By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior outside hitter Jalyn Stevenson is the unquestioned veteran for the 2024 Washburn University volleyball team, playing in 97 career matches with 89 starts for the Ichabods.
Jalyn Stevenson
And the two-time All-MIAA first-team pick and former All-American still has vivid memories of how it all started.
"I was terrified,'' Stevenson said during WU's Volleyball Media Day. "My high school coach (Erica Cowhick Book) played for Coach (Chris) Herron so I kind of had an idea and I had been to a few practices and I had watched them, but you never really know what you're getting yourself into until you're here and then you're like, 'Oh gosh, here we go.'
"In experience I feel like I've been here 10 years already but in time I feel like it was just yesterday that I was doing this exact same thing, my first Media Day, and we did it right here (in Whiting Fieldhouse).''
Stevenson made 30 starts with 253 kills as a true freshman and played in the NCAA Division II championship match, surrounded by former WU All-Americans Allison Maxwell, Genna Berg and Faith Rottinghaus.
Senior outside hitter Jalyn Stevenson (10) is a two-time All-MIAA first-team pick and a former All-American for Washburn volleyball. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Now the former Spring Hill star wants to do everything she can in her final Washburn season to be that kind of a leader for an Ichabod team that includes eight freshmen.
"Obviously I have a lot of experience and I've played in some high level games, so I think my job is to just kind of help them understand what we're doing, what we're aiming towards and keep the team on track,'' said Stevenson, who recorded 342 kills and 338 digs as a junior.
"Also I just want to try to keep them comfortable and show them that it's OK to make errors and show them a positive attitude and a good outlook on the game and things like that.''
The goal this fall for Stevenson and her Washburn teammates is to bounce back from what, by Ichabod standards, was a so-so 17-11 2023 campaign.
"It was very frustrating,'' Stevenson said. "I feel like we had potential and going into the year we had really high hopes and then we got into a slump and we just could not get ourselves out. It was really difficult because we wanted to win so bad and we just couldn't put things together.
"But I think this year we have the missing pieces that we need and I think our team chemistry has gotten better. I think we've improved a lot over the summer and we've worked really hard so going into this year it's a lot more of a competitive team and you've got to fight for your position. You've got to fight every single day to get on that court. We want to start strong and stay strong.''
Washburn will open its season Sept. 5-7 in the Kansas City Classic, facing Sioux Falls, S.D. (Sept. 5), Winona State (Sept. 6) and William Jewell (Sept. 7).
The Ichabods will not play at home until Oct. 3, opening a three-game homestand with an MIAA tilt against Pittsburg State.
