TOPEKA, Kan. -- No. 9 Washburn Ichabod volleyball heads to Warrensburg, Mo. for the Comfort Inn Invitational hosted by Central Missouri beginning Friday, Sept. 19 with matches against McKendree and Missouri S&T. They take on Ouachita Baptist on Saturday in the final day of the tournament.
Setting The Schedule
>> Washburn volleyball is back on the road for the final regular season tournament at the Comfort Inn Invitational in Warrensburg, Mo. beginning September 19.
>> The Ichabods open the tournament facing McKendree at 2:30 p.m. on Friday. They take on Missouri S&T at 7:30 p.m. in the nightcap.
>> On the second and final day they take on Ouachita Baptist at 2:30 p.m. inside the Jerry M. Hughes Athletic Center.
Comfort Inn Invitational
>> The tournament will include Washburn and Central Missouri from the MIAA while Missouri S&T, McKendree and Ouachita Baptist round out the tournament.
>> Matches are scheduled two and a half hours apart and may begin late but will not start early.
>> Live Stats can be found on the Washburn schedule page or on the IchabodVB twitter page.
>> Live streaming of the matches will be through the MIAA Network and can be purchased on a per-match or season long basis.
>> Tickets are available for $10 a day or $15 for a two-day pass.
>> All matches will take place inside the Jerry M. Hughes Athletics Center in Warrensburg, Mo.
Serving Up Facts
>> The Ichabods enter the week with a 8-0 record after sweeping William Jewell in the final match of the Washburn Invitational on Sept. 13. They have swept five straight matches.
>> Washburn is 4-0 in Whiting Fieldhouse while going 4-0 in neutral court matches as well, they have not played a road match this season.
>> 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 786 total points. They moved up from a No. 12 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 have not faced a ranked opponent 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 77 kills (3.08 per set) while hitting .399, third best on the team. She has started all eight matches and also has logged 14 blocks with 19 digs. The senior has four double-digit kill matches and is 33rd nationally in hitting percentage. She was named the Tournament MVP of the Washburn Invitational.
>> Corinna McMullen has started all eight matches this season to lead Washburn with 155 assists (6.46 per set). She has also chipped in seven service aces while ranking tied for 3rd on the team with 52 digs (2.17 per set). The senior has delivered four matches of 20+ assists and three double-doubles.
>> Alex Dvorak leads the team with 28 blocks (1.22 per set) on the season while starting all eight matches. Offensively she has made 44 kills (1.91 per set) along with hitting .435, second best on the team. She has recorded five or more blocks in three matches. The senior ranks 10th in the nation in hitting percentage and 38th in blocks per set.
>> Taylor Rottinghaus has suited up as the libero in every match this season leading the team with 88 digs (3.52 per set). She has chipped in 24 assists while serving six aces as well. The junior has a season-high of 15 digs this season. She also earned All-Tournament team honors at the Washburn Invitational.
>> Bella Limback is slashing a team-high .690 with 25 kills (2.17 per set) while playing and starting in all eight matches. She has also added 21 blocks, second most on the team and served five aces. She has hit over .500 in every match this season.
>> Brynne Topolski is second on the Ichabods with 58 kills (2.62 per set) while hitting .358. She has come off the bench in all eight matches while making 15 blocks with five digs. The sophomore earned a spot on the All-Tournament team at the Washburn Invitational.
>> Keilah Rivers has slashed 39 kills (1.86 per set) this season while starting in six matches and playing in eight. She has served six aces while logging 49 digs (2.33 per set) and making 11 blocks.
>> Sydney Conner has appeared at setter in six matches for Washburn and is second on the team with 76 assists (5.07 per set). She has added six aces along with 25 digs (1.67 per set). The senior has registered one double-double on the year.
>> Natalie Hedlund has played in six matches making four starts to record 36 kills (2.00 per set) while hitting .250. She has made 12 total blocks including a team-high four solo stops.
>> Autumn Gibbs has played in all eight matches while making two starts. She leads the team with four service aces with just four errors. The junior transfer has added 10 assists along with 61 digs (2.44 per set), second most on the team.
>> Shannon Frakes is third on the team with 63 assists (5.73 per set) while playing in six matches off the bench. She has served seven aces and made 14 digs (1.27 per set) as well.
>> Emery Keebaugh has made four starts while playing in five matches to register 24 kills (1.85 per set) while slashing .291. She has scooped up eight digs with five blocks.
>> Kali Henry has played in seven matches this season off the bench, serving two aces and recording an assist.
Head Coach Chris Herron
>> Herron is in his 24th season at the helm of the Ichabod volleyball program with a career record of 632-140 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 101-33 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.
>> 7: 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.
>> 18: Number of consecutive sets won.
>> 23: Consecutive winning seasons for Washburn all coming under Chris Herron.
>> 144: Consecutive victories when winning the first two sets of a match.
>> 632: Career victories for Herron at Washburn.
Ranking Roundup
>> Washburn is 3rd in the nation and leads the MIAA with a .340 team hitting percentage.
>> The Ichabods are 9th nationally and third among MIAA teams with 2.74 blocks per set.
>> On the defensive side Washburn is limiting opponents to a .106 hitting percentage, good for 15th nationally and 2nd in the MIAA.
>> The Ichabods are dishing out 13.44 assists per set on offense, good for 9th in the nation and second in the MIAA.
>> Washburn knocks down 14.24 kills per set to rank 14th in all of DII and fifth among MIAA programs.
>> Serving up 2.12 aces per set, the Ichabods are tops in the MIAA and 49th nationally.
