TOPEKA, Kan. -- For the first time this season No. 10 Washburn volleyball will face road tests taking on Pittsburg State and Newman on Thursday, Oct. 2 and Friday, Oct. 3 both at 6 p.m. 
 

Setting The Schedule

>> No. 10 Washburn volleyball plays a pair of weekday matches on the road facing Pittsburg State and Newman. 

>> The Ichabods will take on the Gorillas at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. followed by the Jets on Friday with first serve also set for 6 p.m. 

>> Pittsburg State enters the match with a 7-5 (1-1 MIAA) record while Newman is 2-11 (0-2 MIAA) on the year.

Serving Up Facts

>> The Ichabods enter the week with a 12-1 record overall and 1-1 inside the MIAA after falling for the first time this season, 3-1, to No. 24 Missouri Western last time out on Sept. 27.

>> Washburn is 5-1 in Whiting Fieldhouse while going 7-0 in neutral court matches, they have not played a true 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. 10 in the latest AVCA rankings with 698 total points. They moved up down from a No. 7 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 154 kills (3.50 per set) while hitting .384, third best on the team. She has started all 13 matches and also has logged 27 blocks with 32 digs. The senior has seven double-digit kill matches and ranks 26th nationally in hitting percentage and 3rd in the MIAA. She is 3rd amlong conference players in kills per set and 74th in the nation.

>> Alex Dvorak leads the team with 46 blocks (1.10 per set) on the season while starting all 13 matches. Offensively she has made 83 kills (1.98 per set) along with hitting .422, second best on the team. She has recorded five or more blocks in six matches. The senior ranks 11th 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 62nd nationally. 

>> Corinna McMullen has started all 13 matches this season to lead Washburn with 277 assists (6.44 per set). She has also chipped in 14 service aces while ranking 2nd on the team with 105 digs (2.44 per set). The senior has delivered seven matches of 20+ assists and five double-doubles. She ranks 6th in the conference in assists per set.  

>> Taylor Rottinghaus has suited up as the libero in every match this season leading the team with 177 digs (4.02 per set). She has chipped in 53 assists while serving 15 aces as well, tied for a team-best. The junior has two matches making at least 20 digs. She ranks 6th in the MIAA in digs per set and 11th in total digs. 

>> Bella Limback is slashing a team-high .579 with 87 kills (2.07 per set) while playing and starting in all 13 matches. She has also added 43 blocks, second most on the team and served six aces. She has hit over .400 in all but one match this season with two double-digit kill efforts. She leads the nation in hitting percentage and is 9th in the MIAA in total blocks and blocks per set. 

>> Brynne Topolski is second on the Ichabods with 110 kills (2.50 per set) while hitting .304. She has come off the bench in all 13 matches while making 25 blocks with 21 digs. She has four matches with double-digit kills and is 15th in the MIAA in hitting percentage. 

>> Keilah Rivers has slashed 81 kills (2.03 per set) this season while starting in 11 matches and playing in all 13. She is tied for a team-high serving 15 aces while logging 89 digs (2.23 per set) and making 19 blocks. She has two double-figure kill matches and one double-double. 

>> Sydney Conner has appeared at setter in 11 matches for the Ichabods and is second on the team with 154 assists (4.97 per set). She has added 10 aces along with 54 digs (1.74 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 13 matches while making four starts. The junior transfer is third on the team with 102 digs (2.32 per set) and has a .968 reception percentage. She has served 12 aces and dished 17 assists. She has four double-figure dig matches. 

>> Natalie Hedlund has played in 11 matches making seven starts to record 59 kills (1.74 per set) while hitting .183. She has made 21 total blocks including a team-high six solo stops. 

>> Shannon Frakes is third on the team with 90 assists (4.50 per set) while playing in 11 matches off the bench. She has served seven aces and made 30 digs (1.50 per set) as well. 

>> Emery Keebaugh has made four starts while playing in nine matches to register 29 kills (1.71 per set) while slashing .250. She has scooped up nine digs with six blocks. 

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

Head Coach Chris Herron

>> Herron is in his 24th season at the helm of the Ichabod volleyball program with a career record of 636-141 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 105-34 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. 

>> 9: 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. 

>> 147: Consecutive victories when winning the first two sets of a match. 

>> 636: Career victories for Herron at Washburn. 

Ranking Roundup

>> Washburn is 3rd in the nation and leads the MIAA with a .307 team hitting percentage. 

>> The Ichabods are 14th nationally and 3rd among MIAA teams with 2.57 blocks per set. 

>> On the defensive side Washburn is limiting opponents to a .125 hitting percentage, good for 13th nationally and 4th in the MIAA. 

