By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University volleyball had seven players named to the All-MIAA team released by Wednesday afternoon, led by senior Austin Broadie, the fourth MIAA Player of the Year in program history.
Washburn senior volleyball standout Austin Broadie was named the MIAA Player of the Year on Wednesday, one of seven Ichabods to receive all-conference recognition. [File photo/TSN]
Broadie, a fifth-year senior out of Burns, becomes the first Ichabod to win the player of the year honor since Genna Berg was selected as the co-player of the year in 2019.
Broadie led Washburn with 298 kills (3.31 per set) while hitting .330 across all 27 regular-season matches. She added 54 blocks to give her 325.5 total points (3.62 per set).
Broadie has 15 matches with double-digit kills, including two where she recorded more than 20 kills. She set a career-high with 25 kills against Ouachita Baptist in five sets while also hitting .373. Broadie finished third in the MIAA in hitting percentage while ranking fifth in both kills per set and points per set to earn first-team and player of the year honors.
Joining Broadie on the first team is fellow senior Bella Limback. Limback started all 27 matches, slashing 177 kills (2.01 per set) while hitting a team-high .469. On the defensive side Limback led the team with 102 blocks (1.16 per set) while adding 39 digs and serving 12 aces.
The Waverly, Mo. native had three matches with double-figure kills and 11 with five or more blocks. Limback led both the MIAA and the nation in hitting percentage while finishing fifth in the conference in blocks per set.
Seniors Alex Dvorak and Corinna McMullen, junior Taylor Rottinghaus and sophomore Brynne Topolski were all named to the All-MIAA second team.
Dvorak started in 22 matches before missing the final five matches of the regular season with an injury. Dvorak was second on the team with a .462 hitting percentage with 137 kills (1.99 per set) and also finished second on the squad with 74 blocks (1.07 per set). The Kansas City, Mo. native had eight matches with five or more blocks and a pair of 10-plus kills matches. She finished second in both the conference and nation in hitting percentage and was sixth in the MIAA in blocks per set.
McMullen was named to the second team for the third straight year at setter. A starter in all 27 matches for the Ichabods, she led the team with 566 assists (6.36 per set) and in aces with 30. The senior out of Bucyrus, Kan. added 234 digs (2.63 per set), second most on the team. She had five matches with 25-plua assists and 10 double-doubles, a team-high. She finished eighth in the conference in assists per set.
Rottinghaus, a Shawnee Heights product, was also a second-team pick for the third straight season after leading Washburn with 378 digs (4.20 per set) from her libero position while also serving 28 aces, second most on the team, and adding 106 assists. Rottinghaus had four matches with 20-plus digs on the regular season. She finished seventh in the MIAA in digs per set.
Rounding out WU's group of four second-team selections is Topolski, earning her first All-MIAA appearance as an outside hitter. Topolski came off the bench in all 27 matches to finish second on the team with 230 kills (2.61 per set) while hitting .298. The Lincoln, Neb. native had 10 matches with double-figure kills on the year and finished ninth in the MIAA in hitting percentage.
Also earning her first All-MIAA honor is outside hitter Keilah Rivers, who earned honorable mention recognition. Rivers was third on the team with 183 kills (2.15 per set) while and added 22 aces, 34 blocks and was fourth on the team with 192 digs (2.26 per set) while starting in 25 matches and playing in all 27. The Olathe, Kan. native had five matches with 10-plus kills and four with double-figure digs.
Washburn finished the regular season 24-3 and enters MIAA Tournament play as the No. 3 seed, facing off with No. 6 Central Missouri at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday in St. Joseph, Mo.
