TOPEKA, Kan. -- Coming off a big win at previously top-ranked Nebraska-Kearney, No. 1 Washburn volleyball returns home to continue MIAA play with a midweek matchup against rival Emporia State on Tuesday, Sept. 21. First serve in Lee Arena is set for 6 p.m.
FIRST SERVE …
>> The Ichabods (10-1, 2-0 MIAA) opened conference play last week with a sweep at Fort Hays State before taking down the top-ranked Nebraska-Kearney Lopers in four sets.
>> The Hornets are 2-7 (0-2 MIAA) to start the season.
>> Fans are allowed to attend and tickets will only be available for purchase online. For those not able to attend the match, there will be live stats and they can also purchase a subscription to watch the match on the MIAA Network.
>> Masks are required to be worn while inside buildings on Washburn's campus and social distancing is encouraged.
QUICK HITS …
>> As a team, the Ichabods lead the conference in hitting percentage (.319 - third nationally), assists (13.39 assists/set - eighth nationally), kills (14.68 kills/set - fifth nationally), and blocks (2.41 blocks/set), while holding their opponents to a league-low 0.79 service aces per set and 1.24 blocks per set.
>> Allison Maxwell, Sydney Fitzgibbons, and Kelsey Gordon are the top-three players in the conference for hitting percentage.
>> Since Chris Herron took over the program in 2002, Washburn is now 4-4 when playing the No. 1 ranked team in the country.
>> The Ichabods have won their last two matches against No. 1 ranked opponents, both coming against the Lopers (Sept. 15, 2018 and Sept. 18, 2021).
>> the Ichabods went 13-1 in home matches in 2019.
>> Washburn was one of three MIAA teams to go 2-0 to start conference play. Central Missouri and Pittsburg State also have a perfect started in league action.
IN THE RANKINGS …
>> The Ichabods moved up two places in the most recent AVCA rankings to become the No. 1 team in the nation.
>> Prior to this week's rankings, the highest Washburn had been ranked was No. 2 on four occasions.
>> 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.
>> Four of the top-15 teams in the latest AVCA poll are from the MIAA: Nebraska-Kearney is No. 4, Central Missouri is No. 7, and Northwest Missouri is No. 13.
>> Washburn is already 3-1 against opponents ranked in the top-20 so far this season.
>> Last season, the Ichabods faced a tough schedule and went 4-4 against opponents ranked in the top-25. Six of those opponents were ranked in the top-10.
MIAA ATHLETES OF THE WEEK SWEEP …
>> The Ichabods swept the MIAA Athlete of the Week awards on Monday by seniors Allison Sadler, Faith Rottinghaus, and Maxwell.
>> Sadler was named the MIAA Setter of the Week after she averaged 12.86 assists per set and finished the weekend with 90 total assists and zero errors for a .415 setting percentage. In the win at Nebraska-Kearney, she recorded a double-double with 58 assists and 12 digs to go with three assisted blocks and a service ace.
>> For the second-straight week, libero Rottinghaus was named the MIAA Defensive Athlete of the Week. She averaged 6.86 digs per set last week, scooping up 20 digs at Fort Hays State and then adding 28 in the win over UNK.
>> She also successfully passed all 24 service attempts that came her way for a perfect receiving percentage.
>> Maxwell helped power the Ichabods in their two wins as she averaged 3.29 kills per set and finished the weekend with 23 kills on 40 attempts with just three errors for a scorching .500 attacking percentage. She registered 13 kills and hit .458 in the four set win at UNK and became the 23rd Washburn player to eclipse 1,000 career kills.
>> Maxwell also made 12 total blocks combined in the two matches, including two solo stops.
LAST TIME OUT …
>> Washburn opened MIAA play with a straight-set sweep at Fort Hays State on Friday, Sept. 17.
>> The Ichabods hit .310 in the match and Genna Berg led the team with 15 kills.
>> Maxwell knocked down 10 kills on 16 attempts with just one error for a .563 hitting percentage.
>> In a top-three showdown, No. 3 Washburn defeated No. 1 Nebraska-Kearney in four sets. The first three games were decided by five or fewer points, but the Ichabods went on to close out the match with a resounding 25-16 victory in the fourth.
>> Four Ichabods finished in double-digit kills, led by freshman Jalyn Stevenson's personal-best 16 kills. She also recorded her first double-double after scooping up 16 digs, 11 of which came in the fourth set.
>> Berg was right behind with 15 kills and recorded nine in set four.
>> Maxwell and Gordon both had 13 kills and combined were a part of 15 assisted blocks.
>> Fitzgibbons was also a wall at the net and had six assisted blocks and added eight kills.
>> Sadler notched a double-double with 58 assists and 12 digs.
TEAM LEADERS …
>> Berg: Leads the team with 139 kills (3.66/set) and has had double-figure kills in nine of the 11 matches played.
>> Maxwell: Leads the conference and is currently fifth in the nation with a .463 attacking percentage. She has hammered down 107 kills (2.82 kills/set) and is tied for the most total blocks in the MIAA with 46.
>> Rottinghaus: Averages 5.53 digs/set, which ranks third in the MIAA and 20th in Division II, and leads the league with 210 total digs. She has also landed a team-high 16 service aces.
>> Gordon: Is third on the team with 91 kills and second in blocks with 34 overall.
>> Stevenson: Led the Ichabods with 16 kills against UNK. Averages 2.18 kills/set and is second on the team with 11 service aces.
>> Sadler: Averages 8.46 assists per set and was four assists shy of her personal-best in the four set match at Nebraska-Kearney.
>> Fitzgibbons: Is hitting .418 on the year and averages 2.10 kills per set. She has also made 24 total blocks.
MILESTONE TRACKER …
>> Maxwell needs 35 more total blocks to be one of five players in Washburn's history to record 1,000 kills and 400 total blocks.
>> In 45 more digs, Berg will enter Washburn's history books as the 10th player to have 1,000 career kills and digs.
>> Gordon is 60 kills away from 600 in her career.
>> Rottinghaus will move up to second on the all-time career digs list in 40 more digs. She currently has 2,053 digs in her time as an Ichabod.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION ...
Emporia State Hornets
>> The Hornets went 7-21 (3-17 MIAA) in the 2019 season and are 2-7 to start the 2021 season with wins over Black Hills State and Cameron.
>> As a team, ESU currently holds a .114 hitting percentage and averages 10.8 kills per set.
>> Shelby Ebert leads the team with 73 kills and averages 2.28 kills/set. She is also fifth in the conference with 14 service aces.
>> Libero Rylie Fornelli is second in the MIAA in digs per set as she averages 5.63.
>> Setter Riley Bernskoetter averages 7.82 assists per set and has also averages 2.6 digs per set.
>> Bing Xu is in his 17th year as the head coach at Emporia State and holds a record of 276-179.
>> The Ichabods have won 21 of the last 22 meetings against the Hornets and are on a six-match winning streak.
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 …
>> The Ichabods close out the month on the road at No. 7 Central Missouri on Saturday, Sept. 25. First serve in the Multipurpose Building is slated for 6 p.m.
