TOPEKA, Kan. -- After five consecutive matches away from home Washburn volleyball is back in Lee Arena on Tuesday taking on Northwest Missouri. They finish out the week on Wednesday against No. 23 Missouri Western. First serve for both is set for 6 p.m.
Setting The Schedule
>> Washburn volleyball returns home for its final stint of the regular season inside of Lee Arena beginning with midweek matches against Northwest Missouri and No. 23 Missouri Western.
>> The Ichabods will take on the Bearcats at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29 and will square off with Missouri Western on Wednesday with a 6 p.m. first serve.
>> Wednesday's match will be the 2024 Pink Out Game, all fans are encouraged to wear pink to the match. The first 100 fans attending will receive a t-shirt and a volleyball signed by the team will be auctioned off. All proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society.
Quick Hits
>> The Ichabods are 16-4 on the year overall and 7-3 inside the MIAA. They are 6-3 in road matches, 7-1 in neutral court contests and 3-0 in Lee Arena.
>> Washburn won the first two sets against Emporia State and held on with a 15-6 fifth set to sweep the regular season series with the Hornets.
>> The Ichabods were picked to finish fourth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll with one first place vote. They currently sit in fourth place in the conference.
>> Washburn is receiving votes in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll with 18 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 223 kills (2.90 per set) while hititng .203 across 20 matches with 20 starts. She is also second on the squad in digs with 230 (2.99 per set) and in aces with 26. She is 14th in the MIAA in kills and 19th in kills per set while ranking 16th 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 97 blocks on the year (1.26 per set) while every match. She sits third on the team in kills with 154 (2.00 per set) and is second with a .369 hitting percentage. The junior is second in the MIAA in blocks per set and third in total blocks. She rnaks 22nd and 21st in each categore nationally respectively. She is also 28th 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 360 digs (4.68 per set) across 20 matches. She has chipped in 70 assists and served 21 aces. The sophomore is 58th 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 464 assists (6.11 per set) through 20 matches with 18 starts. She is also third on the team with 166 digs (2.18 per set) while serving a team-high 28 aces. The junior is 10th in the MIAA in assists per set and total assists while ranking 4th in aces. She has seven double-doubles on the year and four matches with at least 30 assists.
>> Bella Limback leads the Ichabod hitters with a .384 attacking percentage while starting all 20 matches. She has tallied 134 kills (1.79 per set) and is second on the team with 74 blocks. The junior's hitting percentage is 20th highest in the nation and second in the MIAA. She is also 10th in total blocks in the conference and 12th 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 20 matches and making ten starts. She has 176 kills (2.29 per set) on the year while hitting .285 and has racked up 49 total blocks. The senior has hit over .400 in four matches.
>> Sydney Conner is second on the team with 318 assist (4.42 per set) across 20 matches with two starts. The junior is fifth on the squad with 129 digs (1.79 per set) while serving 11 aces. She has posted three double-doubles this season.
>> Brynne Topolski has started in eight matches and played in 18 during her freshman season, logging 129 kills (2.19 per set) while hitting .237. She has added 33 blocks and 38 digs. In both of the last two matches she has four blocks.
>> Maddie Steiner is fourth on the team with 15 service aces while playing in all 20 matches and making 13 starts. The senior is also fourth with 134 digs (1.76 per set) from the back row with four double-digit dig matches.
>> Keilah Rivers has tallied 45 kills (1.25 per set) across 16 matches with three starts. She has 36 digs and 14 blocks.
>> Emery Keebaugh has played in 15 matches with two starts logging 72 kills (1.89 per set). She is hitting .161 with 18 blocks and 35 digs.
Head Coach Chris Herron
>> Herron is in his 23rd season at the helm of the Ichabod volleyball program with a career record of 619-136 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 88-29 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.
>> 23: Consecutive winning seasons for Washburn all coming under Chris Herron.
>> 134: Consecutive victories when winning the first two sets of a match.
>> 619: Career victories for Herron at Washburn.
Ranking Roundup
>> Washburn is 25th in the nation and fourth in the MIAA with 13.79 kills per set.
>> The Ichabods are also hitting efficiently, sitting 32nd in the nation in hitting percentage at .243 as a team. They rank third in the MIAA.
>> Washburn has been effective at stopping opponents attacks as they rank 40th in the nation and fourth among conference teams with a .151 opponent hitting percentage.
>> With 12.81 assists per set the Ichabods rank 23rd in the nation and 4th in the MIAA at setting up kills.
>> On defense Washburn averages 17.10 digs per set ranking 48th in the nation and eighth in the conference.
>> With 194.5 total blocks on the year the Ichabods have the 19th most in the nation and second most in the MIAA.
