TOPEKA, Kan. -- No. 16 Washburn volleyball finishes the MIAA season schedule on the road facing Central Missouri and Missouri Southern in a pair of matches in the Show Me State.
SCHEDULE SETUP
>> No. 16 Washburn begins a three-match roadtrip to round out the regular season beginning by finishing the MIAA schedule facing Central Missouri and Missouri Southern.
>> The Ichabods will face the Jennies at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30 in Warrensburg, Mo. before facing the Lions on Halloween night at 6 p.m.
>> Washburn is 20-6 on the year overall and 7-3 in the MIAA after sweeping Northwest Missouri 3-0 in the final home match of the season last time out on Oct. 24.
>> Central Missouri enters the week with a 14-11 record overall and a 5-4 mark inside the MIAA. Missouri Southern is 7-15 on the year with a 1-8 mark in conference play. The two play eachother on Tuesday night before facing the Ichabods over the weekend.
FOLLOW ALONG
>> Fans wanting to follow along can do so through live stats, live video on the MIAA Network or on social media on the official X account of Ichabod Volleyball, @IchabodVB.
SERVING UP FACTS
>> Washburn is 11-4 on the year playing at home inside of Lee Arena, they are 7-1 in true road contests and 2-1 in neutral court meetings.
>> The Ichabods were picked to finish in a tie for first at the top of the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll. They received a league-high five first place votes and 134 total points, tied with Nebraska Kearney for the top spot.
>> Washburn ranks No. 16 in the latest AVCA national poll released on Monday, Oct. 26 with 426 total points in the ballot.
>> The Ichabods delivered a 24th straight winning season going 27-5 in 2025 with a 13-3 record inside the MIAA, securing a share of the MIAA Regular Season Championship.
>> Last season Washburn went 5-5 against AVCA top-25 opponents including 3-3 against opponents ranked inside the top-10. They are 2-2 against AVCA opponents this season.
>> The 2026 roster is balanced by class once again. It is the third time in the Chris Herron era, and the third straight year, with at least four players from each class freshman through senior.
>> Washburn has played 15 home matches this season, tied for the most in all of Division II.
THE BLUE BUNCH
>> Brynne Topolski has played in 25 matches while making 23 starts and leads the offense with 269 kills (3.06 per set) while also hitting .273, third best on the team. She has added 110 digs (1.25 per set) along with making 50 blocks, second most on the team. The Lincoln, Neb. native has recorded double-figure kills in 14 matches with one double-double. She is 11th in the MIAA in kills per set, 11th in points per set and 15th in hitting percentage.
>> Emma Siron is second on the Ichabod offense with 249 kills (2.83 per set) while hitting .203 on the outside. She has started in 23 matches and played in 24 while serving 26 aces, scooping 225 digs (2.56 per set) and making 35 blocks. She ranks 3rd on the team with 186 assists (2.11 per set) as well. The Sedalia, Mo. native has tallied 11 double-digit kill matches with 11 double-doubles and one triple-double. She is 15th in the MIAA with 3.35 points per set while ranking 16th in the MIAA in kills per set.
>> Taylor Rottinghaus has played in 24 matches, starting each one at libero. She has recorded a team-high 435 digs (5.00 per set) and has nine matches with 20+ digs. The Berryton, Kan. native has also added 69 assists with 27 aces served, a team-high. The senior ranks 4th in the MIAA and 32nd in the nation in digs per set.
>> Shannon Frakes leads the Washburn passing attack with team-high 556 assists (9.75 per set). The junior has played in 17 matches while starting in 14. She is fourth on the team in digs with 156 (2.74 per set) while also recording 47 kills, 22 blocks and serving 18 aces. The Overland Park, Kan. native has four matches with 40+ assists and has recorded seven double-doubles.
>> Brooklyn Morrissey has played in 24 matches while making 23 starts and is second on the team hitting .304. She has slashed 169 kills (1.90 per set) and leads the team with 89 blocks (1.00 per set). The Lenexa, Kan. native has recorded six double-digit kill matches and has seven or more blocks in six matches. She ranks 9th in the MIAA and 71st nationally in blocks per set while ranking 8th in the conference in hitting percentage.
