TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn volleyball heads to Pittsburg for three matches at the PSU Regional Challenge beginning with two matches on Friday and one on Saturday to wrap up non-conference play. 
 

Setting The Schedule

>> Washburn volleyball plays its final regular season tournament of the year this weekend as they head to Pittsburg for the PSU Regional Challenge on Friday and Saturday. 

>> The Ichabods will take on Missouri S&T at 9 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 20 to kick off the tournament. Later in that afternooon they will face Harding with a scheduled start time of 2 p.m.

>> Washburn will wrap up the tournament on Saturday morning as they face Henderson State at 9 a.m. 

the PSU REGIONAL CHALLENGE

>> The 2024 Kansas City Classic will be made up of seven teams, with three from the MIAA and two GLVC members, and two from the GAC. Joining the Ichabods from the MIAA are Emporia State and the host Pittsburg State. From the GAC come Henderson State and Harding while Illinois-Springfield and Missouri S&T represent the GLVC. 

>> Pittsburg State's John Lance Arena will be the host site for every match. 

>> Live stats can still be found through the Washburn schedule page and through the Ichabod volleyball page on X. 

>> All tournament matches will be live streamed on the RMAC Network.

Quick Hits

>> The Ichabods are 6-1 on the year after going 3-1 last weekend. They are 2-0 in road matches and 4-1 in neutral court contests. 

>> Last weekend Washburn swept Western Colorado and Fort Lewis to begin the Mountaineer Volleyball Classic. The next day they won 3-1 over Western New Mexico before finishing the tournament with a 3-2 loss to Texas A&M - Kingsville. 

>> In the most recent AVCA poll Washburn was voted just outside the top-25, finishing with 51 total points, fifth most of any team not in the rankings. 

>> The Ichabods were picked to finish fourth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll just behind Nebraska-Kearney. They received one first place vote in the poll. 

>> 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

>> Alex Dvorak is second on the team in both kills with 63 (2.42 per set) and in hitting percentage with a .450 mark. She has started all seven matches and leads the team with 37 total blocks. The junior is 16th in the nation and 2nd in the MIAA in hitting percentage and she is 14th in the nation and first among MIAA players in blocks per set with 1.42. She has hit at least .333 in all seven matches. 

>> Jalyn Stevenson is the team leader with 76 kills (2.92 per set) while hititng .264 across seven matches with seven starts. She also leads the squad with eight service aces and is second in digs, picking up 88 (3.38 per set). She is 16th in the MIAA in both total digs and kills per set. She has double-digit kills in four matches this season with three double-doubles. 

>> Corinna McMullen paces Washburn with 148 assists (5.92 per set) through seven matches with five starts. She is also third on the team with 68 digs (2.72) while adding five aces. The junior is 12th in the MIAA in both assists and assists per set. She has three double-doubles on the year and four matches with at least 20 assists. 

>> Taylor Rottinghaus has a team-high 109 digs (4.19 per set) across seven matches. She has chipped in 28 assists and served five aces. The sophomore is 88th in the nation and seventh in the MIAA in digs per set while ranking ninth among conference players in total digs. She has 20 or more digs in two matches so far. 

>> Bella Limback leads the Ichabod offense in hitting percentage with a .490 mark through seven matches and starts. She has tallied 56 kills (2.24 per set) and is second on the team with 23 blocks. The junior's hitting percentage is 12th highest in the nation and second in the MIAA. She is also top-15 in the conference in total blocks and blocks per set. 

>> Sydney Conner is second on the team with 112 assist (4.67 per set) across seven matches with two starts. The junior is fourth on the squad with 44 digs (1.83 per set) while serving a pair of aces. She has posted one double-double this season. 

>> Austin Broadie is tied for fourth on the team with 52 kills (2.00 per set) while hitting .302. She has played in all seven matches and made two starts to rack up 17 combined blocks including five solo stops. 

>> Brynne Topolski has started in four matches and played in seven during her freshman season, logging 43 kills (1.95 per set) while hitting .224. She has added 12 blocks and 12 digs. 

>> Emery Keebaugh has made 38 kills (2.11 per set) this season while appearing in all seven matches. She is hitting .153 while making 11 blocks and 16 digs. 

>> Maddie Steiner is second on the team with six service aces while playing and starting in all seven matches. The senior has made 27 digs (1.08 per set) from the back row. 

Head Coach Chris Herron

>> Herron is in his 23rd season at the helm of the Ichabod volleyball program with a career record of 609-133 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 78-26 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.

>> 13: Number of returning members of the 2023 team. 

>> 22: Consecutive winning seasons for Washburn all coming under Chris Herron. 

>> 127: Consecutive victories when winning the first two sets of a match. 

>> 609: Career victories for Herron at Washburn. 

Ranking Roundup

>> Washburn is 11th in the nation and third in the MIAA with 14.35 kills per set. 

>> The Ichabods are also hitting efficiently, sitting 23rd in the nation in hitting percentage at .273 as a team. They are third in the MIAA. 

>> Washburn has been effective at stopping opponents attacks as they rank 22nd in the nation and 2nd among conference teams with a .113 opponent hitting percentage. 

>> With 13.19 assists per set the Ichabods rank 10th in the nation and 3rd in the MIAA at setting up kills. 

>> On defense Washburn averages 16.69 digs per set ranking 51st in the nation and seventh in the conference. 

>> With 70.5 total blocks on the year the Ichabods have the 22nd most in the nation and second most in the MIAA. 

