TAMPA, Fla. -- No. 6-ranked Washburn will make its third appearance in program history at the NCAA Volleyball National Tournament this week as the No. 3-seed and take on the No. 6-seed West Texas A&M in the quarterfinal match on Thursday at 11 a.m. CT.
MATCH INFORMATION …
No. 6 Washburn (29-5) vs. West Texas A&M (26-4)
Thursday, Dec. 9 | 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT | Tampa, Fla. | Bob Martinez Athletics Center on the campus of the University of Tampa
Tournament page can be found here.
Watch for free here.
Live stats can be found here.
Digital program can be viewed here.
FIRST SERVE …
>> The Ichabods are 29-5 on the year and are coming off three victories to win the NCAA Central Region title.
>> Washburn topped No. 10 Winona State, 3-1, in the quarterfinal before knocking off No. 1-ranked and regional host Central Missouri in four sets. The Ichabods captured the championship with a sweep over regional rival No. 15 Concordia-St. Paul.
>> West Texas A&M (26-4) won the south central regional title in thrilling fashion, climbing back from being down 2-0 against No. 3 MSU-Denver to win in five sets. The Lady Buffs also won their quarterfinal match against No. 8 Colorado School of Mines, 3-2.
>> WT has won 14 regional championship titles in its history.
>> The Lady Buffs were not ranked in the most recent AVCA Top-25 Poll. They checked in at No. 25 for three weeks from Oct. 18-Nov. 1, but have been receiving votes in every other poll this season.
>> These two teams last met on Sept. 14, 2019, when the Ichabods defeated the Lady Buffs in three by the set scores of 25-22, 25-22, and 25-14.
>> WT is 5-4 in true road matches this season, but 8-0 in neutral site games.
>> WU 10-1 in away matches and 5-2 when playing in neutral sites.
WASHBURN IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT …
>> Washburn is 18-15 all-time in the NCAA postseason and holds a 2-2 record when playing in the national tournament.
>> Washburn has reached the NCAA National Tournament now three times in program history and reached the semifinal match in 2007 and 2018.
>> WU is 2-0 in national quarterfinal matches.
>> When playing as the No. 3 seed, WU is 5-3.
>> When playing against the No. 6 seed, WU is 5-1.
>> When competing as the higher seed, WU is 12-6.
>> Washburn has faced West Texas A&M twice in the NCAA postseason and has gone 1-1.
>> These programs have met in two NCAA regional semifinal matches, first when West Texas A&M won 3-0 in 2009. Washburn swept the Lady Buffs in the 2011 regional semi.
>> Washburn hosted the 2007 NCAA National tournament and defeated Tampa in five sets in the quarterfinal before falling to Western Washington, 3-1, in the semifinal.
>> In 2018, the Ichabods swept past Wingate in the quarterfinals before dropping a 3-0 match to Tampa.
>> There are 10 current Ichabod players who were on the 2018 roster. Current assistant coach Shayla Conner was also on the 2018 squad.
QUICK HITS …
>> In 2017, the Ichabods went 18-12. Since then, WU has a combined
>> This season, Washburn has gone 2-1 in Thursday matches.
>> Twenty of Washburn's 29 victories have been in straight sets.
>> Washburn has held opponents to a hitting percentage below .100 in 15 matches. They have held opponnents to below .200 in 25 matches.
>> As a team, the Ichabods lead the MIAA in eight of its 12 statistical categories and is ranked in the top-three nationally in kills per set (14.99 kills/set - first in DII), assists per set (13.59 assists/set - third in DII), and hitting percentage (.288 percent - third in DII).
>> The Ichabods also hold their opponents to a conference-low .137 hitting percentage as well as the lowest in opponent assists (9.78 assists/set), kills (10.74 kills/set), service aces (0.89 aces/set), and blocks (1.56 blocks/set).
>> Allison Maxwell is the only player in the MIAA and one of six players in the nation with a hitting percentage above .400 as she is hitting .422, which ranks third in the nation.
>> Washburn is the highest ranked team remaining in the tournament.
>> The Ichabods have played 13 matches against opponents ranked in the top-25 and are 8-5. Eight of those matches were against teams ranked in the top-10.
