TOPEKA, Kan. -- No. 2 Ichabod volleyball leaves the friendly confines of Whiting Fieldhouse for the first time in five matches to take on No. 23 Missouri Western on Friday, Oct. 31 at 6 p.m. and Northwest Missouri at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1.
Setting The Schedule
>> No. 2 Washburn heads on the road for the first time in three weeks for weekend meetings with No. 23 Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri.
>> The Ichabods will take on the Griffons at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31 inside the MWSU Fieldhouse. They face the Bearcats at 3 p.m. to begin the month of November in Bearcat Arena.
>> Missouri Western enters the match winning seven straight with a 16-5 record while Northwest Missouri is 8-11 after losing last time out.
Serving Up Facts
>> The Ichabods enter the week with a 20-1 record overall and a 9-1 mark inside the MIAA riding an eight match and 24-set winning streak after sweeping No. 25 Emporia State last time out on Oct. 24.
>> Washburn is 10-1 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 1,124 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 3-1 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 231 kills (3.40 per set) while hitting .361, third best on the team. She has started all 21 matches and also has logged 45 blocks with 47 digs. The senior has eleven double-digit kill matches and ranks 37th nationally in hitting percentage and 3rd in the MIAA. She is 3rd among conference players in kills per set and 91st in the nation.
>> Bella Limback is slashing a team-high .521 with 135 kills (2.05 per set) while playing and starting in all 21 matches. She has also added 73 blocks (1.11 per set), also team high, and served ten aces. She has hit over .400 in all but four matches this season with three double-digit kill efforts. She leads the nation in hitting percentage and is 4th in the MIAA in blocks per set and 45th in the nation.
>> Alex Dvorak is second on the team with 72 blocks (1.09 per set) on the season while starting all 21 matches. Offensively she has made 136 kills (2.06 per set) along with hitting .467, 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 5th in the MIAA in blocks per set and 49th nationally.
>> Corinna McMullen has started all 21 matches this season and leads Washburn with 442 assists (6.60 per set). She has also chipped in a team-high 27 service aces while ranking 2nd on the team with 176 digs (2.63 per set). The senior has delivered 12 matches of 20+ assists and seven double-doubles. She ranks 6th in the conference in aces per set and 7th in assists per set.
>> Taylor Rottinghaus has suited up as the libero in every match this season leading the team with 277 digs (4.07 per set). She has chipped in 85 assists while serving 24 aces as well, second most on the team. The junior has two matches making at least 20 digs. She ranks 8th in the MIAA in digs per set and 11th in total digs.
>> Keilah Rivers has slashed 140 kills (2.19 per set) this season and is hitting .158 while starting in 19 matches and playing in all 21. She is third on the team serving 19 aces while scooping up 141 digs (2.20 per set) and making 28 blocks. She has four double-figure kill matches and one double-double.
>> Brynne Topolski is second on the Ichabods with 160 kills (2.42 per set) while hitting .270. She has come off the bench in all 21 matches while making 38 blocks with 29 digs. She has five matches with double-digit kills.
>> Sydney Conner has appeared at setter in 19 matches for the Ichabods off the bench and is second on the team with 270 assists (5.00 per set). She has added 16 aces along with 101 digs (1.87 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 21 matches while making four starts. The junior transfer is third on the team with 156 digs (2.29 per set) and has a .976 reception percentage. She has served 16 aces and dished 30 assists. She has five double-figure dig matches.
>> Emery Keebaugh has made 11 starts while playing in 17 matches to register 86 kills (2.10 per set) while slashing .239. She has scooped up 30 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 20 matches this season off the bench, serving nine aces and recording 11 digs.
>> Sydney Buscher has played in 10 matches off the bench reding 14 kills while htiting .462. Last time out she slashed a career-high seven kills on eight swings against Emporia State.
Head Coach Chris Herron
>> Herron is in his 24th season at the helm of the Ichabod volleyball program with a career record of 644-141 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 113-34 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.
>> 17: Number of sweeps this year.
>> 18: Number of NCAA Tournament appearances under Herron.
>> 24: Consecutive winning seasons for Washburn all coming under Chris Herron.
>> 155: Consecutive victories when winning the first two sets of a match.
>> 644: Career victories for Herron at Washburn.
Ranking Roundup
>> Washburn leads the nation and the MIAA with a .307 team hitting percentage as a team. They are the only team in the nation hitting over .300 as a team.
>> The Ichabods are 11th nationally and 2nd among MIAA teams with 2.52 blocks per set.
>> On the defensive side Washburn is limiting opponents to a .126 hitting percentage, good for 11th nationally and 1st in the MIAA.
>> The Ichabods are dishing out 13.94 assists per set on offense, good for 3rd in the nation and first in the MIAA.
>> Washburn knocks down 14.85 kills per set to rank 3rd in all of DII and first among MIAA programs.