>> Natalie Hedlund has played in all 26 matches making 13 starts. She is third on the team having slashed 208 kills (2.42 per set) and is hitting .247 on the year. The senior has also added 48 digs and 38 blocks. She has eight double-digit kill matches.
>> Autumn Gibbs has played in 25 matches making 13 starts. She is 2nd on the team with 226 digs (2.46 per set). The Columbus, Neb. native has served 19 aces and added 57 assists. She has 11 matches with double-digit digs.
>> Hayden Meats has played in 21 matches and made 12 starts. She has delivered 149 kills (2.40 per set) and is hitting .193 on the year. She had added 132 digs (2.13 per set) and 13 blocks defensively as well. She has six double-digit kill matches and two double-doubles.
>> Kennedy Derks has played in 16 matches making 13 starts. She has slashed 58 kills (1.23 per set) while hitting .196. She also has made 32 blocks on the defensive end and has three matches with five or more blocks.
>> Lauren Tyler is second on the team with 291 assists (5.11 per set) while playing in 19 matches and making three starts. She has also made served 14 aces and scooped 121 digs (2.12 per set). The senior has two 30+ assist matches and seven double-doubles.
>> Avery Willey has appeared in all 26 matches making one start and suited up at libero in another. The freshman has 79 digs while adding 18 aces and and 11 assists. She has two matches with double-figure dig efforts.
>> Morgan Sears has played in 17 matches while making ten starts during her freshman season. She has 66 kills on the year (1.40 per set) while hitting .307. On the defensive end she has made 49 blocks (1.04 per set). She has seven matches with at least five blocks.
>> Chloe Traffas has appeared in 18 matches off the bench for the Ichabods. She has scooped up 33 digs along with dishing out six assists and serving eight aces.
>> Chloe Carlgren has played in 11 matches and made four starts on the year. She has six kills and has added 12 blocks and three digs on the defensive end.
>> Keilah Rivers has played in 12 matches off the bench making 17 kills while swinging at a .160 clip. She has added ten digs and two blocks.
>> Brooklyn Benoit has come off the bench in 14 matches. She has delivered two kills with four aces and scooped 17 digs.
HEAD COACH CHRIS HERRON
>> Herron is in his 25th season at the helm of the Ichabod volleyball program with a career record of 671-151 at Washburn.
>> Was inducted into the Washburn Athletics Hall of Fame in 2025.
>> He has led the Ichabod to 19 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 54 All-American awards, 95 All-Region/District awards and 49 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 sixth season as an assistant coach for the Ichabods.
>> The former All-American setter has helped guide Washburn to a 140-44 record during her time on the sidelines.
>> 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 ten total All-Americans and 12 All-MIAA first team selections.
>> Student assistants and former Ichabod student-athletes Heather Schemper and Katie Borough round out the coaching staff. Schemper is in her 2nd season on the sideline while 2026 is Borough's first.
LAST TIME OUT
Washburn 3, Northwest Missouri 0 (October 24, 2026)
TOPEKA, Kan. -- No. 15 Washburn picked up its 20th win of the season on Saturday afternoon with a 3-0 sweep over Northwest Missouri State on senior day inside of Lee Arena. The Ichabods will hit the road for the final three matches of the 2026 regular season beginning next Friday facing Central Missouri at 6 p.m. in Warrensburg, Mo.
Prior to the match, all five Ichabod seniors: Autumn Gibbs, Taylor Rottinghaus, Chloe Carlgren, Lauren Tyler and Natalie Hedlund were recognized along with senior student assistants Katie Borough and Heather Schemper.
Washburn (20-6, 7-3 MIAA) got off to a strong start winning 25-17 in the opening set and only improved from there, defeating the Bearcats (7-14, 4-4 MIAA) 25-16 and 25-13 in each of the next two sets.
The match began with the Ichabods jumping out to a 9-3 lead after Morgan Sears and Emma Siron combined to make a block. The lead grew to eight points at 16-8 after Sears slammed home a kill on a pass from Siron. Washburn hit .359 as a team in the first set and it was a kill by Chloe Carlgren that ended it at 25-17 to go up 1-0 in the match.
