TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn volleyball will play the middle leg of its three-week road trip this weekend as they face Missouri Southern at 6 p.m. on Friday followed by Central Missouri on Saturday with first serve at 2 p.m.
Setting The Schedule
>> Washburn volleyball continues its road swing with its second trip to Missouri during conference season to face Missouri Southern and Central Missouri.
>> The Ichabods will face the Lions on Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. and will take on the Jennis at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19.
Quick Hits
>> The Ichabods are 13-4 on the year overall and 4-3 inside the MIAA. They are 3-3 in road matches, 7-1 in neutral court contests and 3-0 in Lee Arena.
>> Washburn went 1-1 last weekend with a sweep over Fort Hays State on Friday before falling 3-0 to No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday.
>> The Ichabods were picked to finish fourth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll with one first place vote. They are currently tied for 4th place in the conference.
>> Washburn is receiving votes in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll with 26 total points in the rankings.
>> The Ichabods went 17-11 overall a season ago, finishing 5th in the MIAA. They went 11-3 at home, 4-7 on the road and 2-1 in neutral court matches.
>> The 2024 roster is the most balanced by class in the Chris Herron era. For the first time in his tenure there are at least four players from each class on the roster.
About the Ichabods
>> Jalyn Stevenson is the team leader with 189 kills (3.00 per set) while hititng .225 across 17 matches with 17 starts. She is also second on the squad in digs with 189 (3.00 per set) and in aces with 21. She is 11th in the MIAA in kills and 18th in kills per set while ranking 19th in total digs. The senior has six double-doubles on the year and ten matches with 10+ kills.
>> Alex Dvorak leads the Washburn defense at the net with 80 blocks on the year (1.27 per set). She sits fourth on the team in kills with 125 (1.98 per set) and is second with a .376 hitting percentage. The junior is 26th in the nation and second in the MIAA in blocks per set while ranking 28th nationally in hitting percentage and third in the conference. She has hit over .300 in 13 of 17 matches.
>> Taylor Rottinghaus has a team-high 299 digs (4.75 per set) across 17 matches. She has chipped in 65 assists and served 13 aces. The sophomore is 52nd in the nation and seventh in the MIAA in digs per set while ranking eighth among conference players in total digs. She has at least 10 digs in every match.
>> Corinna McMullen paces Washburn with 385 assists (6.21 per set) through 17 matches with 15 starts. She is also third on the team with 138 digs (2.23) while serving a team-high 24 aces. The junior is 10th in the MIAA in assists per set, 9th in total assists and 4th in aces. She has five double-doubles on the year and three matches with at least 30 assists.
>> Bella Limback leads the Ichabod hitters with a .417 attacking percentage while starting all 17 matches. She has tallied 126 kills (2.07 per set) and is second on the team with 59 blocks. The junior's hitting percentage is 11th highest in the nation and first in the MIAA. She is also ninth in total blocks in the conference and 12 in blocks per set. She has hit over .400 in nine matches on the year including hitting .733 with a team-high 12 kills against Fort Hays State on Friday.
>> Austin Broadie is second on the team in kills and third in hitting percentage while playing all 17 matches and making seven starts. She has 144 kills (2.29 per set) on the year while hitting .304 and has racked up 43 total blocks. The senior has hit over .400 in four matches.
>> Sydney Conner is second on the team with 268 assist (4.54 per set) across 17 matches with two starts. The junior is fourth on the squad with 109 digs (1.85 per set) while serving eight aces. She has posted three double-doubles this season.
>> Brynne Topolski has started in eight matches and played in 15 during her freshman season, logging 107 kills (2.18 per set) while hitting .223. She has added 24 blocks and 30 digs.
>> Maddie Steiner is tied for third on the team with 13 service aces while playing in all 17 matches and making 12 starts. The senior has made 99 digs (1.60 per set) from the back row with two double-digit dig matches.
>> Natalie Hedlund has appeared in 15 matches with two starts to record a total of 51 kills (1.89 per set) while hitting .218.
>> Keilah Rivers has tallied 42 kills (1.35 per set) across 13 matches with three starts. She has 26 digs and 14 blocks. She had a career-high four blocks in the win over Fort Hays State.
>> Heather Schemper has started two matches and played in 12 logging 29 kills (1.38 per set) and making 11 total blocks.
Head Coach Chris Herron
>> Herron is in his 23rd season at the helm of the Ichabod volleyball program with a career record of 616-136 at Washburn.
>> He has led the Ichabod to 17 NCAA Tournament appearances and six combined MIAA titles (five regular season and one tournament).
>> Has been named MIAA Coach of the Year four times (2002, 2005, 2007 and 2011).
>> Led the Ichabods to the NCAA National Championship match in 2021.
>> Has seen his players earn 50 All-American awards, 90 All-Region/District awards and 46 All-MIAA first team selections.
>> Spent 14 years as a high school coach at Tonganoxie HS and Golden City HS.
>> Is a 1980 graduate of the College of the Ozarks where he earned his bachelor's of science in physical education.
Assistant Coaches
>> Shayla Conner enters her fourth season as an assistant coach for the Ichabods.
>> The former All-American setter has helped guide Washburn to a 85-29 record in her first three seasons.
>> In her first season she helped the Ichabods to the National Championship match. In 2022, Washburn won its first-ever MIAA Tournament Championship.
>> She has coached six total All-Americans and nine All-MIAA first team selections.
>> Cade Berg enters his third season as a member of the Ichabod coaching staff as a student assistant.
>> During his tenure Washburn has earned a pair of All-American honors and four All-MIAA first team selections.
