TOPEKA, Kan. -- No. 9 Washburn volleyball takes on Emporia State for the first time this season Tuesday evening in Emporia at 6 p.m. on Oct. 7. 

Setting The Schedule

>> No. 9 Washburn volleyball plays its first midweek match of the season taking on Emporia State in the first edition of the Turnpike Tussle this season. 

>> The Ichabods will take on the Hornets at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. at White Auditorium in Emporia, Kan. 

>> Emporia State enters the match with a 13-2 (4-0 MIAA) record with 13 straight wins including a 3-2 win over Pittsburg State last time out. 

Serving Up Facts

>> The Ichabods enter the week with a 14-1 record overall and a 3-1 mark inside the MIAA after sweeps over Pittsburg State and Newman over the weekend. 

>> Washburn is 5-1 in Whiting Fieldhouse while going 7-0 in neutral court matches and 2-0 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 is ranked No. 9 in the latest AVCA rankings with 760 total points. They moved up from a No. 10 ranking last week. 

>> 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 0-1 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 175 kills (3.50 per set) while hitting .389, third best on the team. She has started all 15 matches and also has logged 31 blocks with 37 digs. The senior has eight double-digit kill matches and ranks 16th nationally in hitting percentage and 3rd in the MIAA. She is 2nd among conference players in kills per set and 71st in the nation.

>> Bella Limback is slashing a team-high .552 with 98 kills (2.04 per set) while playing and starting in all 15 matches. She has also added 52 blocks, a team high and served seven aces. She has hit over .400 in all but two matches this season with two double-digit kill efforts. She leads the nation in hitting percentage and is 6th in the MIAA in total blocks and 5th in blocks per set. 

>> Alex Dvorak is second on the team with 51 blocks (1.06 per set) on the season while starting all 15 matches. Offensively she has made 91 kills (1.98 per set) along with hitting .428, second best on the team. She has recorded five or more blocks in seven matches. The senior ranks 8th in the nation and 2nd in the MIAA in hitting percentage among qualified hitters. She is also 6th in the MIAA in blocks per set and 68th nationally. 

>> Corinna McMullen has started all 15 matches this season to lead Washburn with 322 assists (6.57 per set). She has also chipped in 16 service aces while ranking 2nd on the team with 124 digs (2.53 per set). The senior has delivered nine matches of 20+ assists and six 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 204 digs (4.08 per set). She has chipped in 61 assists while serving 19 aces as well, a team-high. The junior has two matches making at least 20 digs. She ranks 7th in the MIAA in digs per set and 11th in total digs. 

>> Brynne Topolski is second on the Ichabods with 121 kills (2.42 per set) while hitting .297. She has come off the bench in all 15 matches while making 30 blocks with 22 digs. She has four matches with double-digit kills and is 18th in the MIAA in hitting percentage. 

>> Keilah Rivers has slashed 94 kills (2.04 per set) this season while starting in 13 matches and playing in all 15. She is third on the team serving 16 aces while logging 99 digs (2.15 per set) and making 20 blocks. She has two double-figure kill matches and one double-double. 

>> Sydney Conner has appeared at setter in 13 matches for the Ichabods and is second on the team with 177 assists (4.92 per set). She has added 12 aces along with 61 digs (1.69 per set). The senior has registered three matches with 20+ assists. Her assists per set rank 14th in the MIAA. 

>> Autumn Gibbs has played in all 15 matches while making four starts. The junior transfer is third on the team with 118 digs (2.36 per set) and has a .972 reception percentage. She has served 13 aces and dished 18 assists. She has four double-figure dig matches. 

>> 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 95 assists (4.32 per set) while playing in 13 matches off the bench. She has served seven aces and made 33 digs (1.50 per set) as well. 

>> Emery Keebaugh has made five starts while playing in 11 matches to register 45 kills (1.96 per set) while slashing .269. She has scooped up 18 digs with nine blocks. 

