsburg State with nine kills and zero errors.
>> Allison Sadler: Has recorded a team-best seven double-doubles. She is third in the league with 10.63 assists per set and is second on the team with 2.32 digs per set.
>> Sydney Fitzgibbons: Is second in the conference and eighth in the nation with a .422 attacking percentage. She has hit .400 or better in 19 matches this fall and has not committed more than three errors in any match this season. She hit .421 against Pittsburg State with nine kills.
MILESTONE TRACKER …
>> Berg currently has 1,445 career kills and will pass Dani McHenry to move up to No. 7 on the all-time kills list in 47 more kills.
>> Stevenson needs four kills and 11 more digs to reach 200 in both categories this season.
>> Gordon needs 29 more kills to eclipse 700 total.
>> In 30 more kills, Fitzgibbons will have 300 in her career.
>> Rottinghaus is second on the program's all-time career digs list with 2,440 in her time as an Ichabod. She needs 24 to surpass Erica Cowhick (2004-07), who holds the program's record with 2,464.
>> She is also six service aces away from 100 in her career.
>> Antonowich is four digs shy of 800 career digs.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION ...
Missouri Western Griffons
>> The Griffons are just above .500 with an overall record of 14-13 and have gone 6-12 in MIAA play. They have lost four of their last five matches.
>> The team is hitting .195 and averages 12.1 kills per set.
>> Ali Tauchen leads the Griffon offense with 2.68 kills per set and is 11th in the league with a .287 hitting percentage. She is also second on the team with 62 total blocks.
>> Allie Kerns is right behind with 2.63 kills per set.
>> Jenna Boland has done a majority of the setting for MWSU and averages 8.42 assists per set.
>> Hailey Crane has landed a team-high 35 service aces and averages 3.04 digs per set.
>> In the front row, Danielle Moje has recorded 74 total blocks with 22 solo stops to lead the team.
>> Marian Carbin is in her ninth year leading the Griffons and has a 133-89 career record at Missouri Western.
>> Although Washburn has won the last four meetings, Missouri Western holds a slight edge in the all-time series, 47-44.
>> Washburn is 23-7 when playing the Griffons in Topeka.
Northwest Missouri Bearcats
>> The Bearcats rolled to three sweep victories last week at home versus Missouri Southern, Central Oklahoma, and Newman. NWMSU is now 22-4 (15-3 MIAA).
>> Northwest Missouri has faced six teams ranked in the top-15 this fall and have gone 3-3. Three of those matches went to five sets.
>> NWMSU is fourth in the conference with a .252 hitting percentage and its 14.72 kills per set ranks second in the league.
>> Payton Kirchhoefer leads the MIAA with 3.83 kills per set and is 15th in the nation with 368 total kills. She has had 21 matches with double-figure kills, including two matches with 26 kills and a pair of 23 kill matches.
>> Kelsey Havel contributes 3.23 kills per set, which ranks seventh in the conference, and 3.01 digs per set.
>> Setter Alyssa Rezac is second in the MIAA and fifth in the nation with 11.54 assists/set. She also averages 2.61 digs per set and has made 21 blocks.
>> Hannah Koechl is seventh in the league with 4.64 digs per set.
>> Northwest Missouri has recorded a league-best 167 service aces and Koechl and Rachel Sturdevant have both landed 32 apiece this season.
>> Amy Woerth is in her 10th year as the head coach and holds a record of 149-111.
>> These two programs first played in 1976 and Washburn leads the all-time series, 50-21.
>> WU holds a record of 25-4 when playing at home against NWMSU.
LAST TIME AGAINST ...
Missouri Western Griffons
>> Washburn rang up a sweep at Missouri Western on Oct. 16 by the set scores of 27-25, 25-20, and 25-10.
>> The Ichabods hit .290 in the match while the Griffons finished with a .075 attacking percentage. WU also led in kills, 53-28, and in digs, 82-63.
>> Berg led all players with 18 kills.
>> Maxwell hammered down a dozen kills and Fitzgibbons chipped in 10 with both middle blockers hitting over .430.
>> During the match, Sadler became the fifth player in program history to eclipse 3,000 career assists. She finished with 42 assists on the night.
>> Hendrix landed 10 kills to lead Missouri Western.
Northwest Missouri Bearcats
>> The Ichabods lost a tough five-set battle in Maryville on Oct. 15, 25-20, 28-26, 27-25, 15-25, and 7-15.
>> The Bearcats held the Ichabods to a season-low hitting percentage of .187, marking the only time this season WU has hit below .200.
>> Northwest Missouri had a .225 attacking percentage and led in kills, 75-67.
>> Four Ichabods finished in double-digit kills. Fitzgibbons had a career-high 17 kills and Maxwell also added 17 kills. Berg finished with 14 and Stevenson had 11 kills to go with 18 digs.
>> Sadler notched her second 20 dig match of the season and also registered 57 assists.
>> The Bearcats were led by Kirchhoefer's 26 kills. Havel added 18 kills and 16 digs.
2021 SQUAD …
>> There are 13 Ichabods returning from the 2019 squad and they lost just two letterwinners from that team.
>> Ten seniors will take the court for their final season and are joined by two juniors, two sophomores, and one redshirts freshman.
>> Washburn added four freshmen in 2020 and three more for this fall.
>> Two transfer student-athletes also join the team in Jaycee Burghart (Cloud County CC) and Payton Nutter (Concordia-St. Paul).
2019 & 2020 SEASON REWIND …
>> In 2019, Washburn completed its second-straight season ranked as a top-five team in the AVCA national final rankings as the Ichabods checked in at No. 5 in all of Division II.
>> The team finished the season 27-4 and 18-2 in MIAA matches with their only two losses of the regular season coming against Nebraska-Kearney.
>> Washburn started the season undefeated through nine matches while only suffering one set loss amid eight 3-0 sweep victories.
>> The Ichabods were awarded the No. 2 seed in the MIAA Tournament and swept their quarterfinal game against Pittsburg State before falling in five to Central Missouri in the semifinal.
>> Washburn earned its 15th trip to the NCAA Tournament and was tabbed as the six-seed in the Central Region and played against the three-seed and No. 3 nationally-ranked Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears in the quarterfinals.
>> CSP won sets one and three and WU claimed sets two and four to send it to the deciding fifth, which the Golden Bears won 15-8 ultimately ending the Ichabods' season.
>> Although the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the MIAA teams agreed to a shortened conference-only schedule in the spring of 2021 to have the opportunity to compete.
>> Official statistics were not kept, but the competition level remained high and the Ichabods finished with a mark of 14-5 and recorded 11 sweep victories.
TAKE A LOOK AHEAD …
>> Washburn has already clinched a place as one of the top-four seeds in the MIAA standings and will host the quarterfinal match on Tuesday, Nov. 16. The official tournament bracket will be announced on Saturday evening.
