TOPEKA, Kan. -- After a quick two-match stop in Lee Arena last weekend, No. 12 Washburn volleyball is back on the road this week and will travel to Fort Hays State for a 6 p.m. match in Hays, Kan. on Tuesday.

FIRST SERVE …
>> Washburn has won four matches in a row and is now 16-3 (8-3 MIAA).
>> The Tigers (9-10, 4-7 MIAA) are on a three-match winning streak and are coming off a five-set victory at Pittsburg State on Saturday.

QUICK HITS …
>> The Ichabods won their earlier matchup against the Tigers, 3-1, in Topeka on Sept. 9.
>> Combined between neutral site and true road matches, Washburn is 12-2 this year.
>> Fort Hays State is 2-2 when playing in Gross Memorial Coliseum.
>> Half of Washburn's victories have been in 3-0 fashion after the Ichabods picked up their eighth sweep of the fall on Saturday against Central Missouri.
>> After holding UCM to a .087 attacking percentage, the Ichabods have now limited opponents to hitting below .150 in nine matches.

WASHBURN AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS …
>> The Ichabods posted two wins last week against opponents ranked in the top-25 ... so far, WU has gone 3-1 against ranked opponents
>> Two of those victories have come against Nebraska-Kearney when it was ranked No. 7 and No. 5.
>> Head Coach Chris Herron has faced tough competition in 21 seasons and is 89-84 against ranked opponents.
>> WU went 9-6 against nationally ranked opponents last year.

MIAA STANDINGS …
>> The MIAA standings are tightly contested between five teams with two matches separating first and fifth.
>> Central Oklahoma and Nebraska-Kearney are tied for first with a 9-2 conference record.
>> Washburn is currently third with an 8-3 mark.
>> Northwest Missouri and Central Missouri are tied at fourth at 7-3.
>> The top-eight teams will compete in the MIAA Tournament which will take place in St. Joseph, Mo. at the Civic Arena, Nov. 10-12.

LAST TIME OUT …
>> The Ichabods returned to Lee Arena last weekend and defeated Missouri Western, 3-1, and swept then-ranked No. 23 Central Missouri.
>> Combined between the two matches, WU averaged 15.86 kills per set and hit .233 while holding the opponents to a .117 clip.
>> After dropping the first set to the Griffons, 25-18, the Ichabods won the next three (25-22, 25-11, 25-15) to take the match.
>> Four Ichabods had double-digit kill totals as Jalyn Stevenson led all players with 14 kills and added 12 digs.
>> The 3-0 victory over Central Missouri is just the fifth time in program history that Washburn has shut out the Jennies in 77 matchups since 1978.
>> Washburn won by the set scores of 25-20, 25-21, and 25-18.
>> S. McMullen notched a double-double after recording a season-high 15 kills to go with 21 digs.

TEAM LEADERS …
>> As a team, the Ichabods rank fourth among MIAA programs in hitting percentage (.232) and kills per set (12.65 kps) ... three Ichabods rank in the top-10 in the MIAA in hitting percentage.
>> Collectively behind the service line, the Ichabods lead the league in aces per set at 1.73.
>> Jalyn Stevenson: leads the team with an even 200 kills through 68 sets and her 2.94 kills per set ranks ninth among MIAA players .. she had 263 kills in 122 sets played in her freshman campaign last year. She is also third on the team with 19 service aces and in total digs with 175 (2.57 digs/set).
>> Halle Meister: has notched back-to-back matches with double-figure kills and is second on the squad with 168 kills. Her .371 attacking percentage ranks third in the conference and she has also made an impact defensively at the net with a team-best 52 total blocks.
>> Kealy Kiviniemi: has led the Ichabods in kills combined in the last six matches, racking up 76 of her 134 total kills in that time and hitting above .300 in each match except one ... the next closest Ichabod is Stevenson with 58 kills in the past six matches. Kiviniemi had 14 kills and hit .345 against No. 23 Central Missouri.
>> Austin Broadie: has knocked down 121 kills this year (2.05 kps) and has made 33 blocks.
>> Kassidy Pfeiffer: has recorded at least one kill in each of the 18 matches she's played. She holds a .333 attacking percentage (seventh in the MIAA) with 77 kills and 49 blocks.
>> Sydney Pullen: leads the team with 304 total digs (4.34 digs per set/ninth in MIAA) ... she led all players with 22 digs against the Jennies.
>> Sophie McMullen: contributes in all areas for the team as she has a conference-best 35 service aces, has scooped up 255 digs (3.70 digs per set), and has contributed 74 kills. She has achieved double-doubles in the past two matches and knocked down a season-high 15 kills with 21 digs against No. 23 Central Missouri. She had seven kills and seven digs in the third set alone.
>> Corinna McMullen: leads the team with 449 assists (6.32 assists/set) and has recorded a team-best six double-doubles. She is on a three-match streak of handing out 30+ assists, including a season-high 39 assist effort in the four-set win over Missouri Western.