By the Numbers
>> 2: NCAA Central Region Championships won by Washburn in the past five seasons.
>> 9: Number of sweeps this season.
>> 13: Number of returning members of the 2023 team.
>> 22: Consecutive winning seasons for Washburn all coming under Chris Herron.
>> 133: Consecutive victories when winning the first two sets of a match.
>> 616: Career victories for Herron at Washburn.
Ranking Roundup
>> Washburn is 13th in the nation and third in the MIAA with 14.17 kills per set.
>> The Ichabods are also hitting efficiently, sitting 23rd in the nation in hitting percentage at .254 as a team. They are third in the MIAA.
>> Washburn has been effective at stopping opponents attacks as they rank 42nd in the nation and fourth among conference teams with a .149 opponent hitting percentage.
>> With 13.16 assists per set the Ichabods rank 13th in the nation and 3rd in the MIAA at setting up kills.
>> On defense Washburn averages 17.06 digs per set ranking 43rd in the nation and eighth in the conference.
>> With 159.5 total blocks on the year the Ichabods have the 13th most in the nation and second most in the MIAA.
Milestone Markers
>> Jalyn Stevenson ranks 19th in program history with 1,180 career kills. She will move into 18th with 32 more kills. She is also tied for ninth on the program charts in aces and 21st in digs. She needs 26 digs to reach the top-20 in that category as well.
>> Corinna McMullen is 12th in program history in total assists with 1,815. She is tied for 16th in program history in service aces with 106. She needs seven more to move up to 15th.
>> Sydney Conner has 1,313 career assists, putting her 15th in Washburn history. She needs 202 assists to move upto 14th.
>> With 743 career digs Taylor Rottinghaus is climbing the all-time charts and currently ranks 42nd.
Scouting the Opposition
About the MISSOURI SOUTHERN STATE LIONS
>> Missouri Southern enters the match with a 3-15 record overall and a 1-6 mark in the MIAA after falling 3-1 to Pittsburg State in Pittsburg on Saturday.
>> The Lions are 0-5 inside the Leggett % Platt Athletic Center while going 1-4 on the road and 2-6 in neutral court contests.
>> Kalie Carlile is in her 7th season at the helm of the Missouri Southern program. She has a 58-128 record in Joplin.
>> Assistant coach Joshua Moore rounds out the coaching staff.
>> On the year the Lions average 12.1 kills per set while hitting .155. They also carry averages of 11.6 assists per set with 19.2 digs and 1.6 blocks. They are fifth in the nation and second in the MIAA in digs per set.
>> Kyla Randall leads the defensive charge with 401 digs (5.99 per set) across 18 matches. She has added 42 assists with 14 aces. She is second in the nation in total digs and fifth in digs per set while ranking first in the conference in both categories.
>> Landrey VanOverschelde leads the passing attack for Missouri Southern with 541 assists (8.60 per set) across all 18 matches with 17 starts. She has served a team-high 16 aces and adds 166 digs (2.65 per set). She is 6th in the MIAA in assists per set.
>> Amelia Neels leads the team on offense with 166 kills (2.48 per set) while starting all 18 matches. She is also the team-leader with a .307 attack percentage and with 54 total blocks.
>> Alana Moesch is second on the Lions with 159 kills (2.52 per set) while making seven starts across 18 matches. She is hitting .166 with 72 digs and 14 blocks added to her season totals.
>> Washburn leads the all-time series with Missouri Southern 44-28. The Ichabods are 20-9 against the Lions in Joplin.
>> Last season Washburn won both matches in the season series 3-1.
About the CENTRAL MISSOURI JENNIES
>> Central Missouri enters the weekend with a 7-9 record overall while going 3-4 inside the MIAA.
>> The Jennies are 2-3 inside of the Jerry Hughes Athletics Center while going 2-3 on the road and 3-3 in neutral court matches.
>> Caitlin Peterson is in her third season as the head coach at her alma mater where she has a 51-28 record back in Warrensburg.
>> Assistant coaches Christi Lutman and Taylor Linebach along with graduate assistant Kersti Nix complete the coaching staff.
>> On the year the Jennies average 13.4 kills per set while hitting .189. They also carry averages of 12.6 assists per set with 15.9 digs and 2.1 blocks.
>> Kayla Baer has played in just 11 matches this season with 10 starts but leads the team with 478 assists (11.38 per set). She has added 80 digs with 19 total blocks and 14 kills. She is second in the conference in assists per set.
>> Elinor Engel has 210 kills (3.39 per set) to lead Central Missouri on offense. She has started all 16 matches and carries a .213 hitting percentage while sitting at second on the team with 49 blocks.
>> Grace Winkelmann is the digs leader for UCM with 302 on the year (4.87 per set) across all 16 matches. She has served a team-high 20 aces as well. She is 4th in the MIAA in digs per set.
>> Rachel Ziesman is the most efficient hitter on offense with a .283 hitting percentage and 166 (2.72 per set) total kills. She also leads the Jennies with 65 total blocks.
>> Central Missouri leads the all-time series 23-51 over Washburn. They are 9-22 in Warrensburg.
>> The Jennies took both matches a season ago via 3-0 sweeps.
Take a Look Ahead
>> Washburn will have a whole week off before getting back on the court Oct. 26 against Emporia State on the road.
>> Senior night for Washburn will be on Saturday, November 9 at 6 p.m. as the Ichabods host Fort Hays State inside of Lee Arena.
>> The MIAA Championship Tournament will be held between Thursday, November 21 and Saturday, November 23 in St. Joseph, Mo. at Civic Arena.
