By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After five straight matches away from home, Washburn University volleyball is back in Lee Arena for a pair of mid-week MIAA matches, taking on Northwest Missouri on Tuesday before finishing out the week on Wednesday against No. 23-ranked Missouri Western, with both matches starting at 6 p.m.
After a five-match road trip, Washburn volleyball begins a four-match homestand Tuesday against Northwest Missouri. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Wednesday's match will be the 2024 Pink Out Game and all fans are encouraged to wear pink to the match. The first 100 fans attending will receive a t-shirt and a volleyball signed by the team will be auctioned off. All proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society.
The Ichabods are 16-4 on the year overall and 7-3 inside the MIAA.
WU is coming off a 3-2 road win over Emporia State, winning the first two sets against the Hornets and holding on with a 15-6 fifth set to sweep the regular season series with the Hornets.
Jalyn Stevenson is the team leader with 223 kills while hitting .203 across her 20 starts. She is also second on the squad in digs with 230 and in aces with 26. The senior is 14th in the MIAA in kills and has seven double-doubles on the year and 12 matches with 10-plus kills.
Stevenson ranks 18th in program history with 1,214 career kills. She will move into 17th with seven more kills. She is also eighth on the program charts in aces and 20th in digs. She needs two aces to move up to 7th.
Alex Dvorak leads the Washburn defense at the net with 97 blocks on the year while starting every match. She sits third on the team in kills with 154 and is second with a .369 hitting percentage. The junior is second in the MIAA in blocks per set and third in total blocks. She is also third in the conference in hitting percentage.
Shawnee Heights product Taylor Rottinghaus has a team-high 360 digs across 20 matches and has chipped in 70 assists and served 21 aces. The sophomore eighth in the MIAA in digs per set while also ranking eighth among conference players in total digs. She has at least 10 digs in every match.
Corinna McMullen paces Washburn with 464 assists and is also third on the team with 166 digs while serving a team-high 28 aces. The junior is 10th in the MIAA in assists per set and total assists while ranking fourth in aces. She has seven double-doubles on the year and four matches with at least 30 assists.
McMullen is 12th in program history in total assists with 1,894. She is 16th in program history in service aces with 110. She needs three more to move up to 15th.
Bella Limback leads the Ichabod hitters with a .384 attacking percentage while starting all 20 matches. She has tallied 134 kills and is second on the team with 74 blocks. The junior's hitting percentage is 20th highest in the nation and second in the MIAA. She is also 10th in total blocks in the conference and 12th in blocks per set. She has hit over .400 in nine matches on the year.
Northwest Missouri State enters Tuesday's match with a 12-8 record overall and a 6-4 mark in the MIAA after being swept by Missouri Western on Saturday.
Abby Brunssen leads Northwest Missouri with 242 kills while starting all 20 matches. She hits a team-high .307 while also leading the team with 81 blocks. She ranks 5th in the MIAA in both blocks and blocks per set.
Payton Kirchhoefer is second on the team with 207 kills and has added 140 digs with 30 total blocks. She is second in the league in attacks per set.
Washburn leads Northwest Missouri 50-25 in the all-time series and is 26-7 in Lee Arena. The Bearcats won the first match between the two teams earlier in the season 3-2 in Maryville.
Missouri Western is 18-4 on the year with an 8-2 MIAA record. The Griffins are on a six-match winning streak.
Former Ichabod All-American and Washburn Hall of Famer Jessica Fey is in her third season as the head coach of Missouri Western, where she has a 50-32 record.
Holly Heldt leads the team with 230 total kills while hitting .191 and starting all 22 matches. She leads the conference with 41 service aces and is second on the team with 299 digs.
Former Washburn Rural state champion Taylor Russell ranks No. 2 for Western with 226 kills while hitting .259 and also has 67 total blocks. Russell was a second-team All-MIAA pick and first-team All-MIAA Tournament selection last season as a freshman.
Lily Kurz leads the defensive effort at the net for the Griffons with 104 blocks and her .289 hitting percentage also leads the team. She is the MIAA leader in blocks per set and ranks ninth in the nation.
Washburn leads the all-time series over Missouri Western, 46-41. The Ichabods are 27-10 against the Griffons in Lee Arena but the Griffons have won the last five matches in the series, including a 3-2 victory in St. Joseph earlier in the season.
Washburn stays at home next week for two more matches, beginning with Nebraska Kearney at 7 p.m. on Nov. 8 for Alumni Weekend. Senior Night for Washburn will be on Saturday, November 9 at 6 p.m. as the Ichabods host Fort Hays State.