IN THE RANKINGS …
>> The Ichabods were ranked 12th in the most recent AVCA poll that was released on Oct. 3.
>> The MIAA conference and Central Region continues to have some of the best competition in Division II volleyball as five MIAA teams are ranked in the top-25 ... seven of the top-10 teams are from the Central Region.
>> The Ichabods have now been ranked in the AVCA Top-25 for 45 straight weeks, dating back to Sept. 17, 2018.
>> In the 2022 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, the Ichabods landed in a three-way tie for second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll alongside Nebraska-Kearney and Central Missouri.

MILESTONE TRACKER …
>> Stevenson needs 37 kills and 66 digs to eclipse 500 in her career in both categories.
>> For this season, S. McMullen is 26 kills from 100 and 45 digs shy from reaching 300.
>> C. McMullen is 51 assists away from 500 this season.
>> In her third official season and first season as libero, Pullen needs 57 digs to hit 600 in her career.

HEAD COACH CHRIS HERRON …
>> Chris Herron is in his 21st year leading Washburn and holds a record of 578-116 (.833) while going 273-65 in MIAA play.
>> Herron has guided Washburn to five MIAA titles, three NCAA Regional championships, and to all 16 of its trips to the NCAA Tournament since taking over the program in 2002.
>> He has coached at least one All-American in every year except 2002 and 2017 season and has seen his players earn 48 All-America awards.
>> Herron is 32-3 all-time against Fort Hays State.
>> He is also 29-1 when playing the Tigers in MIAA matches.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION ...
Fort Hays State Tigers
>> The FHSU Tigers went 13-17 (7-13 MIAA) last season and competed in the MIAA Tournament for the first time in five five years.
>> The Tigers are currently 9-10 (4-7 MIAA) and have won their last three matches.
>> Through 19 matches, FHSU is hitting .164 with 11.9 kills per set.
>> Defensively, the team ranks third among MIAA teams with 2.15 blocks per set.
>> Three Tigers land consecutively in the top-20 in the kills per set category for the conference as Mykah Eshbaugh averages 2.71 kps (15th in MIAA), Riley Tinder is right behind at 2.10 kps (16th), and Gracie Rains is at 2.57 kps (17th).
>> Tinder has totaled 192 kills and leads the team while ranking third in the league with 29 service aces. She has also been solid on defensively, successfully receiving 407 out of 419 service attempts for a .971 reception percentage to go along with 24 total blocks and a 228 digs, which is the second-most on the team.
>> Emily Ellis is fifth on the blocks per set list, with an even 1.00 blocks per set … she is also third on the team with 117 kills.
>> Jaden Daffer averages 4.27 digs per set and Jaida Felix has a team-best 370 assists (5.14 assists per set).
>> The Tigers are led by Jessica Wood-Atkins in her fifth year, who has compiled a record of 28-60 in three official seasons.
Series History
>> Washburn is on an 12-match winning streak against Fort Hays State and leads the all-time series, 52-46.
>> During the 12-match winning stretch, the Ichabods have dropped just three sets in to the Tigers in that time.
>> When playing FHSU in Hays, Washburn is 19-12.

LAST TIME AGAINST FORT HAYS STATE ...
Sept. 9, 2022
>> The Ichabods began conference play with a 3-1 win at home over the Tigers ... WU won by the set scores of 25-21, 25-22, 23-25, and 25-17.
>> Washburn outhit .270 to .135 and led in kills, 60-43 ... the Ichabods also had the edge in blocks, 13-11, while the Tigers landed one more service ace, 5-4.
>> Meister paced the Ichabods with 13 kills and hit .455 for the match.
>> Stevenson chipped in 12 kills and made five digs ... Kiviniemi knocked down nine kills and had a .533 attacking percentage.
>> C. McMullen notched her first double-double as an Ichabod as she had 27 assists to go with 11 digs.
>> Defensively, Sydney Pullen led the team with 14 digs and Kassidy Pfeiffer had seven block assists and one solo stop.
>> Two from FHSU registered double-figure kills, led by Eshbaugh with 14 ... Tinder added 12 kills and also had eight digs.

TAKE A LOOK AHEAD …
>> The Ichabods will close out the week at No. 10 Northwest Missouri on Friday evening.