TOPEKA, Kan. -- No. 8 Washburn Ichabod volleyball finishes the regular season with a pair of home matches hosting No. 7 Central Oklahoma on Friday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. for Alumni Night and the next day against Arkansas-Fort Smith at 2 p.m. for Senior Day.

Setting The Schedule

>> No. 8 Washburn wraps up the regular season with home matches against No. 7 Central Oklahoma and Arkansas-Fort Smith. 

>> The Ichabods will take on the Bronchos at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14 and host the Lions to wrap up the regular season at 2 p.m. on Saturday the 15th.

>> Friday night's match will be Alumni Night while Saturday is Senior Day for the six Ichabod seniors. 

>> Central Oklahoma enters the week on a six-match winning streak and 25-3 on the year while Arkansas-Fort Smith is 13-14 overall after losing the last eight times out. 

Thank you Seniors!

>> Before the match on Saturday the six Ichabod seniors, Kali Henry, Corinna McMullen, Sydney Conner, Bella Limback, Alex Dvorak and Austin Broadie will be recognized. 

>> Austin Broadie is a five-year member of the Washburn volleyball team where she has played in 114 total matches. She has 938 career kills, a .265 career hitting percentage and 232 total blocks in her career. 

>> Corinna McMullen has been with the Ichabods for four years where she has played in 114 career matches. She has tallied 2,664 assists with 1,057 digs and served 153 aces. 

>> Bella Limback is also a four-year member of the Washburn volleyball program playing in 102 career matches. She has 548 career kills while hitting .327 and has made 294 career blocks. 

>> Sydney Conner is in year four with the Ichabods where she has played in 112 total matches. She has dished out 1,866 career assists, served 74 aces and scooped 765 total digs. 

>> Kali Henry is a four-year member of the Washburn program, she has appeared in 65 career matches making 42 total digs, serving 16 aces and making 12 assists. 

>> Alex Dvorak has been with the Ichabods for two seasons playing in 51 career matches. She has made 377 kills while hitting .396 and made 223 total blocks as an Ichabod. 

Serving Up Facts

>> The Ichabods enter the week with a 22-3 record overall and a 11-3 mark inside the MIAA splitting last weekend's matches and finishing with a sweep over Fort Hays State on Nov. 8. 

>> Washburn is 10-1 in Whiting Fieldhouse while going 7-0 in neutral court matches and 5-2 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 moves to No. 8 in the AVCA rankings this week, moving down from No. 6 where they were ranked last week. They received 889 total points in the poll. 

>> 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 3-3 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. 

>> If Missouri Western loses at least one of its last two matches and Washburn does not lose they would guarantee a share of the MIAA Regular Season Championship for the first time since 2013. As many as four teams could share the title this season. 
 

The Blue Bunch

>> Austin Broadie leads the Washburn offense with 273 kills (3.29 per set) while hitting .334, third best on the team. She has started all 25 matches and also has logged 52 blocks with 53 digs. The senior has 13 double-digit kill matches and ranks 73rd nationally in hitting percentage and 3rd in the MIAA. She is 3rd among conference players in points per set and 4th in kills per set. 

>> Bella Limback is slashing a team-high .472 with 162 kills (2.00 per set) while playing and starting in all 25 matches. She has also added 95 blocks (1.17 per set), also team high, and served 12 aces. She has hit over .400 in all but eight 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 31st in the nation.

>> Alex Dvorak is second on the team with 74 blocks (1.07 per set) on the season while starting in all 22 matches she has played in. Offensively she has made 137 kills (1.99 per set) along with hitting .462, second best on the team. She has recorded five or more blocks in nine matches. The senior ranks 2nd in the nation and 2nd in the MIAA in hitting percentage among qualified hitters. She is also 7th in the MIAA in blocks per set and 58th nationally. 

>> Corinna McMullen has started all 25 matches this season and leads Washburn with 527 assists (6.43 per set). She has also chipped in a team-high 29 service aces while ranking 2nd on the team with 219 digs (2.67 per set). The senior has delivered 14 matches of 20+ assists with ten double-doubles. She ranks 8th in the conference in assists per set. 