>> There has never been a team from the MIAA to win the NCAA Division II National Championship title. Nebraska-Kearney was the runner-up at the 2019 national championship.
ALL-AMERICANS …
>> Washburn had a program-best four Ichabods receive AVCA All-American honors, which was announced on Dec. 7.
>> Maxwell became the fifth player in program history to be named to the first team. SHE is now a two-time AVCA All-American as she received an honorable mention nod as a sophomore in 2018.
>> Genna Berg received her second-consecutive second team selection after earning it in the 2019 season.
>> Faith Rottinghaus, a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, captured her first AVCA All-American award and was placed on the second team.
>> Kelsey Gordon also garnered her first AVCA honors and was named an honorable mention.
>> Three Ichabods also earned D2CCA All-America honors, which is voted on by SIDs and was announced on Dec. 8.
>> Rottinghaus was a first team selection, Berg was named to the second team, and Maxwell earned third team honors.
>> Washburn has now had 18 AVCA All-American players in its history, with nine players earning the prestigious award more than once to total 30 overall AVCA All-America honors.
>> Chris Herron has coached all 18 players.
>> There have been 46 total All-American awards for Washburn combined between the AVCA, D2CCA/Daktronics, and CoSIDA Academic.
MORE POST SEASON AWARDS …
>> Five Ichabods were named to the NCAA Central Region All-Tournament team: Genna Berg, Kelsey Gordon, Allison Maxwell, Faith Rottinghaus, and Allison Sadler.
>> Washburn had a program-best eight players receive all-MIAA honors this season, including tying a program-best with five first-team selections.
>> Berg, Rottinghaus, and Maxwell were all named to the first team for the third time in their careers. Sadler earned her second first team honors and Gordon was a first-time first team selection.
>> Sydney Fitzgibbons earned her first all-MIAA award and was placed on the second team and Taylor Antonowich and Jalyn Stevenson were both honorable mentions.
SMART BODS …
>> Rottinghaus and Maxwell were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team, which was announced on Nov. 16 and will advance to the All-America ballot which will be released in mid-December.
>> Rottinghaus is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American (2019, 2020) and is the only Washburn player to be named to the first team twice.
>> The MIAA released its volleyball academic honor roll and all 17 eligible Ichabods earned a place on the honor roll with a GPA above 3.0. The remaining five players are either transfer student-athletes or freshman, and those awards will be announced by the MIAA at the conclusion of the 2021-22 academic year.
>> Additionally, five Ichabods (Antonowich, Fitzgibbons, Gordon, Maxwell, and Rottinghaus) received Scholar-Athlete accolades for earning all-MIAA honors and having a GPA above 3.5.
>> Rottinghaus, Antonowich, and Samantha Moburg earned the prestigious MIAA Academic Excellence Award with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
COACH CHRIS HERRON …
>> Chris Herron is in his 20th year leading Washburn and holds a record of 560-112 (.833) while going 271-64 in MIAA play.
>> Herron has coached Washburn in all of its NCAA Tournament appearances and is 13-14.
>> Herron has led Washburn to five MIAA titles and 16 trips to the NCAA Tournament since taking over the program, including two national semifinal appearances (2007 and 2018).
>> He has coached at least one All-American in every year but 2002 and 2017 season.
>> Herron is 3-1 all-time when coaching against West Texas A&M.
>> When playing against nationally-ranked teams, Herron is 85-82.
IN THE RANKINGS …
>> The Ichabods checked in at No. 6 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll after being ranked fifth.
>> Washburn has been ranked in the top-10 this entire season.
>> 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 national poll as Central Missouri checks in at No. 1, Northwest Missouri is No. 4, and Nebraska-Kearney is No. 12.
LAST TIME OUT …
>> Washburn swept Concordia-St. Paul in the central region finale, 25-22, 25-20, and 25-19.
>> Washburn hit .301 on the night while CSP had a .183 attacking percentage.
>> The Ichabods landed 46 kills, 10 more kills than the Golden Bears, and also led in blocks, 11-7.
>> Maxwell finished the match with a scorching .500 hitting percentage and hammered down 14 kills with just three errors. She was also a part of eight blocks, including two solo stops.
