TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn volleyball will take on Emporia State for the second time in 18 days on Saturday to finish a five-match road trip with first serve against the Hornets set for 3 p.m.

Setting The Schedule

>> Washburn volleyball finishes its three week road trip around the MIAA on Saturday in Emporia against the Hornets. 

>> The Ichabods will face Emporia State with first serve set for 3 p.m. 

Quick Hits

>> The Ichabods are 15-4 on the year overall and 6-3 inside the MIAA. They are 5-3 in road matches, 7-1 in neutral court contests and 3-0 in Lee Arena. 

>> Washburn overcame a pair of 0-1 deficits last weekend to come away with a 3-2 win over Missouri Southern and a 3-1 victory against Central Missouri. 

>> 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 15 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 217 kills (3.01 per set) while hititng .219 across 19 matches with 19 starts. She is also second on the squad in digs with 221 (3.07 per set) and in aces with 24. She is 8th in the MIAA in kills and 15th in kills per set while ranking 18th in total digs. The senior has seven double-doubles on the year and 12 matches with 10+ kills. 

>> Alex Dvorak leads the Washburn defense at the net with 93 blocks on the year (1.29 per set). She sits third on the team in kills with 140 (1.94 per set) and is second with a .363 hitting percentage. The junior leads the MIAA in both blocks and blocks per set while ranking 7th and 16th nationally respectively. She is also 39th in the nation and third in the conference in hitting percentage. In 13 of 19 matches she has recorded at least five blocks. 

>> Taylor Rottinghaus has a team-high 343 digs (4.76 per set) across 19 matches. She has chipped in 70 assists and served 18 aces. The sophomore is 50th in the nation and eighth 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 443 assists (6.24 per set) through 19 matches with 17 starts. She is also third on the team with 152 digs (2.14 per set) while serving a team-high 26 aces. The junior is 10th in the MIAA in assists per set, 9th in total assists and 4th in aces. She has six double-doubles on the year and four matches with at least 30 assists. 

>> Bella Limback leads the Ichabod hitters with a .409 attacking percentage while starting all 19 matches. She has tallied 132 kills (1.89 per set) and is second on the team with 67 blocks. The junior's hitting percentage is 12th highest in the nation and first in the MIAA. She is also 10th in total blocks in the conference and 14th in blocks per set. She has hit over .400 in nine matches on the year.

>> Austin Broadie is second on the team in kills and third in hitting percentage while playing all 19 matches and making nine starts. She has 161 kills (2.24 per set) on the year while hitting .286 and has racked up 48 total blocks. The senior has hit over .400 in four matches.

>> Sydney Conner is second on the team with 302 assist (4.51 per set) across 19 matches with two starts. The junior is fourth on the squad with 121 digs (1.81 per set) while serving nine aces. She has posted three double-doubles this season. 

>> Brynne Topolski has started in eight matches and played in 17 during her freshman season, logging 125 kills (2.27 per set) while hitting .245. She has added 29 blocks and 34 digs and hit over .400 in each of the last two matches. 

>> Maddie Steiner is fourth on the team with 15 service aces while playing in all 19 matches and making 13 starts. The senior has made 120 digs (1.69 per set) from the back row with three double-digit dig matches.

>> Natalie Hedlund has appeared in 16 matches with two starts to record a total of 54 kills (1.86 per set) while hitting .200. On the defensive end she has added 13 blocks. 

>> Keilah Rivers has tallied 43 kills (1.23 per set) across 15 matches with three starts. She has 36 digs and 14 blocks. She scooped up a career-high 10 digs against Missouri Southern. 

>> Heather Schemper has started two matches and played in 13 logging 31 kills (1.29 per set) and making 12 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 618-136 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 87-29 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. 

>> 618: Career victories for Herron at Washburn. 

Ranking Roundup

>> Washburn is 19th in the nation and fourth in the MIAA with 14.00 kills per set. 

>> The Ichabods are also hitting efficiently, sitting 27th in the nation in hitting percentage at .248 as a team. They are third in the MIAA. 

>> Washburn has been effective at stopping opponents attacks as they rank 38th in the nation and fourth among conference teams with a .151 opponent hitting percentage. 

>> With 13.04 assists per set the Ichabods rank 17th in the nation and 3rd in the MIAA at setting up kills. 

>> On defense Washburn averages 17.21 digs per set ranking 38th in the nation and eighth in the conference. 

>> With 182.5 total blocks on the year the Ichabods have the 12th most in the nation and second most in the MIAA. 

Milestone Markers

>> Jalyn Stevenson ranks 19th in program history with 1,208 career kills. She will move into 18th with four more kills. She is also eighth on the program charts in aces and 20th in digs. She needs four aces to move up to 7th. 

>> Corinna McMullen is 12th in program history in total assists with 1,873. She is 16th in program history in service aces with 108. She needs five more to move up to 15th.

>> Sydney Conner has 1,347 career assists, putting her 15th in Washburn history. She needs 168 assists to move upto 14th. 

>> With 787 career digs Taylor Rottinghaus is climbing the all-time charts and currently ranks 39th. 

>> Austin Broadie ranks in the top-40 in Ichabod history in both blocks and kills sitting in 37th and 40th respectively. 

Scouting the Opposition

About the Emporia State Hornets

>> Emporia State enters the match with a 14-5 record overall and a 6-3 mark in the MIAA after sweeping Missouri Southern on Saturday. 

>> The Hornets are 2-0 in home matches, 5-4 on the road and 7-1 in neutral court contests. 

>> Ken Murczek is in his 2nd season at the helm of the Emporia State volleyball program. He has a 27-21 career record in Emporia. 

>> Assistant coach Jeff Grove and graduate assistant Kendyll Gebert round out the coaching staff. 

>> On the year the Hornets average 13.9 kills per set while hitting .218. They also carry averages of 12.9 assists per set with 16.6 digs and 2.1 blocks. They are fourth in the conference in assists per set and hitting percentage. 

>> Rayishon Jackman leads the team with 272 kills (3.89 per set) while hitting .195. She has started all 19 matches and also paces the Hornets with 248 digs (3.54 per set) and has 21 service aces. She is first in the MIAA in points per set, kills per set and attacks per set. 

>> Weronika Wrzesinska is second on the team with 253 kills (3.61 per set) while slashing .258 across all 19 matches. She has served 21 aces and has 197 digs (2.81 per set) with 43 blocks. She is second in the conference in both kills and points per set. 

>> Brailee Bogle has started all 19 matches to lead the team with 747 assists (10.67 per set). She is third on the team with 189 digs (2.70per set) and has also made 30 blocks. She is fourth in the conference in total assists and fifth in assists per set, ranking top-30 in the nation in both.

>> Camilla Ossola leads the team with a .299 hitting percentage while playing in 14 matches with nine starts. She has tallied 142 kills (2.90 per set) and made 23 blocks. 

>> Emporia State leads the all-time series over Washburn 55-42. The Ichabods are 16-24 inside of White Auditorium.

>> Washburn has won the last 13 matches in the series including a 3-2 at home on Oct. 8 this season. Jalyn Stevenson had 20 kills while hitting .345 and adding 12 digs in the match. 

Take a Look Ahead

>> Washburn returns back to Topeka for its last homestand of the season beginning Tuesday, Oct. 29 against Northwest Missouri State at 6 p.m. 

>> 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.