No. 2-ranked Washburn volleyball continues homestand with pair of MIAA matches

Details: Created: 15 October 2025

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Newly No. 2-ranked Washburn University volleyball will remain in Whiting Fieldhouse this week for a pair of MIAA matches, facing No. 24 Central Missouri on Thursday and Missouri Southern on Friday, with both matches starting at 6 p.m.

No. 2 ranked Washburn volleyball will put its 15-set win streak on the line Thursday night against Central Missouri in Whiting Fieldhouse. [File photo/TSN]

The Ichabods enter the week with a 17-1 record overall and a 6-1 mark inside the MIAA, riding a five-match and 15-set winning streak, including a 3-0 win over then-No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney last Saturday.

Washburn has not dropped a set since suffering its lone defeat of the season on Sept. 27 against Missouri Western, a 3-1 loss that Washburn coach Chris Herron said might have lit a fire for the Ichabods.

"It seems like it has, because we've been playing really well,'' Herron said. "Most of the time coaches feel like the world is crumbling when you get a loss, but I came back and watched the film the next day and to be honest with you, we played not that bad. It's just (the Griffons) played great.

"I told the team the next day that coaches can either be an arsonist and burn it all down or they can be an architect and build it all up so I said, 'We're going to be an architect here and we're going to build from this, we're going to go from this,' and they seemed to take from that and have kind of run with it since then.''

WU senior setter Sydney Conner agreed with her coach that the Ichabods used the loss as motivation.

"At the end of every match no matter how hard a team comes and plays against us, we just want to walk out of the gym feeling like we played our very best and we did everything we could to win the match,'' Conner said.

"And if that results in a loss then it results in a loss, but we just want to make sure that we feel good about our play.''

"That night Missouri Western played really, really well. They were firing on all cylinders and there were a few places we could have done better, but we weren't necessarily upset with our performance because we were right there every set battling with them

"Of course we were upset with the outcome, but we learned from it and I think we're better because of it.''

Central Missouri enters Thursday's match with a 14-3 record overall and 6-1 mark in the MIAA while Missouri Southern begins the week 8-10 and 2-5 in conference play.

Senior Austin Broadie leads the Washburn offense with 203 kills (3.44 per set) while hitting .367, third best on the team. She has started all 18 matches and has also logged 37 blocks with 40 digs. Broadie has 10 double-digit kill matches and ranks 25th nationally in hitting percentage and third in the MIAA. She is third among conference players in kills per set.

Bella Limback is slashing a team-high .553 with 119 kills (2.09 per set) while playing and starting in all 18 matches. She has also added 67 blocks (1.18 per set), a team high and served seven aces. She has hit over .400 in all but two matches this season with three double-digit kill efforts. She leads the nation in hitting percentage and is third in the MIAA in blocks per set and 26th in the nation.

Alex Dvorak is second on the team with 65 blocks (1.14 per set) on the season while starting all 18 matches. Offensively she has made 115 kills (2.02 per set) along with hitting .459, second best on the team. She has recorded five or more blocks in nine matches. The senior ranks third in the nation and second in the MIAA in hitting percentage. Dvorak is also fourth in the MIAA in blocks per set and 38th nationally. She was named the MIAA Offensive Player of the Week after last week's performance.

Corinna McMullen has started all 18 matches this season and leads Washburn with 378 assists (6.52 per set). She has also chipped in 19 service aces while ranking second on the team with 151 digs (2.60 per set). The senior has delivered 10 matches of 20-plus assists and six double-doubles. She ranks seventh in the conference in assists per set.

Shawnee Heights product Taylor Rottinghaus leads the team with 237 digs (4.02 per set). She has chipped in 73 assists while serving 21 aces as well, a team-high. The junior has two matches making at least 20 digs. She ranks seventh in the MIAA in digs per set and 10th in total digs.

Brynne Topolski is second on the Ichabods with 142 kills (2.41 per set) while hitting .297. She has come off the bench in all 18 matches while making 36 blocks with 26 digs. She has four matches with double-digit kills.

Conner has appeared at setter in 16 matches for the Ichabods and is second on the team with 225 assists (5.00 per set). She has added 13 aces along with 81 digs (1.80 per set). The senior has registered three matches with 20-plus assists and two double-doubles. Her assists per set rank 14th in the MIAA.

Washburn leads the nation with a .310 team hitting percentage. The Ichabods are the only team in the nation hitting over .300 as a team.

The Ichabods are seventh nationally and second among MIAA teams with 2.65 blocks per set.

On the defensive side Washburn is limiting opponents to a .112 hitting percentage, good for third nationally and first in the MIAA.

The Ichabods are dishing out 13.83 assists per set on offense, good for second in the nation and first in the MIAA.

Washburn knocks down 14.76 kills per set to rank third in D-II and first among MIAA programs.

Central Missouri improved its win streak to seven matches with a 3-0 win over Newman on Saturday.

Emma Siron leads the Jennies with 178 kills (2.87 per set) while hitting .186. She has is tied for the team-high with 22 aces while starting in all 17 matches and also scooping 177 digs (2.85 per set), second most on the team.

Grace Winkelmann leads the defense with 321 digs (5.18 per set) while also registering a .972 reception percentage. She has played in all 17 matches while making 50 assists and serving 22 aces, tied for a team high.

Kayla Baer leads Central Missouri with 649 assists (10.47 per set) while starting in all 17 matches. She has served 12 aces and made 140 digs (2.26 per set).

Central Missouri leads the all-time series between the two teams, 51-24. The Jennies have gone 17-12 against the Ichabods in Topeka.

Alana Moesch leads Missouri Southern with 224 kills (3.34 per set) while hitting .221 and serving a team-high 25 aces. She has started all 18 matches while making 144 digs (2.15 per set), second on the team. She leads the MIAA in total kills, ranking 38th in the nation.

Tori Hamilton leads the Lions defensively, scooping 257 digs (3.84 per set). She has played in all 18 matches while making 73 assists and 10 digs.

Hannah Allick has a team-high 360 assists (5.37 per set) while starting in all 18 matches. She has served 20 aces and made 115 digs (1.72 per set) the third-most on the team.

Washburn leads the all-time series between the two teams 45-28 and have gone 23-5 at home against the Lions.

Next week Washburn will play just one match, facing Emporia State on Friday, Oct. 24, at 6 p.m.

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