Milestone Markers
>> Jalyn Stevenson ranks 18th in program history with 1,214 career kills. She will move into 17th with seven more kills. She is also eighth on the program charts in aces and 20th in digs. She needs two aces to move up to 7th.
>> Corinna McMullen is 12th in program history in total assists with 1,894. She is 16th in program history in service aces with 110. She needs three more to move up to 15th.
>> Sydney Conner has 1,363 career assists, putting her 15th in Washburn history. She needs 152 assists to move upto 14th.
>> With 804 career digs Taylor Rottinghaus is climbing the all-time charts and currently ranks 37th.
>> Austin Broadie ranks in the top-40 in Ichabod history in both blocks and kills sitting in tied for 36th and 39th respectively.
Scouting the Opposition
About the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats
>> Northwest Missouri State enters the weekend with a 12-8 record overall and a 6-4 mark inside the MIAA after being swept by No. 24 Missouri Western on Saturday.
>> The Bearcats are 5-3 in road matches, 3-2 in Maryville and 4-3 in neutral court contests.
>> Amy Woerth is in her 13th season in charge of the Northwest Missouri volleyball program where she has compiled a 224-146 record.
>> Assistant coach Nick Sepulveda rounds out the coaching staff.
>> On the year the Bearcats average 14.0 kills per set while hitting .194. They also carry averages of 12.7 assists per set with 19.5 digs and 1.9 blocks. Among conference foes they are first in the MIAA in digs per set and third in the nation.
>> Abby Brunssen leads Northwest Missouri with 242 kills (3.27 per set) while starting all 20 matches. She hits a team-high .307 while also leading the team with 81 blocks. She ranks 5th in the MIAA in both blocks and blocks per set.
>> Payton Kirchhoefer is second on the team with 207 kills (3.09 per set) across 19 matches and 18 starts. She has added 140 digs (2.09 per set) and has made 30 total blocks. She is second in the league in attacks per set.
>> Ella Caffery leads the Bearcat passing attack with 623 assists (8.20 per set). She has added 155 digs (2.04 per set) with 47 blocks and 56 kills. She ranks 6th in the MIAA in total assists in 7th in assists per set.
>> Kyah Luhring leads the team with 393 digs (5.17 per set) and carries a .969 reception percentage on 259 total attempts. She has added nine aces and 67 assists across all 20 matches. Her digs per set average is third in the MIAA and she is fifth in total digs.
>> Washburn leads Northwest Missouri 50-25 in the all-time series and are 26-7 inside of Lee Arena.
>> The Bearcats won the first match between the two teams earlier in the season 3-2 in Maryville. Brynne Topolski had 22 kills with a .524 hitting percentage in the match.
About the Missouri Western State Griffons
>> Missouri Western is 18-4 on the year with an 8-2 record inside the MIAA. They are on a six match winning streak including a sweep of the Bearcats the last time out. They are ranked No. 23 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll.
>> The Griffons are 7-3 in road matches, 5-0 inside of MWSU Fieldhouse and are 6-1 in neutral court contests.
>> Former Ichabod All-American and Washburn Hall of Fame member Jessica Fey is in her third season as the head coach of Missouri Western where she has a 50-32 record.
>> Asistant coach Izzy Enna completes the coaching staff.
>> The Griffons average 13.7 kills per set while hitting .221. They pick up 12.8 assists per set with 19.4 digs, 1.9 aces and 2.3 blocks. Inside the MIAA they are first in aces per set and second in digs per set.
>> Holly Heldt leads the team with 230 total kills (2.91 per set) while hitting .191 and starting all 22 matches. She leads the conference with 41 service aces and is second on the team with 299 digs (3.78 per set).
>> Lily Kurz leads the defensive effort at the net for the Griffons with 104 blocks (1.35 per set). Her .289 hitting percentage also leads the team. She is the MIAA leader in blocks per set and ranks ninth in the nation.
>> Nessa Johnson controls the passing attack for the Griffons with 873 assists (11.05 per set) while starting every match. She is second in the conference and 13th in the nation in total assists. She helps on the backline with 250 digs (3.16 per set) while making 26 blocks.
>> Washburn leads the all-time series over Missouri Western 46-41. The Ichabods are 27-10 against the Griffons in Lee Arena.
>> The Griffons have won the last five matches in the series including a 3-2 victory in St. Joseph earlier in the season. Jalyn Stevenson had a 17-kill and 16-dig double-double in the match.
Take a Look Ahead
>> Washburn stays at home next week for two more matches beginning with Nebraska Kearney at 7 p.m. on Nov. 8 for Alumni Weekend.
>> 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.
