By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 24-ranked Washburn University volleyball has put together an impressive 9-1 start to the 2024 season.
But Chris Herron and his Ichabods know that bigger challenges are ahead, beginning with the start of MIAA play this weekend.
No. 24-ranked Washburn volleyball is 9-1 entering MIAA play this weekend. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
"We talked about this the very first day,'' Herron said. "Preseason practice is what it is -- two-a-days -- and then the next step is the tournaments, the non-com, and then the next step is a big step into conference play and then the huge step is in regionals.
"We're into that conference step now and it's different because the crowds are going to be bigger, they're going to be louder, they're going to be obnoxious and everybody wants to get a piece of you so you have to have big boy pants.''
The Ichabods will visit Northwest Missouri State on Friday before finishing off the week at Missouri Western on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 6 p.m. starts.
"It's like any coach, you always want one more because you're so selfish but you have to be pretty happy with 9-1,'' Herron said.
"Six of the seven slots that we have are pretty much cemented and kind of clear who we're playing. We have one spot that we're just a little bit fuzzy on because it's a battle between two or three kids but we just need one of those kids to just kind of distance themself from the others but it's good to have the depth we have.''
The Ichabods picked up three sweeps last weekend and are 9-1 despite not playing a home match to date.
Last weekend Washburn swept both Missouri S&T and Harding on Day 1 of the PSU Regional Challenge and on Saturday, the Ichabods swept Henderson State to finish out the tournament.
Washburn moved into the Top 25 in the latest AVCA Poll as the Ichabods were ranked No. 24 with 115 total points.
Alex Dvorak is second on the team with 82 kills (2.34 per set) while leading WU with a .429 hitting percentage. She has started all 10 matches and also leads the team with 50 total blocks.
The junior is 14th in the nation and second in the MIAA in hitting percentage and Dvorak is also 14th in the nation and first among MIAA players in blocks per set with 1.43. She has hit over .300 in nine of 10 matches.
Senior Jalyn Stevenson is the team leader with 107 kills while hititng .247 across her 10 starts. She is also second on the squad in digs with 111 and tied for third with eight service aces. She is 13th in the MIAA in kills and 14th in kills per set. She is top 20 in both digs and digs per set as well. The senior has three double-doubles on the year.
Stevenson ranks 22nd in program history with 1,098 career kills. She needs 61 more to crack the top 20 and is also 15th on the program charts in aces and 23rd in digs. She needs 105 digs to reach the top 20 in that category.
Corinna McMullen paces Washburn with 207 assists and is also third on the team with 81 digs while adding a team-high 14 aces. The junior is ninth in the MIAA in assists per set and 10th in total assists. She has three double-doubles on the year and five matches with at least 20 assists.
McMullen is 12th in program history in total assists with 1,637. She also ranks 23rd in program history in service aces with 96. She needs five more to enter the top 20.
Sophomore Taylor Rottinghaus has a team-high 168 digs and has chipped in 35 assists and served 12 aces. The sophomore is 44th in the nation and fourth in the MIAA in digs per set while ranking eighth among conference players in total digs.
The Shawnee Heights product was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Week last week after scooping 6.56 digs per set on the week, including a 29-dig performance against Harding across three sets. She was the first Defensive Player of the Week winner for Washburn since Sophie McMullen earned the honor on Oct. 10, 2022.
Northwest Missouri State enters conference play with a 6-4 record after winning its last four matches.
Abby Brunssen leads Northwest Missouri with 125 kills (3.21 per set) while starting all 10 matches. She hits a team-high .331 while also leading the team with 49 blocks. She ranks third in the MIAA in blocks per set and 6th in hitting percentage.
Washburn leads Northwest Missouri 50-24 in the all-time series and is 19-9 in Maryville.
Missouri Western is 9-2 on the year and is on a five-match winning streak after sweeping Southern Nazarene on Sept. 21.
Former Ichabod All-American and Washburn Hall of Famer Jessica Fey is in her third season as the head coach of the Griffins, where she has a 41-30 record.
Holly Heldt leads the team with 96 total kills while hitting .173. She is fourth in the nation and first in the conference with 29 service aces. Her 133 digs (3.50 per set) are second on the team while starting in all 11 matches.
Washburn Rural product Taylor Russell is second on the team with 92 kills (2.63 per set) across 10 matches with nine starts. She is hitting .244 and is second on the team with 32 blocks.
Washburn leads the all-time series over Missouri Western, 46-40. The Ichabods are 17-15 against the Griffons in St. Joe.
Missouri Western won all three contests last season, including a 3-1 victory in the MIAA Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
Washburn will finally head back to Topeka next weekend as the Ichabods open their home slate against Pittsburg State on Thursday, October 3, and Newman the next night.