>> Serving up 1.99 aces per set, the Ichabods are first in the MIAA and 56th nationally.
Milestone Markers
>> Corinna McMullen is 7th in program history in total assists with 2,579. She is tied for 2nd in program history in service aces with 151. Her 1,014 career digs rank 28th in program history. She became the fifth player with 2k assists and 1k career digs after reaching 1,000 digs.
>> Austin Broadie ranks in the top-30 in Ichabod history in both blocks and kills. Her 249 blocks are 30th most and with 896 kills she ranks 27th. She also sits 19th in career attack percentage at .267.
>> With 1,290 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 4.67.
>> Sydney Conner has 1,792 career assists, putting her 13th in Washburn history. In assists per set she ranks 13th among all Ichabods.
>> In just 178 career sets with the Ichabods, Alex Dvorak is 34th in program history with 221 career blocks.
>> Bella Limback's has 272 total blocks in her career putting her 23rd on the all-time charts. She is 16th in blocks per set with 0.85 each set.
Scouting the Opposition
About the Missouri Western State Griffons
>> Missouri Western is on a seven-match winning streak after sweeping Northwest Missouri last time out on Oct. 24, moving to 16-5 overall and 8-2 inside the MIAA.
>> The Griffons are 4-1 inside of the MWSU Fieldhouse while posting a 6-1 road record and 6-3 mark in neutral court battles.
>> Missouri Western rises up one spot to No. 23 in the latest AVCA rankings.
>> Former Ichabod student-athlete and assistant coach Jessica Fey is in her 4th season as the head coach at Missouri Western where she has a 71-41 record.
>> Assistant coaches Kayla Ruff and Nessa Johnson round out the coaching staff.
>> As a team the Griffons hit .219 with 14.0 kills per set. They also average 13.3 assists, 18.5 digs and 2.0 blocks per set. They are 2nd in the MIAA in digs per set and 14th in the nation, they are also 13th nationally in assists per set, putting them at 4th in the conference.
>> Taylor Russell leads the team with 224 kills (2.99 per set) while hitting .289. She has started all 21 matches while also adding 45 blocks and 38 digs. She is 7th in the MIAA in kills per set.
>> Anna Weberg has collected a team-high 394 digs (5.18 per set) while playing in all 21 matches for the Griffons. She has served 21 aces while adding 67 assists. She is 2nd in the MIAA and 23rd nationally in digs per set.
>> Emma Salker is second on the squad with 196 kills (2.58 per set) with a .312 hitting percentage. She has started all 21 matches leading the team with 79 blocks (1.04 per set) and adding 81 digs. She is 8th in the MIAA in both hitting percentage and blocks per set.
>> Washburn leads the all-time series with Missouri Western 47-42 and are 17-16 against the Griffons in St. Joe.
>> The series began on Sept. 30, 1975 with the most recent meeting on Sept. 27 this season in a 3-1 win for Missouri Western in Topeka, the only loss of the season for the Ichabods.
About the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats
>> Northwest Missouri enters the week with an 8-11 record overall and 2-8 mark inside the MIAA after losing 3-0 to No. 24 Missouri Western last time out on Oct. 24. They will face Emporia State on Friday before facing the Ichabods.
>> The Bearcats have gone 2-3 inside of Bearcat Arena with a 1-6 record in road matches and 5-2 in neutral court matches.
>> Amy Woerth is in her 14th season as the head coach of the Northwest Missouri program where she has a 236-161 record.
>> Assistant coaches Nick Sepulveda, Connie LeBel and Riley Walters rounds out the coaching staff.
>> As a team the Bearcats hit .200 with 13.1 kills per set. They also average 11.6 assists, 16.0 digs and 1.3 blocks per set. They rank 5th in the MIAA in aces per set and 7th in the conference in digs per set.
>> Kasidy Mohwinkle leads the team with 194 kills (3.03 per set) while hitting .266. She has played in all 19 matches starting in 15 while adding 14 aces and making 133 digs (2.08 per set). She ranks 6th in the MIAA in kills per set.
>> Ella Caffery has started all 19 matches for the Bearcats to lead the team with 661 assists (10.02 per set). She leads the team with 22 aces while adding 74 kills and scooping up 217 digs (3.29 per set), 2nd most on the team. She is 4th in the MIAA and 32nd nationally in assists per set.
>> Karsen VanScoy leads the defense with 270 digs (4.09 per set) on the back row while playing in all 19 matches. She has served 11 aces along with dishing out 59 assists, second most on the team. She is 7th in the MIAA in digs per set.
>> Washburn leads the all-time series with the Bearcats 52-26. They are 19-10 against them in Maryville, Mo.
>> The series began on Nov. 1, 1976 with the most recent meeting coming on Sept. 26 at home this season with a 3-1 win for the Ichabods.
Take a Look Ahead
>> Washburn stays on the road this week heading north to take on Nebraska Kearney and then Fort Hays State.
>> 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.
