By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Veteran Washburn University volleyball coach Chris Herron knows that his Ichabods face a daunting task in Friday's 6 p.m. MIAA match against No. 5-ranked Nebraska-Kearney at Lee Arena.
Washburn volleyball celebrates last week's 3-0 sweep over nationally-ranked Missouri Western. [File photo/TSN]
After all, the Lopers are 24-1 on the season overall, 11-1 in the MIAA and swept the Ichabods 3-0 earlier in the season.
But Washburn is on a hot streak of its own, sporting an 18-4 overall record and a 9-3 mark in the MIAA after a pair of sweeps last week over Northwest Missouri State and No. 23-ranked Missouri Western, and Herron wants his team to embrace the challenge of Friday night's UNK match.
"I try to present to our kids that we have to treat it like and think of it as an opportunity, that we get the chance and we get an opportunity to play the No. 5 team in the country,'' Herron said. "And as long as our kids believe that, and I feel like this group does, then they almost relish the opportunity and they're looking forward to that opportunity.
"And that's how I want them to look forward to every match. That's hard to do that every match, but we only have four left (in the regular season) that we're guaranteed so there's got to be a sense of urgency.''
Friday's match against the Lopers will open WU's Alumni Weekend while the Ichabods will celebrate Senior Day on Saturday with their final home regular-season match against Fort Hays State (6 p.m.).
Before the match on Saturday Washburn will recognize seniors Emma Williams, Jalyn Stevenson, Maddie Steiner, Taryn Pridgett and Austin Broadie. The five seniors have played a combined 19 seasons with the Ichabods, appearing in 377 total matches.
Stevenson has been a four-year member of the WU program, appearing in 428 sets across 119 matches. She was an AVCA All-American honorable mention pick in 2022 and is a two-time All-MIAA first team selection. The Spring Hill native is 15th in program history with 1,234 kills and 19th in digs with 1,247.
Cair Paravel product Pridgett has been a five-year member of the program, appearing in 115 sets and 56 matches. Pridgett has tallied 170 total kills with 50 digs and 42 blocks.
Broadie has been with Washburn for four seasons, playing in 291 sets and 82 matches. She has accumulated 600 career kills with 191 total blocks and 145 digs. The Burns native is 24th in program history with a .243 career attacking percentage and is 33rd all-time in total blocks.
Williams has been with the Ichabods for three seasons as a player and one as a student assistant. She has played in 129 sets and 52 total matches, serving 16 aces with 43 digs and five assists.
Steiner is a three-year member of the Ichabod volleyball team and the Seaman product has appeared in 193 sets across 68 matches. Steiner has accumulated 309 career digs with 72 assists and has served 26 aces.
Stevenson is the team leader this season with 243 kills while hitting .205 across her 22 starts. She is also second on the squad in digs with 256 and in aces with 30. She is 11th in the MIAA in total kills.
Junior Alex Dvorak leads the Washburn defense with 107 blocks on the year while starting all 22 matches. She sits third on the team in kills with 171 and is second with a .363 hitting percentage. Dvorak is second in the MIAA in blocks per set and total blocks and third in the conference in hitting percentage.
Taylor Rottinghaus has a team-high 406 digs and has chipped in 71 assists and served 23 aces. The sophomore is eighth in the MIAA in digs per set and eighth in total digs. She has 20-plus digs in four of the last five matches.
Corinna McMullen paces Washburn with 510 assists through 22 matches with 20 starts. She is also third on the team with 187 digs while serving a team-high 37 aces. The junior is second in the MIAA in aces per set while ranking eighth in both assists per set and total assists. She has 10 double-doubles on the year. Against Northwest Missouri last week she served seven aces, tied for the third most in a match in program history.
Mia Berg leads Nebraska-Kearney with 238 kills while hitting a team-high .346. She also leads the team with 74 total blocks and has added 43 digs. She is second in the MIAA in hitting percentage, fourth in hitting percentage and sixth in kills per set.
Peyton Neff has 965 assists to pace the Lopers and has made 196 digs, fourth most on the team. She is second in the nation in assists per set and sixth nationally in total assists. She leads the MIAA in both categories.
Alli Wiese averages 5.53 digs per set for 420 total digs to lead Nebraska Kearney. She has added 63 assists with 25 service aces. She is second in the MIAA in both digs per set and total digs. In digs per set she ranks 10th nationally.
Nebraska Kearney leads the all-time series 32-14 while Washburn is 8-8 against the Lopers in Lee Arena.
Fort Hays State enters the weekend with a 12-9 record overall and a 4-8 mark in the MIAA after sweeping Pittsburg State on Saturday for its second straight win.
Gracie Rains leads the Tigers with 302 kills while hitting .214. She has added 30 blocks. Her kills per set average is second best in the conference and she also ranks second in total kills.
Caiya Stucky leads the FHSU passing attack with 742 total assists. She has compiled 156 digs and 75 kills. She is fifth in the conference in assists and assists per set.
Washburn leads the all-time series with Fort Hays State, 48-24. The Ichabods are 26-11 against the Tigers in Lee Arena and won the first match between the two teams earlier in the season in Hays.
Washburn will wrap up the regular season on the road next weekend against Central Oklahoma and Arkansas-Fort Smith.