Back-to-back aces served by Lauren Tyler put the Ichabods up 5-1 early in the second set but Northwest Missouri responded with four points in a row to tie it back up. Both sides traded points with seven ties in the first 26 points of the match. A kill by Siron started a 4-0 run that created separation and put Washburn up 17-13. They ended the set with five straight points to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
After the Bearcats got out to a 4-1 lead in the third set the Ichabods responded with seven straight points, the first on a kill by Hayden Meats, to go up 8-4. A string of six straight points shortly after pushed the lead to 15-6 after Avery Willey landed an ace. Washburn took care of business the rest of the way, trading points for a 25-13 third set victory and sweep.
Across three sets the Ichabods hit .320 with 39 kills while Northwest Missouri was just behind with 35 kills but hit just .125. Blocks went 10-3 in favor of the home squad as did assists, 37-34 and digs, 50-46.
Hayden Meats led a balanced offensive effort with nine kills, Brynne Topolski had eight while hitting .304. Taylor Rottinghaus scooped up 19 digs in the back row while Morgan Sears made seven blocks up front. Emma Siron chipped in 13 assists, eight digs and five kills and Lauren Tyler had 15 assists with four aces served.
Sophia Gartner led Northwest Missouri with 12 kills and Mya Karrick dished out 32 assists.
RANKING ROUNDUP
>> The Ichabods 28th in the nation and 4th in the MIAA with 13.69 kills per set.
>> Washburn is 4th in the conference with 12.79 assists per set, 23rd in the nation.
>> The Ichabods are 22nd nationally with 17.46 digs per set, the number ranks 5th in the MIAA.
>> With 2.04 blocks per set Washburn ranks 65th in the nation and 6th among conference foes.
>> The Ichabods are holding opponents to a .151 hitting percentage, 4th best in the MIAA and 48th in the nation.
>> As a team Washburn is hitting .237, 46th in the nation and 5th in the conference.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
About the CENTRAL MISSOURI JENNIES
>> Central Missouri comes into the match with a 14-11 record overall and a 5-4 mark inside the MIAA after falling 3-1 to No. 13 Emporia State last time out on Oct. 24.
>> Last season the Jennies posted a 20-8 record overall and 11-5 in the MIAA, they fell to Washburn in the quarterfinal round of the MIAA Tournament.
>> On the year Central Missouri is 3-3 playing at home in Warrensburg, 6-4 on the road and 5-4 in neutral court matches.
>> Caitlin Peterson is in her 5th season leading the UCM volleyball program where she has compiled a 89-53 record.
>> Assistant coaches Rylie Barnum and Cole Bowen, along with graduate assistant Lillie Sullivan, round out the coaching staff.
>> As a team the Jennies hit .222 with 13.4 kills per set. They also average 12.6 assists, 16.0 digs, 2.1 blocks and serve 1.5 aces per set.
>> They rank 6th in the MIAA and 33rd in the nation in assists per set while ranking 46th nationally and 7th in the conference in kills per set.
>> Maya Fergerson leads the team with 269 kills (3.32 per set) while hitting .240. She has started in 15 matches and played in 25 while adding 53 digs and 31 blocks. She ranks 2nd in the MIAA and 92nd nationally in kills per set.
>> Chloe Rauner runs the Central Missouri offense with a team-best 566 assists (6.99 per set) while starting in 22 matches and playing in all 25. She has added 182 digs (2.25 per set) and served 11 aces. She ranks 7th in the conference and 112th in the nation in assists per set.
>> Ragin Corwin has scooped a team-best 435 digs (4.89 per set) while suiting up at libero in all 25 matches. She has served a team-high 30 aces and added 86 assists as well. She ranks 5th in the MIAA and 45th nationally in digs per set.
>> Kaelyn McDonald has played and started in all 25 matches accumulating 196 kills (2.20 per set) while hitting a team-high .323. She also leads the team with 93 blocks (1.04 per set) and has 49 digs. She ranks 56th in the nation and 8th in the MIAA in blocks per set and is also 7th in the conference in hitting percentage.
>> Washburn trails 27-51 in the all-time series between the two teams but has won the last four meetings.
>> The Ichabods are 10-22 against the Jennies in Warrensburg.
>> The series began on Sept. 29, 1978 with a 2-1 win for Central Missouri in Wichita, Kan.
>> Washburn defeated the Jennies 3-1 in a non-conference match earlier this season in Topeka on Oct. 6.
