TOPEKA, Kan. -- No. 12 Washburn volleyball will return home to Whiting Fieldhouse for the first time in 2025 on Friday for the Washburn Invitational presented by Hotel Topeka for four matches in two days.
Setting The Schedule
>> Washburn volleyball comes home for the first time this season to a new home for the Washburn Invitational presented by Hotel Topeka.
>> The Ichabods open the tournament facing Truman State at 11 a.m. on Friday and Minnesota State - Moorhead in the nightcap.
>> On day two they take on Newman in a non-conference meeting at 10 a.m. and William Jewell at 6 p.m. in the tournament finale.
2025 Washburn Invitational
>> The tournament will include Washburn, Emporia State and Newman out of the MIAA. Truman State and William Jewell will come from the GLVC and Minnesota State - Moorhead joins from the NSIC.
>> Matches are scheduled two hours apart and may begin late but will not start early.
>> Live Stats can be found on the Washburn schedule page or on the tournament homepage at wusports.com in the volleyball tab.
>> Live streaming of the matches will be through the MIAA Network and can be purchased on a per-match or season long basis.
>> An All-Tournament team will be determined at the conclusion of the tournament based on nominations and votes from coaches.
>> All matches will take place inside Whiting Fieldhouse on one court.
Serving Up Facts
>> The Ichabods enter the week with a 4-0 record after opening the season at the Oredigger Classic with three sweeps, finished off by defeating Valdosta State on Sept. 6.
>> Washburn has not played a home or road match while going 4-0 in neutral court 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. 12 in the preseason AVCA poll with 541 points. They were ranked No. 22 in the Preseason 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.
>> 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 34 kills (2.62 per set) while hitting .364, second best on the team. She has started all four matches and also has logged 10 blocks with nine digs. The senior has two double-digit kill matches and is 88th nationally in hitting percentage.
>> Corinna McMullen has started all four matches this season to lead Washburn with 80 assists (6.15 per set). She has also chipped in three service aces while ranking tied for 2nd on the team with 34 digs (2.62 per set). The senior has delivered two matches of 20+ assists and two double-doubles.
>> Alex Dvorak leads the team with 20 blocks (1.54 per set) on the season while starting all four matches. Offensively she has made 21 kills (1.62 per set) along with hitting .362, third best on the team. She has recorded five or more blocks in two matches. The senior ranks 31st in the nation in total blocks and 17th in blocks per set. Last week she earned All-Tournament team honors at the Oredigger Classic.
>> Taylor Rottinghaus has suited up as the libero in every game this season leading the team with 47 digs (3.62 per set). She has chipped in 12 assists while serving four aces as well. The junior has a season-high of 15 digs this season.
>> Keilah Rivers is tied for third on the team with 25 kills (1.92 per set) while starting in all four matches this season. She is also tied for the team high with four aces while making 27 digs (2.08 per set) and adding seven blocks. The sophomore earned Oredigger Classic All-Tournament Team honors after the opening weekend.
>> Bella Limback is slashing a team-high .735 with 25 kills (1.92 per set) while playing and starting in all four matches. She has also added 10 blocks and served an ace. She has hit over .500 in every match on the season.
>> Brynne Topolski is second on the Ichabods with 32 kills (2.46 per set) while hitting .344. She has come off the bench in all four matches while making eight blocks as well. The sophomore earned a spot on the All-Tournament team for the Oredigger Classic after the opening weekend.
>> Shannon Frakes is second on the team with 35 assists (5.83 per set) while playing in two matches off the bench. She has served three aces and made 11 digs (1.83 per set) as well.
>> Sydney Conner has appeared at setter in two matches for Washburn and is third on the team with 32 assists (4.57 per set). She has added three aces along with 15 digs (2.14 per set). The senior has registered one double-double on the year.
>> Natalie Hedlund has played in two matches, starting in both, to record 14 kills (2.00 per set) while hitting .238. She has made seven total blocks including a team-high three solo stops.
>> Emery Keebaugh has made two starts and played in two matches to register 12 kills (2.00 per set) while slashing .269. She has scooped up four digs with three blocks.
>> Autumn Gibbs has played in all four matches off the bench. She ranks tied for second on the team with 34 digs (2.62 per set) with six assists and four aces, tied for a team high.
