TOPEKA, Kan. -- No. 2 Washburn volleyball remains at home for one more match hosting No. 25 Emporia State in the second edition of the 2025 Turnpike Tussle on Friday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. inside Whiting Fieldhouse.
Setting The Schedule
>> No. 2 Washburn wraps up its five-match homestand on Friday taking on No. 25 Emporia State in a battle of teams tied atop the MIAA standings.
>> The Ichabods will take on the Hornets at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. inside Whiting Fieldhouse.
>> Friday night's game is the 2025 Pink Out Game Presented by Stormont Vail.
>> Emporia State enters the match on a four-match winning streak and a 17-3 overall record while going 8-1 inside the MIAA after defeating Missouri Southern 3-0 last time out.
Serving Up Facts
>> The Ichabods enter the week with a 19-1 record overall and a 8-1 mark inside the MIAA riding a seven match and 21-set winning streak after sweeping Missouri Southern last time out on Oct. 17.
>> Washburn is 9-1 in Whiting Fieldhouse while going 7-0 in neutral court matches and 3-0 in road matches.
>> The Ichabods were picked to finish third in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll with 98 total points. The MIAA Tournament will once again be seeded based on KPI Rankings and not final regular season standings.
>> Washburn remains ranked No. 2 in the AVCA poll for a second straight week with 1,123 total points in the poll. It is the highest ranking for the program since Sept. 18, 2022 when they were also ranked No. 2.
>> The Ichabods went 21-8 overall last season and 11-5 inside the MIAA, finishing fourth in the regular season. They advanced to the NCAA Central Region Semifinals.
>> Last year Washburn went 2-4 against AVCA Top-25 opponents. They are 2-1 against ranked opponents this season.
>> The 2025 roster is balanced by class once again. It is the second time in the Chris Herron era with at least four players from each class, the first time coming in 2024.
The Blue Bunch
>> Austin Broadie leads the Washburn offense with 223 kills (3.43 per set) while hitting .361, third best on the team. She has started all 20 matches and also has logged 43 blocks with 45 digs. The senior has eleven double-digit kill matches and ranks 37th nationally in hitting percentage and 3rd in the MIAA. She is 2nd among conference players in kills per set and 79th in the nation.
>> Bella Limback is slashing a team-high .547 with 133 kills (2.11 per set) while playing and starting in all 20 matches. She has also added 72 blocks (1.14 per set), also team high, and served eight aces. She has hit over .400 in all but three matches this season with three double-digit kill efforts. She leads the nation in hitting percentage and is 3rd in the MIAA in blocks per set and 34th in the nation.
>> Alex Dvorak is second on the team with 70 blocks (1.11 per set) on the season while starting all 20 matches. Offensively she has made 129 kills (2.05 per set) along with hitting .459, second best on the team. She has recorded five or more blocks in nine matches. The senior ranks 3rd in the nation and 2nd in the MIAA in hitting percentage among qualified hitters. She is also 4th in the MIAA in blocks per set and 44th nationally.
>> Corinna McMullen has started all 20 matches this season and leads Washburn with 425 assists (6.64 per set). She has also chipped in a team-high 23 service aces while ranking 2nd on the team with 170 digs (2.66 per set). The senior has delivered 12 matches of 20+ assists and seven double-doubles. She ranks 7th in the conference in assists per set.
>> Taylor Rottinghaus has suited up as the libero in every match this season leading the team with 269 digs (4.14 per set). She has chipped in 82 assists while serving 22 aces as well, second most on the team. The junior has two matches making at least 20 digs. She ranks 7th in the MIAA in digs per set and 10th in total digs.
>> Brynne Topolski is second on the Ichabods with 157 kills (2.42 per set) while hitting .276. She has come off the bench in all 20 matches while making 38 blocks with 29 digs. She has five matches with double-digit kills.
>> Keilah Rivers has slashed 130 kills (2.13 per set) this season while starting in 18 matches and playing in all 20. She is third on the team serving 18 aces while scooping up 135 digs (2.21 per set) and making 27 blocks. She has three double-figure kill matches and one double-double.
>> Sydney Conner has appeared at setter in 18 matches for the Ichabods and is second on the team with 253 assists (4.96 per set). She has added 14 aces along with 99 digs (1.94 per set). The senior has registered three matches with 20+ assists and two double-doubles. Her assists per set rank 14th in the MIAA.
>> Autumn Gibbs has played in all 20 matches while making four starts. The junior transfer is third on the team with 152 digs (2.34 per set) and has a .979 reception percentage. She has served 15 aces and dished 27 assists. She has five double-figure dig matches.
>> Emery Keebaugh has made ten starts while playing in 16 matches to register 80 kills (2.11 per set) while slashing .253. She has scooped up 29 digs with 13 blocks.
>> Natalie Hedlund has played in 13 matches making eight starts to record 60 kills (1.67 per set) while hitting .179. She has made 21 total blocks including a team-high six solo stops.
>> Shannon Frakes is third on the team with 96 assists (3.84 per set) while playing in 16 matches off the bench. She has served seven aces and made 34 digs (1.36 per set) as well.
>> Kali Henry has played in 19 matches this season off the bench, serving nine aces and recording 11 digs.
Head Coach Chris Herron
>> Herron is in his 24th season at the helm of the Ichabod volleyball program with a career record of 643-141 at Washburn. He became the 7th active DII coach to reach 700 career victories with the season-opening victory against Colorado Christian.
