TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn volleyball finishes its first homestand of the season with the Turnpike Tussle on Tuesday against Emporia State in Lee Arena with first serve set for 6 p.m.
Setting The Schedule
>> Washburn volleyball completes its first homestand of the season against Emporia State on Tuesday.
>> The Ichabods will host the Hornets for the first time this year at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8.
Quick Hits
>> The Ichabods are 11-3 on the year after winning their first two home matches last week. They are 2-2 in road matches, 7-1 in neutral court contests and 2-0 in Lee Arena.
>> Last weekend Washburn began the current homestand with a 3-1 win over Pittsburg State and a sweep of Newman.
>> Washburn is receiving votes in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll with 27 total points in the rankings.
>> 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 6th 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 153 kills (2.94 per set) while hititng .229 across 14 matches with 14 starts. She is also second on the squad in digs with 157 (3.02 per set) and in aces with 13. She is 10th in the MIAA in kills and 16th in kills per set while ranking 20th in total digs. The senior has five double-doubles on the year and nine matches with 10+ kills.
>> Alex Dvorak is third on the team with 110 kills (2.12 per set) while hitting .389, the second highest mark on the team. She has started all 14 matches and also leads the team with 68 total blocks (1.31 per set). The junior is 29th in the nation and 4th in the MIAA in hitting percentage and she is also 20th in the nation and second among MIAA players in blocks per set. She has hit over .300 in 11 of 14 matches.
>> Taylor Rottinghaus has a team-high 252 digs (4.85 per set) across 14 matches. She has chipped in 54 assists and served eleven aces. The sophomore is 41st in the nation and fourth in the MIAA in digs per set while ranking fifth among conference players in total digs. She has recorded 20+ digs in three of the last four matches.
>> Corinna McMullen paces Washburn with 315 assists (6.18 per set) through 14 matches with 12 starts. She is also third on the team with 114 digs (2.24) while serving a team-high 18 aces. The junior is 10th in the MIAA in assists per set, 9th in total assists and 8th in aces. She has four double-doubles on the year and three matches with at least 30 assists.
>> Bella Limback leads the Ichabod hitters with a .430 attacking percentage while starting all 14 matches. She has tallied 101 kills (2.02 per set) and is second on the team with 50 blocks. The junior's hitting percentage is 9th 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 eight matches including hitting 1.000 with six kills against Newman.
>> Sydney Conner is second on the team with 229 assist (4.67 per set) across 14 matches with two starts. The junior is fourth on the squad with 92 digs (1.88 per set) while serving six aces. She has posted three double-doubles this season.
>> Austin Broadie is second on the team in kills and third in hitting percentage while playing all 14 matches and making four starts. She has 120 kills (2.31 per set) on the year while hitting .319 and has racked up 33 total blocks. The senior has hit over .400 in four matches and has 13+ kills in two of the last four matches.
>> Brynne Topolski has started in eight matches and played in 13 during her freshman season, logging 101 kills (2.60 per set) while hitting .256. She has added 21 blocks and 30 digs. She has at least seven kills in each of her last four matches.
>> Maddie Steiner is tied for third on the team with 11 service aces while playing in all 14 matches and making 11 starts. The senior has made 77 digs (1.51 per set) from the back row with two double-digit dig matches.
>> Natalie Hedlund has appeared in 12 matches with two starts to record a total of 44 kills (2.00 per set) while hitting .210. She has had eight or more kills in three of the last four matches.
>> Emery Keebaugh has made 45 kills (1.80 per set) this season while appearing in 11 matches. She is hitting .139 while making 12 blocks and 19 digs.
>> Keilah Rivers has tallied 27 kills (1.23 per set) across 10 matches with one start. She has 14 digs and nine blocks. Against Pittsburg State she recorded a career-high seven kills.
Head Coach Chris Herron
>> Herron is in his 23rd season at the helm of the Ichabod volleyball program with a career record of 614-135 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 83-28 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.
>> 8: 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.
>> 132: Consecutive victories when winning the first two sets of a match.
>> 612: Career victories for Herron at Washburn.
Ranking Roundup
>> Washburn is 10th in the nation and fourth in the MIAA with 14.40 kills per set.
>> The Ichabods are also hitting efficiently, sitting 17th in the nation in hitting percentage at .263 as a team. They are third in the MIAA.
>> Washburn has been effective at stopping opponents attacks as they rank 19th in the nation and 3rd among conference teams with a .134 opponent hitting percentage.
>> With 13.29 assists per set the Ichabods rank 14th in the nation and 14th in the MIAA at setting up kills.
>> On defense Washburn averages 17.10 digs per set ranking 40th in the nation and ninth in the conference.
>> With 135.5 total blocks on the year the Ichabods have the 18th most in the nation and second most in the MIAA.
Milestone Markers
>> Jalyn Stevenson ranks 21st in program history with 1,144 career kills. She needs five more to crack the top-20. She is also 14th on the program charts in aces and 22nd in digs. She needs 59 digs to reach the top-20 in that category as well.
>> Corinna McMullen is 12th in program history in total assists with 1,745. She also ranks 21st in program history in service aces with 100. She needs one more to enter the top-20.
>> Sydney Conner has 1,274 career assists, putting her 17 in Washburn history. She will move into 16th with 27 more assists.
>> With 696 career digs Taylor Rottinghaus is climbing the all-time charts and currently ranks 44th.
Scouting the Opposition
About the Emporia State Hornets
>> Emporia State enters the match with a 11-3 record overall and a 3-1 mark in the MIAA after sweeping Newman on Saturday.
>> The Hornets are 2-2 in road matches, 2-0 at home 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 24-19 career record in Emporia.
>> Assistant coach Jeff Grove and graduate assistant Kendyll Gebert round out the coaching staff.
>> On the year the Hornets average 14.7 kills per set while hitting .230. They also carry averages of 13.5 assists per set with 17.5 digs and 2.0 blocks. They are second in the conference in digs per set.
>> Rayishon Jackman leads the team with 216 kills (4.41 per set) while hitting .214. She has started all 14 matches and also paces the Hornets with 188 digs (3.84 per set) and has 11 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 172 kills (3.51 per set) while slashing .280 across all 14 matches. She has served 17 aces and has 141 digs (2.88 per set) with 31 blocks. She is second in the conference in points per set.
>> Brailee Bogle has started all 14 matches to lead the team with 556 assists (11.35 per set). She is second on the team with 154 digs (3.14 per set) and has also made 21 blocks. She is second in the conference in assists per set and fourth in total assists.
>> Camilla Ossola leads the team with a .290 hitting percentage while playing in nine matches with four starts. She has tallied 76 kills (2.71 per set) and made 12 blocks.
>> Emporia State leads the all-time series over Washburn 55-41. The Ichabods are 25-21 inside of Lee Arena.
>> Washburn has won the last 12 matches in the series including two wins last season.
Take a Look Ahead
>> Washburn will head back out on the road to face Fort Hays State on Friday and Nebraska Kearney on Saturday.
>> 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.