Milestone Markers

>> Jalyn Stevenson ranks 23rd in program history with 1,067 career kills. She needs 81 more to crack the top-20. She is also 15th on the program charts in aces with 109. With four more aces she will move into 14th place. 

>> Corinna McMullen is 13th in program history in total assists with 1,578. She needs 32 more to move up one spot to 12th. She also ranks 25th on the program charts with 87 service aces. 

>> Sydney Conner has 1,159 career assists, putting her 19th in Washburn history. She will move into 18th with three more assists. She needs 42 more digs to reach 500 in her career. 

>> Austin Broadie needs 31 more kills to eclipse 500 in her career. She is currently 45th on the program charts in kills. 

Scouting the Opposition

About the Missouri S&T Miners

>> Missouri S&T enters the tournament with a 2-5 record having lost four matches in a row with the last coming to Quincy on Sept. 14. 

>> The Miners are 0-2 in road matches and 2-3 in neutral court contests while having not played at home so far. 

>> Jacquie Cason is in her first season in charge of the Missouri S&T program after spending five seasons as an assistant with Northwest Missouri State. 

>> Student assistant Jonathan Piggott rounds out the coachign staff. 

>> On the year the Miners average 11.0 kills per set while hitting .181. They also carry averages of 9.3 assists per set with 15.7 digs and 2.6 blocks. 

>> Alina Carrillo leads the team with 100 kills (3.70 per set) while hitting .225 across seven matches with six starts. She is also second on the team wiht 79 digs (2.93 per set) and has mad 16 total blocks this season. 

>> Avery Jones has 108 digs (3.86 per set) to top the team charts on the year. The libero has played in all seven matches while adding 23 assists. 

>> Elise Mehaffy has started in five of the seven matches and leads the team with 142 assists (5.07 per set). She has added 37 digs and 16 kills. 

>> Madison Offerman has a .253 hitting percentage to lead the Miners. She has 36 kills (1.29 per set) and is second on the team with 30 total blocks including seven solo. 

>> Washburn and Missouri S&T are tied 1-1 in the all-time series. The last match was a 3-0 win for the Ichabods on Sept. 4, 2007. 

About the Harding Bison

>> Harding is 5-4 on the year moving back up above .500 with a 3-0 win over Central Baptist on Tuesday evening. 

>> The Bison are 2-1 in road matches and 3-3 in neutral court contests. They have not played a home match so far in 2024. 

>> Meredith Fear is in her 13th season at the helm of the Harding volleyball program. She has gone 268-99 in her time there with eight 20+ win seasons. 

>> Asistant coaches Robert Fear and Cooper Monn round out the coaching staff. 

>> The Bison average 13.9 kills per set while hitting .246. They pick up 12.7 assists per set with 16.4 digs, 1.9 aces and 1.7 blocks. 

>> Skyler McKinnon leads Harding with 110 kills (3.55 per set) through nine matches with seven starts. She is hitting .240 while adding 43 digs (1.39 per set) and five blocks. 

>> Tatum Fouche has recorded 157 digs (4.76 per set) to lead the Bison across all nine matches. She has added 32 assists and served a team-high 13 service aces. 

>> Olivia Wiedower controls the passing attack with 336 assists (10.18 per set) while starting all nine matches. She has serviced nine aces and is second on the team with 77 digs (2.33 per set). 

>> Delaney Garner leads the team with a .311 hitting percentage while slashing 76 kills (2.53 per set). She has started all nine matches and added 15 blocks. 

>> Washburn holds a 11-3 advantage in the all-time series with Harding. They have won the last two matches including a 3-0 win last season on Sept. 9, 2023 in Topeka. 

About the Henderson State Reddies

>> Henderson State is 7-3 on the year after falling 3-0 to Arkansas Tech on Sept. 17 in its GAC Conference opener. 

>> The Reddies are 4-0 at home with a 1-2 record in road matches and 2-1 at neutral locations. 

>> Head coach Philip McDaniel is in his 8th season as the head coach of Henderson State where he has a 128-80 record with four 20+ win seasons. 

>> Assistant coaches Sydney Vance and Mirela Polete Vasconselos complete the coaching staff. 

>> The Reddies average 11.4 kills per set while hitting .171 as a team. They also average 10.5 assists per set along with 16.5 digs and 2.3 blocks. 

>> Three players for Henderson State have at least 80 kills on the season, leading the balanced attack is Christiane Uzoh with 88 (2.51 per set) while hitting .202. She has started all 10 matches and is second on the team with 29 blocks. 

>> Kaylon Partain has played in all 10 matches and leads the Reddies with 195 digs (5.57 per set) on the year. She has a .966 reception percentage and has added 30 assists with seven aces. 

>> Madison Hatt and Braxton Jones split the setting duties for Henderson State. Hatt has 164 (4.69 per set) on the year while Jones has racked up 132 (3.77 assists). Each have double-digit service ace totals with Jones serving 11 and Hatt landing 10. 

>> Larkin Luke leads the team with a .370 hitting percentage while starting all 10 matches. She has 44 kills (1.26 per set) on the year, fourth most, and leads the team with 30 total blocks. 

>> Washburn leads the all-time series with Henderson State 5-3 after winning the last four encounters. The last match between the two was played on a neutral court in Searcy, Ar. and was a 3-0 win for the Ichabods on Sept. 7, 2007. 

Take a Look Ahead

>> Washburn will begin conference play next weekend with a trip to Missouri to face Northwest Missouri State at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27. They will finish out the weekend at Missouri Western the next day at 6 p.m. 

>> The 2024 home opener will be on the 13th match of the season, against Pittsburg State, on Thursday, October 3 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.