About the MISSOURI SOUTHERN LIONS
>> Missouri Southern enters the week with a 7-15 record overall and the year and a 1-8 mark inside the MIAA after being swept by Pittsburg State last time out on Oct. 24.
>> Last season the Lions went 10-18 overall with a 4-12 record inside the MIAA. They missed out on the MIAA Tournament.
>> Missouri Southern is 2-8 this season playing in Joplin, 1-5 on the road and 4-2 in neutral court matches.
>> Joshua Moore is in his 2nd season as the head coach of the Lions where he has a 17-33 career record.
>> The staff is rounded out by assistant coach Hannah Poynor.
>> As a team the Lions hit .186 with 12.1 kills per set. They also average 11.4 assists, 15.3 digs, 1.8 blocks and serve 1.4 aces per set.
>> They rank 9th in the conference in blocks per set and are in the bottom four in the conference in kills per set and assists per set.
>> Addysen Alvis has a team-high 269 kills while hitting .172 and starting in all 22 matches.She has served 26 aces and is third on the team with 194 digs (2.40 per set). She is 2nd in the MIAA in kills per set and 3rd in the conference in points per set, 73rd nationally.
>> Kasey Goldberg leads the team with 232 digs (2.86 per set) while playing in all 22 matches and making six starts. She has dished out 53 assists and served a team-high 31 aces. She is 3rd in the MIAA in aces per set.
>> Brenna Weaver has dished out a team-high 600 assists (7.79 per set) while playing in 22 matches and making 19 starts. She has added 182 digs (2.36 per set) along with 30 kills and 19 aces. She ranks 5th in the MIAA and 76th in the nation in assists per set.
>> Grace Gardner sits second on the team in kills with 211 (2.74 per set) while hitting a team-best .236 among qualified hitters. She has started in 21 matches and played in all 22 while adding 171 digs (2.22 per set) and 35 blocks. She is 17th in the conference in kills per set.
>> Washburn leads the all-time series between the two teams 46-28 and have won the last four matches.
>> The Ichabods are 21-9 when playing Missouri Southern in Joplin.
>> The series began on Oct. 2, 1976 with a 2-0 neutral site win for Washburn in Emporia.
>> Last season the Ichabods won the only meeting between the two teams, sweeping the Lions in Topeka on Oct. 17, 2025.
MILESTONE MARKERS
>> With 1, 916 career digs, Taylor Rottinghaus is 4th on the Ichabod all-time charts in total digs. Her career digs per set mark of 4.77 is 4th in program history.
>> With 93 career service aces she sits at 25th on the program all-time charts.
>> Brynne Topolski's career .260 attacking percentage is 21st on the Ichabod all-time charts. She sits 38th in program history with 673 career kills.
>> Shannon Frakes is 22nd in program history with 711 career assists, her 556 assists this season are the 39th most in a season in program history.
2025 SEASON REWIND
>> Washburn went 27-5 in 2025 with a 13-3 record inside the MIAA, securing a share of the MIAA Regular Season Championship.
>> The Ichabods advanced to the MIAA Tournament Championship match for the second time in the last four seasons, falling to the top seed Nebraska Kearney.
>> Washburn made a 19th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, earning the No. 6 seed in the Central Region.
>> They defeated the No. 3 seed and No. 4 nationally ranked Wayne State College 3-0 in the quarterfinal round before falling 0-3 to the No. 2 seed and No. 6 ranked Concordia-St. Paul in the semifinals.
>> Seven players earned All-MIAA honors: Austin Broadie (First Team/Player of the Year), Bella Limback (First Team), Corinna McMullen, Taylor Rottinghaus, Brynne Topolski and Alex Dvorak (Second Team) along with Keilah Rivers (Honorable Mention).
>> Austin Broadie was named and AVCA First Team All-American and Bella Limback earned Honorable Mention AVCA All-American recognition.
TAKE A LOOK AHEAD
>> The regular season comes to an end with a non-conference match against William Jewell on Tuesday, Nov. 3 in Liberty, Mo.
>> The MIAA Tournament is hosted in St. Joseph, Mo. at the Civic Arena from Thursday, Nov 12 to Saturday, Nov. 14.
