TOPEKA, Kan. -- Postseason play begins for No. 7 Washburn volleyball as they enter the MIAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed. They will take on the sixth-seeded Central Missouri Jennies in the quarterfinal round at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20 inside Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Mo.
Setting The Schedule
>> No. 7 Washburn volleyball heads to the MIAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed where they will face the No. 6 seed Central Missouri in the quarterfinal round.
>> The Ichabods will take on the Jennies at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20 in St. Joseph, Mo. inside of Civic Arena.
>> Central Missouri enters the match with a 20-7 record overall after finishing 11-5 inside the MIAA.
Tournament Time!
>> Washburn enters the MIAA Tournament with a 17-16 overall record in the competition. They have been eleminated in the quarterfinal round in each of the last two seasons.
>> The Ichabods are 11-4 all-time in the quarterfinal round.
>> In neutral court tournament matches they are 6-8.
>> As the higher seed they are 14-7 against lower ranked opponents.
>> They are 2-4 all-time as the No. 3 seed and are 1-3 against Central Missouri in the tournament overall.
All-MIAA Honors
>> On Wednesday afternoon seven Ichabods were named to All-MIAA teams announced by the conference.
>> Leading the way was Austin Broadie who earned Player of the Year honors in the conference and was named a unanimus first-team selection. She is the fourth MIAA POTY in program history and the first since Genna Berg in 2019.
>> Bella Limback also earned first team honors for the first time in her career. It was her second overall All-MIAA selection.
>> Taylor Rottinghaus and Corinna McMullen each earned All-MIAA second team honors for a third straight season. It is the fourth straight year of recognition for McMullen.
>> Also repeating as a second team selection is Alex Dvorak. She earns second team honors for a second straight year as an Ichabod.
>> Brynne Topolski earns her first All-MIAA nod of her career as a member of the second team at outside hitter.
>> Keilah Rivers also is recognized for the first time in her career. She earned honorable mention honors also at outside hitter.
Serving Up Facts
>> The Ichabods wrap up the regular season with a 24-3 record overall and a 13-3 mark inside the MIAA after finishing the schedule with a 3-0 win over Arkansas-Fort Smith on Nov. 15.
>> Washburn is 12-1 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. They ended the season tied for first.
>> Washburn moves to No. 7 in the AVCA rankings this week, moving up from being ranked No. 8 last week. They received 904 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 4-3 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.
The Blue Bunch
>> Austin Broadie leads the Washburn offense with 298 kills (3.31 per set) while hitting .330, third best on the team. She has started all 27 matches and also has logged 54 blocks with 55 digs. The senior has 15 double-digit kill matches and ranks 77th nationally in hitting percentage and 3rd in the MIAA. She is 5th among conference players in points per set and kills per set.
>> Bella Limback is slashing a team-high .469 with 177 kills (2.01 per set) while playing and starting in all 27 matches. She has also added 102 blocks (1.16 per set), also team high, and served 12 aces. She has hit over .400 in all but nine matches this season with three double-digit kill efforts. She leads the nation in hitting percentage and is 5th in the MIAA in blocks per set and 32nd 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 6th in the MIAA in blocks per set and 56th nationally.
>> Corinna McMullen has started all 27 matches this season and leads Washburn with 566 assists (6.36 per set). She has also chipped in a team-high 30 service aces while ranking 2nd on the team with 234 digs (2.63 per set). The senior has delivered 15 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 378 digs (4.20 per set). She has chipped in 106 assists while serving 28 aces as well, second most on the team. The junior has four 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 183 kills (2.15 per set) this season and is hitting .172 while starting in 25 matches and playing in all 27. She is tied for fourth on the team serving 22 aces while scooping up 192 digs (2.26 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 230 kills (2.61 per set) while hitting .298. She has come off the bench in all 27 matches while making 47 blocks with 42 digs. She has ten matches with double-digit kills and is 9th in the MIAA in hitting percentage.
>> Sydney Conner has appeared at setter in 25 matches for the Ichabods off the bench and is second on the team with 389 assists (5.12 per set). She has added 22 aces along with 147 digs (1.93 per set). The senior has registered six matches with 20+ assists and four double-doubles. Her assists per set rank 14th in the MIAA.
>> Autumn Gibbs has played in all 27 matches while making five starts. The junior transfer is third on the team with 205 digs (2.28 per set) and has a .972 reception percentage. She has served 25 aces and dished 40 assists. She has seven double-figure dig matches.
>> Emery Keebaugh has made 11 starts while playing in 20 matches to register 92 kills (1.88 per set) while slashing .204. She has scooped up 36 digs with 16 blocks.
>> Natalie Hedlund has played in 19 matches making 13 starts to record 105 kills (1.91 per set) while hitting .175. She has made 34 total blocks.Hedlund set a career-high with 15 kills in the win over Central Oklahoma last week.
>> Brooklyn Morrissey has played in 12 matches making four starts all coming in the last four matches. She has made 27 kills (1.13 per set) while hitting .277. She has added 19 blocks and nine digs.