>> Taylor Rottinghaus has suited up as the libero in every match this season leading the team with 344 digs (4.14 per set). She has chipped in 99 assists while serving 26 aces as well, second most on the team. The junior has three matches making at least 20 digs. She ranks 7th in the MIAA in digs per set and 11th in total digs. 

>> Keilah Rivers has slashed 174 kills (2.23 per set) this season and is hitting .181 while starting in 23 matches and playing in all 25. She is tied for third on the team serving 20 aces while scooping up 169 digs (2.17 per set) and making 34 blocks. She has five double-figure kill matches and one double-double. 

>> Brynne Topolski is second on the Ichabods with 203 kills (2.51 per set) while hitting .286. She has come off the bench in all 25 matches while making 45 blocks with 39 digs. She has eight matches with double-digit kills.

>> Sydney Conner has appeared at setter in 23 matches for the Ichabods off the bench and is second on the team with 344 assists (4.99 per set). She has added 20 aces along with 127 digs (1.84 per set). The senior has registered five matches with 20+ assists and three double-doubles. Her assists per set rank 14th in the MIAA. 

>> Autumn Gibbs has played in all 25 matches while making five starts. The junior transfer is third on the team with 186 digs (2.24 per set) and has a .973 reception percentage. She has served 20 aces and dished 37 assists. She has six double-figure dig matches. 

>> Emery Keebaugh has made 11 starts while playing in 19 matches to register 92 kills (1.92 per set) while slashing .209. She has scooped up 36 digs with 16 blocks.

>> Natalie Hedlund has played in 17 matches making 11 starts to record 86 kills (1.79 per set) while hitting .178. She has made 29 total blocks.

>> Shannon Frakes is third on the team with 97 assists (3.73 per set) while playing in 17 matches off the bench. She has served seven aces and made 34 digs (1.31 per set) as well.  

>> Kali Henry has played in 23 matches this season off the bench, serving 11 aces and recording 12 digs. 

>> Brooklyn Morrissey has played in 10 matches making two starts in the past two outings. She has made 18 kills (1.06 per set) while hitting .229. She has added 14 blocks and seven digs. 

>> Sydney Buscher has played in 11 matches off the bench recording 20 kills while hitting .359.

Head Coach Chris Herron

>> Herron is in his 24th season at the helm of the Ichabod volleyball program with a career record of 646-143 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 115-36 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.

>> 13: Number of sets lost this season. 

>> 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.  

>> 19: Number of sweeps this year. 

>> 24: Consecutive winning seasons for Washburn all coming under Chris Herron. 

>> 157: Consecutive victories when winning the first two sets of a match. 

>> 646: Career victories for Herron at Washburn. 

Ranking Roundup

>> Washburn is fourth in the nation while leading the MIAA with a .294 team hitting percentage.

>> The Ichabods are 12th nationally and 3rd among MIAA teams with 2.51 blocks per set. 

>> On the defensive side Washburn is limiting opponents to a .134 hitting percentage, good for 15th nationally and 1st in the MIAA. 

>> The Ichabods are dishing out 13.66 assists per set on offense, good for 6th in the nation and first in the MIAA. 

>> Washburn knocks down 14.64 kills per set to rank 7th in all of DII and tops among MIAA programs. 

>> Serving up 1.84 aces per set, the Ichabods are first in the MIAA and 88th nationally. 

Milestone Markers

>> Corinna McMullen is 6th in program history in total assists with 2,664. She is 2nd in program history in service aces with 153. Her 1,057 career digs rank 26th in program history. She needs seven more aces to become the all-time program leader. 

>> Austin Broadie ranks in the top-30 in Ichabod history in both blocks and kills. Her 256 blocks are 28th most and with 938 kills she ranks 26th. She also sits 19th in career attack percentage at .265.

>> With 1,357 career digs Taylor Rottinghaus is climbing the all-time charts and currently ranks 15th. In digs per set she is 4th in Washburn history at 4.66.  

>> Sydney Conner has 1,866 career assists, putting her 13th in Washburn history. In assists per set she also ranks 13th among all Ichabods at 4.70.

>> In just 181 career sets with the Ichabods, Alex Dvorak is 34th in program history with 223 career blocks. 

