INDIANAPOLIS – Reigning Central Region champions Washburn volleyball is back in the NCAA Tournament after earning the automatic bid with its first-ever MIAA tournament championship this weekend. The Ichabods will be the No. 6 seed and will the No. 3 seed Minnesota Duluth on Friday at noon in Wayne, Neb.
 
The Ichabods hold a 24-7 record after posting three-straight wins against nationally-ranked opponents in the always-tough MIAA Tournament. Washburn defeated No. 21 Central Oklahoma in a five-set thriller to begin the tournament run. The Ichabods then knocked off the top-seed and No. 1- ranked Northwest Missouri in four sets and closed out the championship with a 3-1 victory over the two-seed and No. 12 ranked Nebraska-Kearney.
 
The Central Region bracket consists of four teams from the NSIC, three from the MIAA, and the automatic qualifier from the GAC. Tournament host Wayne State will be the No. 1 seed and take on No. 8 seed Harding in the quarterfinal. No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul will face No. 7 Nebraska-Kearney and No. 4 Northwest Missouri will play No. 5 St. Cloud State.
 
Head coach Chris Herron has led Washburn to all of its 17 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Since 2018, Washburn has gone 9-3 in the NCAA postseason with two Central Region titles and has reached the national semifinal (2018) and the national championship match (2021).
 
Central Region
Hosted by Wayne State College (Nebraska), Wayne, Nebraska – Nov. 18-20 
No. 1 Wayne State (Nebraska) (29-2) vs. No. 8 Harding (30-1)
No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul (26-5) vs. No. 7 Nebraska-Kearney (28-5)
No. 3 Minnesota Duluth (26-4) vs. No. 6 Washburn (24-7)
No. 4 Northwest Missouri State (24-6) vs. No. 5 St. Cloud State (26-5)