TOPEKA, Kan. -- No. 24 Washburn volleyball embarks on its final week of the regular season with a road trip south to face No. 10 Central Oklahoma at 6 p.m. on Friday and the first ever MIAA match up between the Ichabods and Arkansas-Fort Smith at noon on Saturday.

Setting The Schedule

>> Washburn volleyball finishes the regular season on the road beginning with No. 10 Central Oklahoma on Friday before facing new conference foe Arkansas-Fort Smith for the first time on Saturday at 12 p.m. 

>> The Ichabods will face the Bronchos at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15 before taking on the Lions on Saturday with first serve at 12 p.m. in the regular season finale. 

Quick Hits

>> The Ichabods are 19-5 on the year overall and 10-4 inside the MIAA. They are 6-3 in road matches, 7-1 in neutral court contests and 6-1 in Lee Arena. 

>> Washburn wrapped up its home schedule with a 3-2 loss to No. 5 Nebraska Kearney before sweeping Fort Hays State on senior day Saturday. 

>> The Ichabods were picked to finish fourth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll with one first place vote. They are currently in fourth place heading into the final week of the regular season.

>> In the latest KPI standings update used to seed the MIAA Tournament Washburn was seeded third in the MIAA above UCO and behind Missouri Western. 

>> Washburn moved into the most recent AVCA Poll to No. 24 with 79 total points. 

>> 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 268 kills (2.95 per set) while hitting .202 across 24 matches with 24 starts. She is also second on the squad in digs with 278 (3.05 per set) and in aces with 31. She is 9th in the MIAA in total kills, 16th in total digs and ranks 5th in total aces. She is top-20 in both kills and aces per set as well. She has 10 double-doubles on the year. 

>> Alex Dvorak leads the Washburn defense at the net with 118 blocks on the year (1.30 per set) while starting all 24 matches. She sits third on the team in kills with 190 (2.09 per set) and leads the team with a .371 hitting percentage. The junior is second in the MIAA in both total blocks and blocks per set. She ranks 13th and 20th in each category nationally respectively. She is also 29th in the nation and third in the conference in hitting percentage. In 16 of 24 matches she has recorded at least five blocks. 

>> Taylor Rottinghaus has a team-high 461 digs (5.07 per set) across 24 matches. She has chipped in 74 assists and served 23 aces. The sophomore is 35th in the nation and seventh in the MIAA in digs per set while ranking sixth among conference players in total digs. She has 20+ digs in five of the last seven matches including a career-high 40 against Nebraska Kearney.

>> Corinna McMullen paces Washburn with 567 assists (6.30 per set) through 24 matches with 22 starts. She is also third on the team with 213 digs (2.37 per set) while serving a team-high 38 aces. The junior is 3rd in the MIAA in aces per set while ranking 8th in both assists per set and total assists. She has 12 double-doubles on the year including each of the last five matches.

>> Bella Limback is second among Ichabod hitters with a .353 attacking percentage while starting all 24 matches. She has tallied 155 kills (1.74 per set) and is second on the team with 87 blocks. The junior's hitting percentage is 51st highest in the nation and third in the MIAA. She is also 9th in total blocks in the conference and 12th in blocks per set. She has hit over .400 in ten matches on the year.

>> Austin Broadie is second on the team in kills and third in hitting percentage while playing all 24 matches and making 11 starts. She has 199 kills (2.19 per set) on the year while hitting .260 and has racked up 62 total blocks. The senior has hit over .400 in four matches.

>> Sydney Conner is second on the team with 383 assist (4.45 per set) across 24 matches with two starts. The junior is fifth on the squad with 165 digs (1.92 per set) while serving 11 aces. She has posted four double-doubles this season. 

>> Emery Keebaugh has played in 19 matches logging four starts while making 119 kills (2.29 per set). She is hitting .205 with 22 blocks and 50 digs. In three of the last four matches she has tallied double-digit kills. 

>> Brynne Topolski has started in eight matches and played in 20 during her freshman season, logging 131 kills (2.11 per set) while hitting .230. She has added 33 blocks and 38 digs. 

>> Maddie Steiner is fourth on the team with 17 service aces while playing in all 24 matches and making 13 starts. The senior is also fourth with 161 digs (1.79 per set) from the back row with five 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.

Head Coach Chris Herron

>> Herron is in his 23rd season at the helm of the Ichabod volleyball program with a career record of 622-137 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 91-30 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.

>> 12: 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. 

>> 137: Consecutive victories when winning the first two sets of a match. 

>> 622: Career victories for Herron at Washburn. 

Ranking Roundup

>> With 230.5 total blocks on the year the Ichabods have the 21st most in the nation and second most in the MIAA. 

>> They rank 15th in the nation and are the top team in the MIAA with 2.53 blocks per set. 

>> Washburn is 22nd in the nation and third in the MIAA with 13.95 kills per set. 

>> The Ichabods are also hitting efficiently, sitting 37th in the nation in hitting percentage at .239 as a team, third highest mark in the conference. 

>> Washburn has been effective at stopping opponents attacks as they rank 37th in the nation and fourth among conference teams with a .148 opponent hitting percentage. 

>> With 12.95 assists per set the Ichabods rank 22nd in the nation and 3rd in the MIAA at setting up kills. 