>> Kali Henry has played in three matches this season off the bench, serving two aces and recording an assist.
>> Brooklyn Morrissey, Kennedy Derks, Sydney Buscher, Katie Borough, Chloe Carlgren, Layla Collins and Chloe Traffas all made their Washburn debuts during the opening weekend.
Head Coach Chris Herron
>> Herron is in his 24th season at the helm of the Ichabod volleyball program with a career record of 628-140 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 97-33 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.
>> 3: 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.
>> 140: Consecutive victories when winning the first two sets of a match.
>> 628: Career victories for Herron at Washburn.
Ranking Roundup
>> Washburn is 8th in the nation and leads the MIAA with a .321 team hitting percentage.
>> The Ichabods are 10th nationally and third among MIAA teams with 2.81 blocks per set.
>> On the defensive side Washburn is limiting opponents to a .087 hitting percentage, good for 19th nationally and 2nd in the MIAA.
>> The Ichabods are dishing out 13.00 assists per set on offense, good for 22nd in the nation and fourth in the MIAA.
>> Washburn knocks down 13.62 kills per set to rank 34th in all of DII and fifth among MIAA programs.
>> There are 61 teams in the nation that remain undefeated with the Ichabods as one of them.
Milestone Markers
>> Corinna McMullen is 10th in program history in total assists with 2,216. She is 9th in program history in service aces with 127 needing two more to move up to eighth place. Her 872 career digs rank 34th in program history.
>> Austin Broadie ranks in the top-40 in Ichabod history in both blocks and kills. Her 214 blocks are 32nd most and with 699 kills she ranks 33rd. She also sits 24th in career attack percentage at .245.
>> With 1,060 career digs Taylor Rottinghaus is climbing the all-time charts and currently ranks 25th. In digs per set she is 4th in Washburn history at 4.80.
>> Sydney Conner has 1,555 career assists, putting her 14th in Washburn history. In assists per set she also ranks 14th among all Ichabods.
>> In just 125 career sets with the Ichabods, Alex Dvorak is 40th in program history with 170 career blocks.
>> Bella Limback's has 209 total blocks in her career putting her 33rd on the all-time charts. She is 19th in blocks per set.
Scouting the Opposition
About the Truman State Bulldogs
>> Truman State is 1-3 on the year after falling 3-0 to Pittsburg State last time out on Sept. 6.
>> The Bulldogs have lost three straight matches and are 1-2 in neutral court matches with an 0-1 record in road contests.
>> David Gannon is in his 5th season as the head coach at Truman State where he has a 28-85 record.
>> Assistant coach Kenzie Bruder and student assistant Gio Bonifacio round out the coaching staff.
>> The Bulldogs are slashing 11.8 kills per set while hitting .181. They also averaged 11.0 assists per set with 15.7 digs and 1.5 blocks. They ranked 77th in the nation in total digs and 95th in assists.
>> Autumn Erickson leads the team with 30 kills (2.31 per set) while starting in all four matches and hitting .316. She has made 10 blocks and served a pair of aces.
>> Addy Janssen leads Truman State with 67 digs (4.79 per set) while playing in all four matches on the year. The libero has also assisted on 18 kills with three aces.
>> Tori Creason runs the Bulldog offense with 104 assists (7.43 per set) on the year. She has started in all four contests and has five aces while making 43 digs (3.07 per set) as well.
>> Washburn trails 14-35 in the all-time series with Truman State, but have won the last four outings.
>> The series began on Sept. 21, 1990 with the most recent encounter coming on Sept. 14, 2012 with a 3-2 win for the Ichabods in Kirksville, Mo.
About the Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons
>> Minnesota State Moorhead is off to a 4-0 start in 2025 after defeating Dallas Baptist 3-2 last time out.
>> The Dragons have gone 1-0 in road matches and 3-0 in neutral court battles on the year.
>> Kari Thompson is in her 3rd season leading the MSUM program where she has a 20-37 mark.
>> Assistant coaches Chloe Solum, Monica Vega, Kennedy Geller and Christine Grimley complete the coaching staff.
>> On the year the Dragons are hitting .233 as a team with 12.7 kills per set. They also record 11.2 assists, 13.8 digs and 1.5 blocks per set. They rank 16th in the nation in total kills and 24th in total assists.