>> Bella Limback's has 294 total blocks in her career putting her 20th on the all-time charts. She is 16th in blocks per set with 0.88 each set. Her career attacking percentage of .327 is 4th in Washburn history. 

Scouting the Opposition

About the Central Oklahoma Bronchos

>> Central Oklahoma has won six straight matches to move to 25-3 overall and 11-3 on the year after defeating Pittsburg State 3-2 last time out on Nov. 7.

>> The Bronchos are 11-2 inside the Hamilton Field House while going 8-1 on the road and 6-0 in neutral court matches. 

>> They are ranked No. 7 in the latest AVCA poll. 

>> Edgar Miraku is in his 14th season leading the Central Oklahoma volleyball program where he has a 331-101 record. 

>> The rest of the coaching staff consists of assistant coaches Emily Todd and Bill Hamiter. 

>> The Bronchos as a team slash 14.1 kills per set while hitting .237. They also average 13.3 assists, 20.4 digs and 1.9 blocks. They lead the MIAA and the nation in digs per set while also leading the conference in total kills and assists. 

>> Mikah Perdue leads the UCO offense with 270 kills (2.87 per set) while starting all 28 matches. She also leads the team with a .291 hitting percentage while also making a team-best 83 blocks. She is 6th in the MIAA in points per set. 

>> Kaitlyn Parrott has a team-high 550 digs (5.85 per set) while playing in all 28 matches. She has served a team-high 40 aces while dishing out 51 assists. She is 1st in the MIAA and 5th in the nation in digs per set, and is 2nd in the MIAA in aces.

>> Lindsey Houran has a team-high 1,042 assists on the year while starting in all 28 matches. She has served 25 aces, made 65 kills and is third on the team with 321 digs (3.53 per set). She leads the MIAA and is 6th nationally in assists per set. 

>> Washburn leads the all-time series over Central Oklahoma 17-15. They have gone 9-4 against the Bronchos in Topeka. 

>> The series started on Sept. 2, 1995 with a 3-2 win for Washburn. The most recent meeting came last season in the NCAA Central Region Semifinals with a 3-2 win for Central Oklahoma. 

About the Arkansas-Fort Smith Lions

>> Arkansas-Fort Smith lost an eighth straight match losing 3-0 to Pittsburg State last time out on Nov. 8 to fall to 13-14 overall and 3-11 in the MIAA. 

>> The Lions have gone 3-5 inside the Gayle Kaundart Arena, 4-7 on the road and 6-2 in neutral court meetings. 

>> Jane Sargent is in her 17th season as the head volleyball coach at Arkansas-Fort Smith where she has gone 374-145.

>> Assistant coaches Marisa Compton and Jon Core round out the coaching staff. 

>> As a team the Lions hit .194 with 12.0 kills per set. They also average 10.9 assists, 15.8 digs and 2.5 blocks per set. They rank 4th in the MIAA in both blocks per set and aces per set. 

>> Lydia Pitts leads the team with 278 kills (2.78 kills) while hitting .205. She has started in all 27 matches while adding 21 service aces, 57 blocks and 260 digs (2.60 per set), second most on the team. She is 3rd in the MIAA in total kills. 

>> Abbey Jackson has a team-high 374 digs (3.78 per set) while playing in all 27 matches. She has served 13 aces while assisting on 70 kills. She is 7th in the MIAA in total digs. 

>> Scarlette Young controls the passing attack with 575 assists (5.75 per set). She has started in all 27 matches and served a team-high 43 aces as well. She leads the MIAA in aces per set and is 41st in the nation in total service aces. 

>> Washburn leads the all-time series 3-0 over Arkansas-Fort Smith with the two teams never meeting in Topeka before. 

>> The series began on Sept. 10, 2010 with a 3-1 win for the Ichabods, last season Washburn won 3-1 in the only meeting. 

Take a Look Ahead

>> The MIAA Tournament will begin Nov. 20 and run through Nov. 22 in St. Joseph, Mo. at Civic Arena. 

>> Washburn has clinched a spot in the MIAA Tournament which will be seeded by the KPI standings released after the final regular season matches.

>> The NCAA Central Region Championship begins December 4 and runs through December 7.