>> On defense Washburn averages 17.77 digs per set ranking 29th in the nation and eighth in the conference. 

Milestone Markers

>> Jalyn Stevenson ranks 14th in program history with 1,259 career kills. She will move into 13th with 35 more kills. She is also seventh on the program charts in aces and 19th in digs. She needs three aces to move up to 5th. 

>> Corinna McMullen is 11th in program history in total assists with 1,997. She is tied for 12th in program history in service aces with 120. She needs three more aces to move into 10th. 

>> Sydney Conner has 1,428 career assists, putting her 15th in Washburn history. She needs 87 assists to move up to 14th. 

>> With 905 career digs Taylor Rottinghaus is climbing the all-time charts and currently ranks 30th. 

>> Austin Broadie ranks in the top-40 in Ichabod history in both blocks and kills sitting 33rd and 38th respectively. 

Scouting the Opposition

About the CENTRAL OKLAHOMA BRONCHOS

>> Central Oklahoma begins the final week of the regular season with a 25-2 record overall having won five straight matches. They are 12-2 inside the MIAA after sweeping Newman last time out.

>> The Bronchos are 10-1 inside of Hamilton Field House, 9-1 on the road and a perfect 6-0 in neutral court competition.

>> Central Oklahoma is ranked No. 10 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll from November 11.

>> Edgar Miraku is in year 13 in charge of the UCO volleyball program where he has a 298-97 career record. 

>> Assistant coach Emily Todd along with volunteer assistants Bill Hamiter and Joe Skinner round out the coaching staff. 

>> On the year the Bronchos average 14.6 kills per set while hitting .269. They also carry averages of 13.6 assists per set with 18.7 digs and 2.1 blocks. They are first in the conference in hitting percentage, total kills and total assists. 

>> Addison Wimmer has 283 kills (3.41 per set) to lead the Central Oklahoma offense while playing in 27 matches and making 26 starts. She is hitting .238 and has added 193 digs (2.33 per set) on the defensive end. She is fourth in the MIAA in kills per set and fifth in total kills. 

>> Jenna Karp is the most efficient hitter in the conference slashing .385 this season with 253 kills (3.12 per set). She has started in all 24 matches she has played in and has served 15 aces while also making 63 blocks. Her hitting percentage is 17th best in the nation. 

>> With 1,014 assists (11.27 per set) Lindsey Houran controls the passing attack for the Bronchos while starting in all 27 matches. She has served a team-high 25 aces and is second on the squad with 253 digs (2.81 per set). She ranks top-20 nationally in both assists per set and total assists and is 2nd and 3rd in the conference respectively. 

>> Katie Le has 476 digs (5.12 per set) on the year to lead the team while playing in all 27 matches. She adds 90 assists and 16 aces offensively. She is 31st in the nation and 3rd in the MIAA in total digs.

>> Washburn leads the all-time series 17-13 over the Bronchos. They are 5-7 on the road. 

>> Central Oklahoma won both matches last season, winning 3-2 in Topeka and 3-1 in Edmond.

About the ARKANSAS-FORT SMITH LIONS

>> Arkansas-Fort Smith enters the weekend with a 14-12 record overall and a 6-8 mark in the MIAA during its first season in the conference. Last time out they swept Pittsburg State on the road. 

>> The Lions are 7-4 in road contests, 1-6 inside Gayle Kaundart Arena and 6-2 in neutral court matches. 

>> Jane Sargent has been the head coach of the Arkansas-Fort Smith volleyball program since its creation in 1998 and is in her 16th season since the program moved to the Division II level. She has a 361-129 career record in that time. 

>> Assistant coaches Catherine Hunter and Jon Core complete the coaching staff. 

>> On the year the Lions average 12.9 kills per set while hitting .206. They also carry averages of 11.8 assists per set with 18.8 digs and 2.3 blocks. They are first in the conference in total digs and total blocks. 

>> Nyia Anderson has 286 kills (2.89 per set) to lead the offense while hitting .173 and starting all 26 matches. She also paces the squad with 359 digs (3.63 per set) and has served 25 aces and made 37 total blocks. Her total kills ranks fourth in the MIAA and she is 15th in digs per set.

>> Kaelyn McDonald has 167 kills on the year (2.04 per set) while hitting a team-high .326. She has started in 21 of 23 matches she has appeared in and is third on the team with 73 blocks. Her hitting percentage is fifth best in the conference. 

>> Scarlette Young controls the passing attack for Arkansas-Fort Smith with 530 assists (5.64 per set) while playing in 26 matches with 18 starts. She has served a team-high 34 aces and added 64 kills with 234 digs (2.49 per set). She has the fourth most aces in the MIAA. 

>> Caelyn Gunn is second on the team with 311 digs (3.70 per set) and in kills with 254 (3.02 per set). She has 30 aces on the year and has added 47 assists. 

>> Washburn leads the all-time series with Arkansas-Fort Smith 2-0 with the last match coming on Sept. 21, 2013. Saturday will be the first matchup between the two as conference opponents. 

Take a Look Ahead

>> Washburn will find out its seeding for the MIAA Tournament after the weekend's matches.

>> The MIAA Championship Tournament will be held between Thursday, November 21 and Saturday, November 23 in St. Joseph, Mo. at Civic Arena.