>> Shannon Frakes is third on the team with 99 assists (3.54 per set) while playing in 18 matches off the bench. She has served seven aces and made 35 digs (1.25 per set) as well.
>> Kali Henry has played in 25 matches this season off the bench, serving 11 aces and recording 12 digs.
>> Sydney Buscher has played in 11 matches off the bench reding 20 kills while htiting .359.
Head Coach Chris Herron
>> Herron is in his 24th season at the helm of the Ichabod volleyball program with a career record of 648-143 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 seven combined MIAA titles (six 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 117-36 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.
>> 7: Combined MIAA Championships won under Herron.
>> 13: Number of home matches at Whiting Fieldhouse in 2025 after playing just seven at home last season.
>> 14: Number of sets lost this season.
>> 18: Number of NCAA Tournament appearances under Herron.
>> 20: Number of sweeps this year.
>> 24: Consecutive winning seasons for Washburn all coming under Chris Herron.
>> 158: Consecutive victories when winning the first two sets of a match.
>> 648: Career victories for Herron at Washburn.
Ranking Roundup
>> Washburn is fourth in the nation while leading the MIAA with a .291 team hitting percentage.
>> The Ichabods are 17th nationally and 4th among MIAA teams with 2.45 blocks per set.
>> On the defensive side Washburn is limiting opponents to a .135 hitting percentage, good for 14th nationally and 1st in the MIAA.
>> The Ichabods are dishing out 13.68 assists per set on offense, good for 6th in the nation and first in the MIAA.
>> Washburn knocks down 14.69 kills per set to rank 7th in all of DII and tops among MIAA programs.
>> Serving up 1.83 aces per set, the Ichabods are first in the MIAA and 84th nationally.
Milestone Markers
>> Corinna McMullen is 6th in program history in total assists with 2,686. She is 2nd in program history in service aces with 154. Her 1,066 career digs rank 26th in program history. She needs six 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 257 blocks are 28th most and with 948 kills she ranks 26th. She also sits 19th in career attack percentage at .263.
>> With 1,378 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 4.67.
>> Sydney Conner has 1,892 career assists, putting her 13th in Washburn history. In assists per set she also ranks 13th among all Ichabods at 4.72.
>> In just 181 career sets with the Ichabods, Alex Dvorak is 34th in program history with 223 career blocks.
>> Bella Limback's has 297 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 .326 is 5th in Washburn history.
Scouting the Opposition
About the Central Missouri Jennies
>> Central Missouri enters the MIAA Tournament with a 20-7 overall record after going 11-5 in the MIAA to finish in 6th place. They wrapped up the regular season on a three-match winning streak with a sweep of Pittsburg State on Nov. 15 in the finale.
>> The Jennies are 9-2 on the year when playing inside the Jerry M. Hughes Athletics Center, 9-3 on the road and 2-2 in neutral court matches.
>> They are receiving votes in the most recent AVCA Poll.
>> Caitlin Peterson is in her 4th season as the head coach of Central Missouri where she has a 75-41 record.
>> Assistant coaches Rylie Barnum, Christi Lutman, Taylor Linebach and Kersti Nix complete the coaching staff.
>> As a team the Jennies hit .229 with 14.1 kills per set. They also average 13.1 assists, 17.8 digs and 2.1 blocks per set. They rank 3rd in the MIAA in both kills and digs per set with top-25 national rankings in both categories.
>> Emma Siron leads the team with 288 kills (3.06 per set) while hitting .194. She has played in all 27 matches while starting 26 is second on the team scooping 277 digs (2.95 per set) while also sitting 2nd on the team with 27 aces served. She is 6th in the MIAA in points per set and 7th in kills per set.
>> Grace Winkelmann leads the defense with 520 digs (5.36 per set) while also keeping a .975 reception percentage across all 27 matches. She has dished out 86 assists while also serving 32 aces, a team-high. She is 18th in the nation and 2nd in the MIAA in digs per set.
>> Kayla Baer leads the team with 1,066 assists (10.99 per set) while starting in all 27 matches. She has served 19 aces, made 71 digs and made 242 digs (2.49 per set). She is 3rd in the MIAA in assists per set and 14th in the nation.
>> Kaelyn McDonald leads the Jennies with a .307 hitting percentage with 229 total kills (2.57 per set). She has played in 26 matches making 25 starts and is second on the team with 85 blocks. She ranks 10th in the MIAA in blocks per set and 13th in points per set.
>> Central Missouri leads the all-time series between the two teams 51-25. The Ichabods have gone 2-12 against UCM in neutral court meetings.
>> The series began on Sept. 29, 1978. Washburn won the only meeting between the two teams this season winning 3-0 in Topeka on Oct. 16.
Take a Look Ahead
>> With a win in the opening round Washburn would face the winner of the match between No. 2 Missouri Western and No. 7 Pittsburg State at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21.
>> The championship match is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22.
>> The NCAA Central Region Championship begins December 4 and runs through December 7.