>> Raiah Mandell is tied for the team lead with 49 kills (2.88 per set) while hitting .295. She has started all four matches while making seven blocks as well.
>> Brielle Riess is leading Minnesota State - Moorhead with 67 digs (3.94 per set) while starting all four matches. She is also tied for the team lead with 49 kills (2.88 per set).
>> Madi Colby has started in three matches and played in four while leading the team with 90 assists (5.29 per set). She has also scooped 18 digs (1.06 per set).
>> Friday's meeting with Minnesota State - Moorhead will be the first ever meeting between the two teams.
About the Newman Jets
>> Newman is off to a 1-3 start on the season after falling 3-1 to Southeastern Oklahoma State on Sept. 6 last time out.
>> The Jets are on a three match losing streak and are 0-1 in road contests while going 1-2 in neutral court matches.
>> Mike MacNeill is in his first season at the helm of the Jets volleyball program.
>> Graduate assistant coach Kaylyn Disbrow rounds out the Newman coaching staff.
>> As a team the Jets average 11.6 kills per set while hitting .154. They also log 10.9 assists, 13.6 digs and 1.2 blocks per set. They rank 99th in the nation in total assists.
>> Hannah Tymitz leads the team with 37 kills (2.64 per set) while hitting .160. She has started all four matches while serving four aces and recording 27 digs (1.93 per set).
>> Brooklyn Lane paces Newman with 59 digs (4.21 per set) while playing in all four matches. The libero also had 12 assists and served three aces.
>> Madalyn Hoot controls the Jets offense with 125 assists (8.93 per set), a team high. She has started all four matches with six aces and 25 digs (1.79 per set).
>> Washburn leads the all-time meeting with Newman 22-5 with wins in the last 20 meetings.
>> The series began on Oct. 16, 1975 with the most recent meeting coming on Oct. 4, 2024 with a 3-0 win for the Ichabods.
About the William Jewell Cardinals
>> William Jewell is 0-4 to begin the new campaign after falling 0-3 to Oklahoma Christian last time out on Sept. 6. They have yet to win a set this season.
>> The Cardinals are 0-1 in road matches with an 0-3 mark on neutral court contests.
>> Joe Adams is in his first season at the helm of the William Jewell program.
>> Assistant coach Rachel Hinojosa rounds out the coaching staff.
>> As a team William Jewell manages 8.9 kills per set while hitting .071 as a team. They also log 8.7 assists, 15.2 digs and 1.2 blocks per set.
>> Emma Lea Benney leads the team in kills with 26 (2.17 per set) while hitting .049. She has started all four matches with a pair of aces and 38 digs (3.17 per set), second most on the team.
>> Alexis Nunn paces the Cardinals with 48 digs (4.00 per set) on the year. She has played in all four matches with 12 assists and an ace.
>> Reaghan Bible has 32 assists (4.00 per set) to lead the William Jewell offense. She has started in two matches while playing in three.
>> Washburn has won the last nine meetings and leads the all-time series with the Cardinals 10-1.
>> The series began on Nov. 3, 1976 with the most recent meeting coming on Sept. 7, 2024 with a 3-0 win for the Ichabods.
2024 Season Rewind
>> Washburn went 21-8 in 2024 with a 11-5 record inside the MIAA, good for a fourth place regular season finish.
>> The Ichabods lost 3-1 to Northwest Missouri State in the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals.
>> They made the 18th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in Program history as the No. 6 seed in the Central Region.
>> Washburn upset No. 3 seed and No. 5 ranked Nebraska Kearney 3-2 in the opening round before falling 3-2 to No. 6 ranked Central Oklahoma in the regional semifinals.
>> Six players earned All-MIAA honors: Jalyn Stevenson (First Team), Alex Dvorak, Corinna McMullen and Taylor Rottinghaus (Second Team) along with Bella Limback and Austin Broadie (Honorable Mention).
>> Jalyn Stevenson and Alex Dvorak were named AVCA All-American Honorable Mentions.
Take a Look Ahead
>> Washburn will wrap up its non-conference schedule next week in its final regular season tournament heading to Warrensburg, Mo. for three games at the Central Missouri Invitational beginning Sept. 19.
>> The first MIAA match of the season will come on Friday, Sept. 26 against Northwest Missouri State at 6 p.m. inside Whiting Fieldhouse.
>> 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.
