TOPEKA, Kan. -- After 12 matches away from home Washburn volleyball will finally begin its home slate of matches in 2024 on Thursday at 6 p.m. against Pittsburg State followed by a Friday night match against Newman with a 6 p.m. first serve.
Setting The Schedule
>> Washburn volleyball plays its first matches of the season in Lee Arena this week as they play host to Pittsburg State and Newman.
>> The Ichabods take on the Gorillas on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. and take on the Jets on Friday with first serve also set for 6 p.m.
>> Thursday's match is Hometown Hero Appreciation day and will feature free admission for all military, first responders and healthcare workers with a valid ID.
>> For Friday's match, the first 100 students who attend will recieve a free McDonalds coupon for various menu items.
Quick Hits
>> The Ichabods are 9-3 on the year after losing a pair of five set matches last weekend. They are 2-2 in road matches, 7-1 in neutral court contests and have not played a home match.
>> Last weekend Washburn fell in the fifth set on the road to both Northwest Missouri and Missouri Western in the opening weekend of MIAA play.
>> Washburn dropped out of the top-25 of the latest AVCA poll after being ranked No. 24 a week ago. They were receiving votes in the poll.
>> The Ichabods were picked to finish fourth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll with one first place vote. One week into the MIAA season they are tied for 10th place.
>> 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 134 kills (2.98 per set) while hititng .227 across 12 matches with 12 starts. She is also second on the squad in digs with 139 (3.09 per set) and in aces with 11. She is 9th in the MIAA in kills and 15th in kills per set. She is top-20 in both digs and digs per set as well. The senior has five double-doubles on the year.
>> Alex Dvorak is third on the team with 92 kills (2.04 per set) while hitting .385, the second highest mark on the team. She has started all 12 matches and also leads the team with 58 total blocks (1.29 per set). The junior is 30th in the nation and 4th in the MIAA in hitting percentage and she is also 39th in the nation and third among MIAA players in blocks per set. She has hit over .300 in nine of 12 matches.
>> Taylor Rottinghaus has a team-high 214 digs (4.76 per set) across 12 matches. She has chipped in 47 assists and served nine aces. The sophomore is 31st in the nation and third in the MIAA in digs per set while ranking fourth among conference players in total digs. She has recorded 20+ digs in three of the last four matches.
>> Corinna McMullen paces Washburn with 277 assists (6.30 per set) through 12 matches with ten starts. She is also third on the team with 99 digs (2.25) while adding a team-high 17 aces. The junior is 10th in the MIAA in assists per set, 9th in total assists and 6th in aces. She has three double-doubles on the year and three matches with at least 30 assists.
>> Bella Limback leads the Ichabod hitters with a .413 attacking percentage while starting all 12 matches. She has tallied 88 kills (2.00 per set) and is second on the team with 48 blocks. The junior's hitting percentage is 15th highest in the nation and second in the MIAA. She is also top-10 in the conference in total blocks and blocks per set. She has hit over .400 in six matches on the year.
>> Sydney Conner is second on the team with 202 assist (4.70 per set) across 12 matches with two starts. The junior is fourth on the squad with 78 digs (1.81 per set) while serving five aces. She has posted two double-doubles this season.
>> Austin Broadie is second on the team in both kills and third in hitting percentage while playing all 12 matches and making three starts. She has 105 kills (2.33 per set) on the year while hitting .322 and has racked up 27 total blocks. The senior has hit over .400 in four matches and has double-digit kills in three of the last four matches.
>> Brynne Topolski has started in seven matches and played in 11 during her freshman season, logging 86 kills (2.39 per set) while hitting .271. She has added 20 blocks and 26 digs. In each of her last two matches she has recorded at least 12 kills.
>> Maddie Steiner is fourth on the team with nine service aces while playing in all 12 matches with 10 starts. The senior has made 64 digs (1.45 per set) from the back row with two double-digit dig matches.
>> Natalie Hedlund has appeared in 10 matches with two starts to record a total of 41 kills (2.16 per set) while hitting .243. She has had eight or more kills in three of the last four matches.
>> Emery Keebaugh has made 44 kills (1.91 per set) this season while appearing in ten matches. She is hitting .135 while making 12 blocks and 16 digs.
Head Coach Chris Herron
>> Herron is in his 23rd season at the helm of the Ichabod volleyball program with a career record of 612-135 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 81-28 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.
>> 7: 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.
>> 130: Consecutive victories when winning the first two sets of a match.
>> 612: Career victories for Herron at Washburn.
Ranking Roundup
>> Washburn is 12th in the nation and fourth in the MIAA with 14.22 kills per set.