>> He has led the Ichabod to 18 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 52 All-American awards, 90 All-Region/District awards and 47 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 fifth season as an assistant coach for the Ichabods.
>> The former All-American setter has helped guide Washburn to a 112-34 record in her first four 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 eight total All-Americans and ten All-MIAA first team selections.
>> Camryn Turner joins the Ichabods as an assistant coach after wrapping up a two-time All-American career at Kansas in 2024.
>> She is a Topeka, Kan. native and also plays for the Grand Rapids Rise of the PVF.
>> Heather Schemper moves from the court to the sidelines joining Washburn as a student assistant after playing two seasons for the Ichabods.
By the Numbers
>> 2: NCAA Central Region Championships won by Washburn in the past six seasons.
>> 7: Number of sets lost this season.
>> 13: Number of home matches at Whiting Fieldhouse in 2025 after playing just seven at home last season.
>> 16: Number of sweeps this year.
>> 18: Number of NCAA Tournament appearances under Herron.
>> 24: Consecutive winning seasons for Washburn all coming under Chris Herron.
>> 154: Consecutive victories when winning the first two sets of a match.
>> 643: Career victories for Herron at Washburn.
Ranking Roundup
>> Washburn leads the nation and the MIAA with a .306 team hitting percentage as a team. They are the only team in the nation hitting over .300 as a team.
>> The Ichabods are 9th nationally and 2nd among MIAA teams with 2.59 blocks per set.
>> On the defensive side Washburn is limiting opponents to a .121 hitting percentage, good for 10th nationally and 1st in the MIAA.
>> The Ichabods are dishing out 13.95 assists per set on offense, good for 2nd in the nation and first in the MIAA.
>> Washburn knocks down 14.86 kills per set to rank 3rd in all of DII and first among MIAA programs.
>> Serving up 1.89 aces per set, the Ichabods are first in the MIAA and 75th nationally.
Milestone Markers
>> Corinna McMullen is 7th in program history in total assists with 2,562. She is 3rd in program history in service aces with 147. Her 1,008 career digs rank 28th in program history. She became the fifth player with 2k assists and 1k career digs last week after eclipsing 1,000 career digs.
>> Austin Broadie ranks in the top-30 in Ichabod history in both blocks and kills. Her 247 blocks are 30th most and with 888 kills she ranks 27th. She also sits 19th in career attack percentage at .266.
>> With 1,282 career digs Taylor Rottinghaus is climbing the all-time charts and currently ranks 20th. In digs per set she is 4th in Washburn history at 4.70.
>> Sydney Conner has 1,775 career assists, putting her 13th in Washburn history. In assists per set she ranks 14th among all Ichabods.
>> In just 175 career sets with the Ichabods, Alex Dvorak is 34th in program history with 219 career blocks.
>> Bella Limback's has 271 total blocks in her career putting her 23rd on the all-time charts. She is 16th in blocks per set with 0.86 each set.
Scouting the Opposition
About the Emporia State Hornets
>> Emporia State has won four straight matches to move to 17-3 overall and 8-1 inside the MIAA after defeating Missouri Southern 3-0 last time out.
>> The Hornets have gone 6-1 inside White Auditorium, 3-1 in road matches and 8-1 in neutral court battles.
>> Emporia State has entered the rankings for the first time this season at No. 25 in the latest AVCA poll.
>> Ken Murczek is in his 3rd season leading the Emporia State volleyball program where he is 47-29.
>> Assistant coaches Jeff Grove, Kendyll Gebert and Weronika Wrzesinska round out the coaching staff.
>> As a team the Hornets hit .232 with 13.3 kills per set. They also average 12.4 assists, 15.6 digs and 2.4 blocks per set. They rank 4th in the MIAA in aces per set and blocks per set. Nationally they are 17th in blocks per set.
>> Nyia Anderson leads the team with 209 kills (3.07 per set) while starting in 19 matches and playing in all 20. She is 2nd on the team with 190 digs (2.79 per set) and has 18 blocks. She is 5th in the MIAA in kills per set.
>> Boglarka Rady is top on the team with 306 digs (4.31 per set) while playing in all 20 matches. She has added 78 assists with 14 aces. She is 5th in the MIAA in digs per set.
>> Brailee Bogle controls the passing attack with 442 assists (6.23 per set) while starting in all 20 matches. She has served 17 aces and scooped 136 digs (1.92 per set). She is 9th in the MIAA in assists per set.
>> Delainee Dexter does a bit of everything starting in 18 of 20 matches. She has made 134 kills (1.89 per set) while hitting .213 while serving a team-high 31 aces, third most in the MIAA. She has dished out 309 assists (4.35 per set) and made 152 digs (2.14 per set). She is one of 12 players in the nation to record a triple-double.
>> Emporia State has a 55-44 edge in the all-time series. Although Washburn has won the last 15 meetings and is 26-21 against the Hornets in Topeka.
>> The series began on Oct. 10, 1973. The previous meeting came on Oct. 7 of this year in a 3-0 win for the Ichabods on the road.
Take a Look Ahead
>> Washburn will be back on the road next week beginning by taking on Missouri Western State at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31 in St. Joseph, Mo.
>> Senior night for the Ichabods comes against Arkansas-Fort Smith in the regular season finale on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m.
>> The MIAA Tournament will begin Nov. 20 and run through Nov. 22 in St. Joseph, Mo. at Civic Arena.
>> The NCAA Central Region Championship begins December 4 and runs through December 7.