>> Berg landed 11 kills to go with eight digs.
>> Gordon contributed eight kills and four blocks.
>> Sadler recorded 39 assists and six digs.
>> In the back court, Rottinghaus led the team with 22 digs and had two service aces.
TEAM LEADERS …
>> Genna Berg: Leads the team with 385 kills and is second in the MIAA with 3.67 kills per set. She has recorded double-figure kills in 22 of the 31 matches played. She had 19 kills against No. 10 Winona State and against No. 1 Central Missouri.
>> Allison Maxwell: Has hammered down 361 kills this year and is third in the nation with a .422 hitting percentage. She is also second in the conference with 1.13 blocks per set and her 3.11 kills per set ranks ninth in the league.
>> Faith Rottinghaus: Averages 6.59 digs per set (third in Division II) and has 764 total digs (fourth in Division II). She has had 22 matches with 20 or more digs. She also leads the team with 31 service aces.
>> Kelsey Gordon: Is third on the team with 291 kills and fifth in the MIAA with a .356 hitting percentage. She recorded 10 kills against WSU and UCM in the regional tournament.
>> Jalyn Stevenson: Is tied with Rottinghaus with a team-best 28 service aces. She also has totaled 220 kills and 209 digs in her first college season.
>> Allison Sadler: Has recorded a team-best 11 double-doubles. She is third in the league with 10.76 assists per set and is second on the team with 2.46 digs per set.
>> Sydney Fitzgibbons: Has started all 34 matches this season. She averages 2.17 kills per set and has a .384 attacking percentage.
>> Taylor Antonowich: Is third on the team with 251 digs (2.18 digs/set) and has a .959 reception percentage.
MILESTONE TRACKER …
>> Berg is currently fifth on Washburn's all-time kills list and will move up to fourth in 27 more kills.
>> Antonowich is two away from reaching the century milestone in both blocks and service aces.
>> Rottinghaus is one service aces away from 100 in her career.
>> In 22 more assists, Sadler will have recorded 3,600 during her time as an Ichabod.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION ...
West Texas A&M Lady Buffs
>> The Lady Buffs went 22-7 in 2019 and fell in the opening round of the regional tournament. In a shortened conference-only schedule in the spring of 2021, WT finished with a record of 10-4.
>> Since then, the Lady Buffs have put together a record of 26-4 and are currently on an eight-match winning streak.
>> Their losses this season have been to No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney (L, 3-0, Sept. 11), No. 25 UT Tyler (L, 3-1, Sept. 17), No. 6 Angelo State (L, 3-0, Nov. 5), and Lubbock Christian (L, 3-2, Nov. 6).
>> In the Lone Star conference tournament, WT defeated No. 12 Oklahoma Christian (W, 3-0), No. 8 UT Permian Basin (W, 3-1), and No. 10 St. Edward's (W, 3-0).
>> As a team, the Lady Buffs are hitting .245 and average 13.7 kills per set. They have also out-blocked their opponents, 258-177.
>> Two WT players received AVCA All-American honorable mention accolades: Torrey Miller and Chandler Vogel.
>> Miller, a sophomore outside hitter, is 15th in the nation in kills per set at 4.08 and registered a career-high 33 kills in the regional championship match against MSU-Denver.
>> Vogel was named the league's Libero of the Year for the fourth year this season and is the program's all-time leader in digs. She averages 5.03 digs per set and has totaled 533 digs on the year.
>> Kayla Elliott has a .323 attacking percentage and averages 2.15 kills per set and leads the team with 35 service aces.'
>> Setter duties have been split between Blair Moreland (5.59 assists per set) and Sadie Snay (5.47 assists per set). Combined, they have 37 service aces.
>> Washburn leads the all-time series against West Texas A&M, 4-2.
>> Three of Washburn's four wins over WTAMU have been 3-0 sweeps.
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 …
>> An Ichabod win on Thursday would place them in the national semifinal match on Friday at 4 p.m. CT. Washburn would face the winner of the No. 2 seed Western Washington / No. 7 seed Daemen College quarterfinal match.