>> The Ichabods are also hitting efficiently, sitting 20th in the nation in hitting percentage at .256 as a team. They are third in the MIAA.
>> Washburn has been effective at stopping opponents attacks as they rank 27th in the nation and 4th among conference teams with a .135 opponent hitting percentage.
>> With 13.27 assists per set the Ichabods rank 13th in the nation and 3rd in the MIAA at setting up kills.
>> On defense Washburn averages 17.20 digs per set ranking 39th in the nation and eighth in the conference.
>> With 111.5 total blocks on the year the Ichabods have the 27th most in the nation and second most in the MIAA.
Milestone Markers
>> Jalyn Stevenson ranks 21st in program history with 1,124 career kills. She needs 25 more to crack the top-20. She is also tied for 14th on the program charts in aces and 22nd in digs. She needs 73 digs to reach the top-20 in that category as well.
>> Corinna McMullen is 12th in program history in total assists with 1,706. She also ranks 21st in program history in service aces with 99. She needs two more to enter the top-20.
>> Sydney Conner has 1,246 career assists, putting her 18th in Washburn history. She will move into 17th with 27 more assists. She needs 10 more digs to reach 500 in her career.
Scouting the Opposition
About the Pittsburg State Gorillas
>> Pittsburg State enters the match with a 6-6 record overall and a 1-1 mark in the MIAA after falling 3-0 to No. 13 Central Oklahoma on Sept. 28.
>> The Gorillas are 1-2 in road matches, 4-2 at home and 1-2 in neutral court contests.
>> Jen Gomez is in her 9th season at the helm of the Pittsburg State volleyball program. She has a 98-139 career record in Pittsburg.
>> Assistant coach Kennedy Shelstead and graduate assistant Hannah Delor complete the staff.
>> On the year the Gorillas average 12.2 kills per set while hitting .175. They also carry averages of 11.3 assists per set with 19.6 digs and 2.1 blocks. They are first in the conference in digs per set.
>> Vix Vilott leads the team in kills with 115 (2.80 per set) on the year while hitting .148 and starting all 12 matches. She has served 11 aces and is third on the team with 126 digs (3.07 per set).
>> Jesa Wallace leads the Pittsburg State passing attack with 226 assists (7.56 per set) while playing in 11 matches and starting seven. She has made 87 digs (2.90 per set) and served five aces. She ranks 7th in the MIAA in assists per set.
>> Josie McCroskey has a team-high 198 digs (4.83 per set) across all 12 matches. She has added 30 assists with nine aces. She is fifth in the MIAA in digs per set.
>> Anna Dean leads the Gorillas with a .303 hitting percentage while sitting third on the team with 85 digs (2.07 per set). She has started all 12 matches and made a team-high 41 blocks.
>> Washburn leads Pittsburg State 65-22 in the all-time series and are 32-5 in Lee Arena.
>> The Ichabods have won the last 30 matches between the two including a pair of 3-1 sweeps last season.
About the Newman Jets
>> Newman is 2-13 on the year and 0-2 inside the MIAA after being swept by Arkansas-Fort Smith on Sept. 28.
>> The Jets are 0-5 in road matches, 1-0 at home and 1-8 in neutral court contests.
>> Marisa Compton is in her third season as the head coach at Newman. She has a 10-63 record in Wichita.
>> Graduate assistants Imani Jones and McKinzie Weaver complete the coaching staff.
>> The Jets average 10.2 kills per set while hitting .155. They pick up 9.4 assists per set with 13.6 digs, 1.2 aces and 1.6 blocks.
>> Ozioma Ajekwu leads the team with 143 kills (3.04 per set) while slashing a team-high .344 as well. She has started all 13 matches and is second on the team with 34 blocks. Her hitting percentage is 6th in the conference.
>> Avery Dempsey averages 7.81 assists per set with 242 total assists to lead the team across 10 matches and starts. She has also served seven aces.
>> Natalie Trigo has 235 digs (4.43 per set) across 15 matches to lead Newman on the defensive end. She has added 12 assists and eight aces. She is third in the MIAA in total digs.
>> Natalie Meyer has a team-high 40 blocks for the Jets while also ranking third on the team with 80 kills (1.51 per set) and hitting .149.
>> Washburn leads the all-time series over Newman 21-5 and are 8-1 inside of Lee Arena.
>> The Ichabods have won the last 19 matches including a pair of sweeps last season.
Take a Look Ahead
>> Washburn will face Emporia State at home on Tuesday, Oct. 8 for a 6 p.m. midweek match.
>> 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.