>> There are 22 teams in the nation that remain undefeated including Washburn.
Milestone Markers
>> Corinna McMullen is 9th in program history in total assists with 2,291. She is 8th in program history in service aces with 131. Her 890 career digs rank 32nd in program history.
>> Austin Broadie ranks in the top-40 in Ichabod history in both blocks and kills. Her 218 blocks are 33rd mos,t and with 742 kills she ranks 31st. She also sits 22nd in career attack percentage at .253.
>> With 1,101 career digs Taylor Rottinghaus is climbing the all-time charts and currently ranks 24th. In digs per set she is 4th in Washburn history at 4.73.
>> Sydney Conner has 1,599 career assists, putting her 14th in Washburn history. In assists per set she also ranks 14th among all Ichabods.
>> In just 135 career sets with the Ichabods, Alex Dvorak is 40th in program history with 178 career blocks.
>> Bella Limback's has 220 total blocks in her career putting her 32nd on the all-time charts. She is 19th in blocks per set.
Scouting the Opposition
About the McKendree Bearcats
>> McKendree fell to 1-7 on the year after falling 3-0 to Winona State University last time out on Sept. 13.
>> The Bearcats are 0-4 in Lebanon, Il, 0-1 in road matches and 1-2 in neutral court contests.
>> Miranda Rodriguez is in her 2nd season as the head coach at McKendree where she has a 12-23 record.
>> Assistant coaches Janeese VerVelde, Caylie Barlage and Amber Williams round out the coaching staff.
>> The Bearcats are averaging 10.1 kills per set while hitting .149 as a team. They also log 9.3 assists, 14.0 digs and 1.3 blocks per set.
>> Destiny Gray leads the team with 71 kills (2.73 per set) while hitting .172. She has started all eight matches and leads the team with eight aces while also ranking second with 77 digs (2.96 per set).
>> Ashlyn Berczynski leads the team with 106 digs (4.08 per set) while playing in all eight matches. She has also served five aces and made 19 assists.
>> Peyton Uptgraft navigates the Bearcats offense with 168 assists (6.46 per set). She has started all eight matches with five aces, 11 kills and 56 digs (2.15 per set).
>> The Friday meeting between Washburn and McKendree will be the first ever match between the two teams.
About the Missouri S&T Miners
>> Missouri S&T fell to 2-6 after a 3-2 loss to Wisconsin-Parkside last time out on Sept. 13.
>> The Miners have lost two straight and are 1-3 at home, 0-1 in road matches and 1-2 in neutral court matches.
>> Jacquie Cason is in her second season leading the Missouri S&T volleyball program where she has gone 11-24.
>> Student assistants Alina Carrillo and Jonathan Piggott complete the coaching staff.
>> On the year the Miners are hiutting .173 as a team with 10.7 kills per set. They also get 9.9 assists, 13.6 digs and 2.0 blocks per set. They rank 81st in the nation in blocks per set.
>> Elly Decker leads the team with 68 kills (2.43 per set) while hitting .194. She has played in all eight matches and started in six while serving a team-high 12 aces and making 60 digs (2.14 per set), second most on the team.
>> Elise Mehaffy leads the passing attack with 183 assists (6.31 per set) while playing in all eight matches and making five starts. She also has 57 digs (1.97 per set) which ranks third on the team along with 10 kills.
>> Reese Massey leads the team with 63 digs (2.17 per set) while playing in all eight matches. She has also dished 13 assists.
>> Washburn leads the all-time series with Missouri S&T 2-1.
>> The series began on Sept. 21, 1979 with the most recent meeting coming on Sept. 20, 2024 with a 3-0 win for the Ichabods.
About the Ouachita Baptist Tigers
>> Ouachita Baptist moved to 7-1 on the year with a fourth win in a row knocking off Auburn-Montgomery 3-0 last time out on Sept. 13.
>> The Tigers this season are 3-0 at home in Arkadelphia, 2-0 on the road and 2-1 in neutral court battles.
>> Allison Frizzel-Kizer is in her 8th season as the head coach at Ouachita Baptist where she has a 114-89 record including three straight winning seasons heading into 2025.
>> The coaching staff is completed with assistant coach Darrell Davis.
>> As a team the Tigers average 13.6 kills per set while hitting .229. They also carry averages of 12.5 assists, 19.5 digs and 2.0 blocks per set. They rank 8th in the nation in digs per set and are 34th nationally in kills per set.
>> Leah Gardner is second on the team with 74 kills (2.74 per set) while hitting a team-high .477. She has started in all eight matches while also leading the team with 23 blocks and has made 13 digs. She ranks 3rd in the nation in hitting percentage.
>> Kylie Kisgen runs the libero position for the Tigers with a team-high 156 digs (5.78 per set). She has played in all eight matches while also adding 21 assists and three aces. She is 6th in the nation in digs per set and 13th in total digs.
>> Courtney Hanson has dished out 248 assists (9.19 per set) to lead the team. She has started in all eight matches while also serving a team-high 15 aces and making 73 digs (2.70 per set). She ranks 56th nationally in assists per set and 91st in aces per set.
>> Washburn leads the all-time series with Ouachita Baptist 3-1 with wins in each of the last three meetings.
>> The series began on Oct. 8, 1999 with the most recent meeting coming on Sept. 16, 2017 as a 3-0 win for the Ichabods.
Take a Look Ahead
>> Washburn will begin its MIAA season next week at home as they host Northwest Missouri State on Friday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. They take on Missouri Western the next day.
>> 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.