>> The Ichabods are dishing out 13.84 assists per set on offense, good for 3rd in the nation and second in the MIAA. 

>> Washburn knocks down 14.75 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 58th nationally. 

Milestone Markers

>> Corinna McMullen is tied for 8th in program history in total assists with 2,413. She is fifth in program history in service aces with 138. Her 943 career digs rank 29th in program history. 

>> Austin Broadie ranks in the top-40 in Ichabod history in both blocks and kills. Her 231 blocks are 32nd most and with 819 kills she ranks 29th. She also sits 19th in career attack percentage at .262.

>> With 1,190 career digs Taylor Rottinghaus is climbing the all-time charts and currently ranks 22nd. In digs per set she is 4th in Washburn history at 4.72.  

>> Sydney Conner has 1,677 career assists, putting her 13th in Washburn history. In assists per set she ranks 14th among all Ichabods. 

>> In just 154 career sets with the Ichabods, Alex Dvorak is 35th in program history with 196 career blocks. 

>> Bella Limback's has 242 total blocks in her career putting her 29th on the all-time charts. She is 17th in blocks per set. 

Scouting the Opposition

About the Pittsburg State Gorillas

>> Pittsburg State fell to 7-5 overall on the year and to 1-1 inside the MIAA after dropping a three-set match to No. 2 Central Oklahoma last time out on Sept. 27. 

>> The Gorillas have gone 6-3 inside of John Lance Arena with an 0-1 record on the road and a 1-1 mark in neutral court matches. 

>> Megan Besecker is in her first season leading the Pittsburg State volleyball program where she has a 7-5 record. 

>> Assistant coaches Erin Pavlin and Remi Vargas complete the coaching staff.

>> As a team the Gorillas hit .210 with 12.2 kills per set. They also average 12.2 assists, 16.9 digs and 2.9 blocks per set. They rank 2nd in the nation and lead the MIAA in blocks per set while ranking 41st nationally in digs per set. 

>> Maliyah Johnson has started in 11 of 12 matches to lead the team with 131 kills (2.91 per set) while hitting .245. On the defensive end she has added 34 blocks with 32 digs. She is 10th in the MIAA in total kills. 

>> Josie McCroskey leads the Gorillas defense with 235 digs (5.22 per set). She has also served 13 aces and made 52 assists. She is 21st in the nation and 2nd in the MIAA in digs per set. 

>> Anna Dean leads Pittsburg State's defense at the net with 62 blocks on the year (1.44 per set). She has started all 12 matches with 76 kills (1.77 per set) while hitting .253 with 11 aces. She ranks 10th in the nation and leads the MIAA in blocks per set. 

>> Washburn leads the all-time series between the two teams 66-22. They have gone 25-11 against the Gorillas in Pittsburg. They have won the last 31 meetings in the series overall. 

>> The series began on Oct. 13, 1975 with the most recent meeting coming on Oct. 3, 2024 in a 3-1 win for the Ichabods. 

About the Newman Jets

>> Newman has lost seven matches in a row, falling to 2-11 overall on the year and 0-2 inside the MIAA after a 3-0 loss to No. 2 Central Oklahoma last time out on Sept. 26. 

>> The Jets have gone 0-2 inside of Fugate Gymnasium with an 0-1 record in road contests and a 2-8 mark in neutral court matches. 

>> Mike MacNeill is in his first season at the helm of the Jets volleyball program where he has gone 2-11. 

>> Graduate assistant coach Kaylyn Disbrow rounds out the Newman coaching staff. 

>> As a team the Jets average 10.8 kills per set while hitting .134. They also log 10.1 assists, 13.3 digs and 1.2 blocks per set. 

>> Isabella Limb has started all 12 matchees leading the team with 119 kills (2.64 per set) while hitting a team-best .311. She has served six aces with a team-high 30 blocks as well. She ranks 10th in the MIAA in hitting percentage. 

>> Brooklyn Lane paces Newman with 180 digs (3.91 per set) while playing in all 13 matches. The libero has also served a team-high 20 aces and added 38 assists. She is 7th in the MIAA in digs per set and 4th in aces. 

>> Madalyn Hoot controls the Jets offense with 390 assists (8.48 per set), a team high. She has started all 13 matches and made 68 digs (1.58 per set) with 19 aces. She ranks 3rd in the MIAA and 43rd nationally in total assists. 

>> Washburn leads the all-time meeting with Newman 23-5 with wins in the last 21 meetings including a 3-0 win at home earlier this season. 

>> The series began on Oct. 16, 1975 with the most recent meeting coming on Sept. 13, 2025 in Topeka. 

Take a Look Ahead

>> Washburn has a quick turnaround next week where they will take on Emporia State on Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. 

>> 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.