By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University volleyball got off to a bit of a slow start in last Thursday's season-opening match against Sioux Falls (S.D.), dropping the first two sets in two-point nailbiters.
After opening the season with a 3-0 start in the Kansas City Classic, Washburn volleyball will attempt to continue that hot streak Friday and Saturday in Colorado. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
But Chris Herron's Ichabods turned the tables in a hurry, dominating the final three sets to knock off the Cougars before taking 3-0 sweeps over Winona State and William Jewell the next two days to finish off a perfect 3-0 performance in the Kansas City Classic.
"After we lost the first two sets, most of the time I'm kind of a lunatic at that point, but I just said, 'Look, here's the deal. When we came here, what did we have to do do? We had to win three sets, right? So let's just win three sets now,' '' Herron said.
"We made some changes. We had a couple of kids that I gave them the opportunity to start and they didn't respond very well so we took them out and put in two freshmen (Emery Keebaugh and Brynne Topolski) and those two kids, I don't want to say they ignited us, but man, they played well. Both of them played exceptionally well and kind of solidified the rest of the offense.''
Now the Ichabods will be looking to continue their hot start in Friday and Saturday's Mountaineer Volleyball Classic in Gunnison, Colo.
"I really feel good going into this weekend about not just the kids that played the vast majority of time, but what's happened was this week in practice there's been a huge uptick,'' Herron said. "The kids that didn't play say, 'Well, I want to play,' and the kids that didn't play also see, 'OK, here's the level of competition and I need to get to that level of competion and now I can see what he's been saying all along. Now I just need to go ahead and buy in, basically.' ''
The Ichabods will play four matches over the two-day tournament, beginning with a match against host Western Colorado at 11 a.m. (Mountain time) on Friday before finishing the day against Fort Lewis College (7 p.m. MST).
Washburn will face Western New Mexico (11 a.m. MST) and Texas A&M-Kingsville (3 p.m. MST) to wrap up the tournament.
In the most recent AVCA poll Washburn was voted just outside the Top 25, finishing with 59 total points, second most of any team not in the rankings.
Through three matches Alex Dvorak leads Washburn with 31 kills (2.82 per set) while hitting .472 on the year. She has started all three matches and also leads the squad with 11 combined blocks this year.
The junior is 24th in the nation and third in the MIAA in hitting percentage and is eighth in the conference in blocks per set. She has hit over .300 in all three matches.
Senior Jalyn Stevenson is second on the team with 29 kills (2.64 per set) while starting all three matches. She is second on the team with 43 digs (3.91 per set) while adding five blocks and three aces. She is 10th in the MIAA in digs per set and 16th in total digs. She has at least eight kills and eight digs in every match.
Junior Corinna McMullen paces Washburn with 79 assists (7.18 per set) through three matches. She is also third on the team with 33 digs (3.00 per set) while adding three aces. She is eighth in the MIAA in assists per set and 10th in total assists. She has two double-doubles on the year and two matches with at least 20 assists.
Shawnee Heights product Taylor Rottinghaus, a sophomore, has a team-high 52 digs (4.73 per set) across all three matches. She has chipped in 42 assists and served three aces. Rottinghaus is fourth in the MIAA in digs per set while ranking eighth among conference players in total digs. She has 20 or more digs in two matches so far.
Junior Bella Limback leads the Ichabod offense in hitting percentage with a .590 mark through three matches. She has tallied 24 kills (2.18 per set) and is second on the team with 10 blocks. The junior's hitting percentage is third highest in the nation and first in the MIAA. She is also top-20 in the conference in total blocks and blocks per set.
Western Colorado enters the weekend tournament winless on the season with an 0-5 record after falling 3-0 to Angelo State on Sept. 10 in Gunnison.
Maggie Olson tops the Mountaineer charts with 54 kills on the year while hitting .204. She has played in just three of five matches while also adding 19 digs and serving four aces.
Nur Turkmenoglu paces the team with 183 assists as well as in aces with 10 on the year. She has started all five matches and is second on the team with 38 total digs.
Washburn controls the all-time series with Western Colorado with a 7-0 record. The last meeting came on Sept. 2, 2017 and was a 3-0 win for the Ichabods in Topeka.
Fort Lewis College is 1-3 on the year, coming off a 3-0 neutral court loss to No. 23 Central Oklahoma.
Lauren Shea leads the team with 49 kills while hitting .224. She has started all four matches while adding 33 digs and seven blocks.
Natalia Lambos paces Fort Lewis with 142 assists (9.47 per set) and also leads the squad with 43 digs while adding five kills.
Washburn holds a 6-2 advantage in the all-time series with Fort Lewis, winning the last five matches. The last contest came on Sept. 13, 2019 in Durango, Colo. and was a 3-0 win for the Ichabods.
Western New Mexico is 2-2 on the year after a 3-0 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State last Saturday.
Jazmyne Walker leads the Mustangs offensive attack with 54 kills while hitting a team-high .227. She is also second on the squad with 37 digs.
Elmaya Medina has a team-high 98 assists and has also chipped in 19 kills with 17 digs and seven blocks.
Washburn won its only match with Western New Mexico on Sept. 13, 2019. The meeting was a 3-0 win for the Ichabods in Durango, Colo.
Texas A&M-Kingsville is 3-2 on the season after falling 3-1 to Adams State on Wednesday.
Meghan Stiefer leads a balanced offensive attack with 53 kills while hitting .201. She has started all five matches and is second on the team with 48 digs while adding eight blocks.
Washburn holds a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series with Texas A&M University-Kingsville. The last match came on Sept. 7, 2012 and was a 3-0 win for the Ichabods in Bolivar, Mo.
