By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University volleyball will begin a run of five straight road matches with MIAA contests against Fort Hays State on Friday at 6 p.m. and against No. 3-ranked Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Washburn junior Corinna McMullen (12) celebrates a service ace with her teammates during Tuesday's 3-2 MIAA win over Emporia State at Lea Arena. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods are 12-3 on the year overall and 3-2 in the MIAA after finishing off a homestand with a 3-2 MIAA win over Emporia State on Tuesday night.
Senior Jalyn Stevenson is Washburn's team leader with 173 kills (3.04 per set) while hititng .241 across her 15 starts. She is also second on the squad in digs with 169 and in aces with 13.
Stevenson is ninth in the MIAA in kills and 16th in kills per set while ranking 19th in total digs. The senior has six double-doubles on the year and 10 matches with 10-plus kills. She ranks 20th in program history with 1,164 career kills. She will move into 19th with five more kills. She is also 14th on the program charts in aces and 22nd in digs. She needs 47 digs to reach the top 20 in that category.
Alex Dvorak is third on the team with 117 kills while hitting .384, the second highest mark on the team. She has started all 15 matches and leads the team with 74 total blocks. The junior is 31st in the nation and third in the MIAA in hitting percentage and she is 20th in the nation and second among MIAA players in blocks per set. She has hit over .300 in 12 of 15 matches.
Shawnee Heights product Taylor Rottinghaus has a team-high 266 digs across 15 matches. She has chipped in 60 assists and served 11 aces. The sophomore is eighth in the MIAA in digs per set while ranking seventh among conference players in total digs.
Corinna McMullen paces Washburn with 340 assists through 15 matches and is third on the team with 130 digs while serving a team-high 23 aces. The junior is 10th in the MIAA in assists per set, ninth in total assists and fourth in aces. She has five double-doubles on the year and three matches with at least 30 assists.
McMullen is 12th in program history in total assists with 1,770. She is tied for 17th in program history in service aces with 105. She needs two more to move up to 15th.
Bella Limback leads the Ichabod hitters with a .410 attacking percentage while starting all 15 matches. She has tallied 110 kills and is second on the team with 55 blocks. The junior's hitting percentage is 16th highest in the nation and second in the MIAA. She is also top-10 in the conference in total blocks and blocks per set. She has hit over .400 in eight matches on the year.
Washburn coach Chris Herron is in his 23rd season at the helm of the Ichabod volleyball program with a career record of 615-135 at the school.
Fort Hays State enters Friday's match against Washburn with a 9-5 record overall and a 1-4 mark in the MIAA after falling 3-1 to No. 3 Nebraska Kearney on Tuesday night.
Gracie Rains leads the Tigers with 217 kills (3.74 per set) while hitting .243. 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 482 total assists while making 100 digs and adding 53 kills. She is fifth in the conference in assists and assists per set.
Washburn leads the all-time series with Fort Hays State 47-24. The Ichabods are 20-9 against the Tigers in Hays.
Last season the two teams split the season series with each team winning the home match.
Nebraska Kearney enters the weekend with a perfect 17-0 record on the year while posting a 5-0 mark in the MIAA.
Mia Berg leads the team with 157 kills (3.34 per set) while hitting .378 and starting all 16 matches. She also leads the team with 52 total blocks and has added 29 digs. She is fourth in the conference in hitting percentage and seventh in blocks per set.
Peyton Neff has 632 assists to pace the Lopers while starting all 16 matches. She has made 145 digs, second most on the team. She is first in the conference in total assists and assists per set while ranking top-five in the nation in both.
Nebraska Kearney leads the all-time series 31-14.
Washburn split the season series with UNK last year, winning 3-0 in Lee Arena and falling 3-1 on the road.
Washburn will be back on the road next weekend taking on Missouri Southern and Central Missouri.