>> Kali Henry has played in 14 matches this season off the bench, serving five aces and recording nine digs. 

Head Coach Chris Herron

>> Herron is in his 24th season at the helm of the Ichabod volleyball program with a career record of 638-141 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 107-34 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. 

>> 11: Number of sweeps this year. 

>> 13: Number of home matches at Whiting Fieldhouse in 2025 after playing just seven at home last season.

>> 18: Number of NCAA Tournament appearances under Herron.  

>> 23: Consecutive winning seasons for Washburn all coming under Chris Herron. 

>> 149: Consecutive victories when winning the first two sets of a match. 

>> 638: Career victories for Herron at Washburn. 

Ranking Roundup

>> Washburn is 2nd in the nation and leads the MIAA with a .309 team hitting percentage. 

>> The Ichabods are 12th nationally and 2nd among MIAA teams with 2.55 blocks per set. 

>> On the defensive side Washburn is limiting opponents to a .114 hitting percentage, good for 6th nationally and 2nd in the MIAA. 

>> The Ichabods are dishing out 13.82 assists per set on offense, good for 3rd in the nation and second in the MIAA. 

>> Washburn knocks down 14.68 kills per set to rank 5th in all of DII and second among MIAA programs. 

>> Serving up 2.02 aces per set, the Ichabods are second in the MIAA and 55th nationally. 

Milestone Markers

>> Corinna McMullen is 8th in program history in total assists with 2,458. She is tied for 4th in program history in service aces with 140. Her 962 career digs rank 28th in program history. 

>> Austin Broadie ranks in the top-40 in Ichabod history in both blocks and kills. Her 235 blocks are 31st most and with 840 kills she ranks 29th. She also sits 19th in career attack percentage at .265.

>> With 1,217 career digs Taylor Rottinghaus is climbing the all-time charts and currently ranks 21st. In digs per set she is 4th in Washburn history at 4.72.  

>> Sydney Conner has 1,700 career assists, putting her 13th in Washburn history. In assists per set she ranks 14th among all Ichabods. 

>> In just 160 career sets with the Ichabods, Alex Dvorak is 34th in program history with 201 career blocks. 

>> Bella Limback's has 251 total blocks in her career putting her tied for 28th on the all-time charts. She is 17th in blocks per set. 

Scouting the Opposition

About the Emporia State Hornets

>> Emporia State won a 13th straight match, improving to 13-2 overall and 4-0 inside the MIAA after defeating Pittsburg State 3-2 last time out on Oct. 3. 

>> The Hornets have gone 2-0 inside White Auditorium, 3-1 in road matches and 8-1 in neutral court battles. 

>> They are receiving votes in the latest AVCA poll. 

>> Ken Murczek is in his 3rd season leading the Emporia State volleyball program where he is 43-28. 

>> 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, 15.4 digs and 2.4 blocks per set. They rank 5th in the MIAA in hitting percentage and blocks per set where they are also 20th in the nation. 

>> Nyia Anderson leads the team with 155 kills (3.04 per set) while starting in 14 matches and playing in all 15. She is 2nd on the team with 131 digs (2.57 per set) and has 12 blocks. She is 6th in the MIAA in kills per set. 

>> Boglarka Rady is top on the team with 230 digs (4.26 per set) while playing in all 15 matches. She has added 66 assists with nine aces. She is 6th in the MIAA in digs per set. 

>> Brailee Bogle controls the passing attack with 337 assists (6.24 per set) while starting in all 15 matches. She has served 13 aces and scooped 103 digs (1.91 per set). 

>> Emporia State has a 55-43 edge in the all-time series. Washburn has won the last 14 meetings and is 17-24 against the Hornets in Emporia. 

>> The series began on Oct. 10, 1973, the last meeting came on Oct. 26, 2024 and was a 3-2 win for the Ichabods. 

Take a Look Ahead

>> Washburn returns to home hosting Fort Hays State at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 10 for Fraternity & Sorority Life Night. 

>> 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.