By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 12-ranked Washburn University volleyball will play at home for the first time in 2025 on Friday and Saturday in the Washburn Invitational, playing four matches in the two-day event.
Washburn volleyball, 4-0 and ranked No. 12 in the nation, will host its invitational tournament this weekend in Whiting Fieldhouse. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn will play its 2025 home schedule in Whiting Fieldhouse as renovations continue in Lee Arena.
"I think we're really excited,'' said sophomore outside hitter Keilah Rivers, who earned Oredigger Classic All-Tournament Team honors last weekend after recording 25 kills with four aces, 27 digs and seven blocks. "Unfortunately we can't play in Lee as it's getting re-done, but I think we've just kind of switched our mindset to being like, 'Oh, we can't play in Lee, but we get to play in Whiting.'
"We get to make that our own gym. We're the only team that gets to play in there, so we're just going in with the mindset that we're going to be undefeated in our own gym and we're going to make that place our own.''
Veteran Washburn coach Chris Herron had similar thoughts.
"I'm anxious to see it because we have never played up there in a match,'' Herron said. "I know it's going to be loud, I know it's going to be tight. We'd like to be playing in Lee, but we're going to make the most of this year and we're going to try to use that to our advantage, the loudness and the tightness and all of that stuff.''
The Ichabods open the tournament against Truman State at 11 a.m. on Friday and will face Minnesota State-Moorhead in the nightcap. On Day 2 Washburn will take on Newman at 10 a.m. and William Jewell at 6 p.m. in the tournament finale.
The tournament will include Washburn, Emporia State and Newman out of the MIAA, while Truman State and William Jewell will come from the GLVC and Minnesota State-Moorhead from the NSIC.
The Ichabods enter the weekend with a 4-0 record after opening the season at the Oredigger Classic with an undefeated record, including three sweeps and a 3-1 win in a dominating performance.
"To be honest with you, at the end of the weekend I didn't know if we were that good or maybe it was just not very good teams,'' Herron said. "And then (Tuesday night) the No. 2 team in the country is Angelo State and they got beat 3-0 by Colorado Christian, who we beat 3-0, so it makes me feel better.
"The greatest thing about the weekend for me was just seeing how well our kids get along and how much they like each other and that's really cool. And the other thing was we got to play everybody and with 22 kids I'm excited that everybody got some game experience.''
Austin Broadie leads the Washburn offense with 34 kills while hitting .364, second best on the team. She has started all four matches and also has logged 10 blocks with nine digs. The senior has two double-digit kill matches.
Senior Corinna McMullen has started all four matches this season to lead Washburn with 80 assists. She has also chipped in three service aces while tying for second on the team with 34 digs. McMullen has recorded two matches with 20-plus assists and two double-doubles.
Alex Dvorak leads WU with 20 blocks on the season while starting all four matches. Offensively she has 21 kills along with hitting .362, third best on the team. She has recorded five or more blocks in two matches. Dvorak earned Oredigger Classic All-Tournament honors.
Junior Taylor Rottinghaus has started all four games as the libero, leading the team with 47 digs. She has chipped in 12 assists while serving four aces as well. Rottinghaus has a season-high of 15 digs this season.
Senior Bella Limback is slashing a team-high .735 with 25 kills while starting all four matches. She has also added 10 blocks and served an ace. She has hit over .500 in every match on the season.
Sophomore Brynne Topolski is second on the Ichabods with 32 kills while hitting .344 and recording eight blocks. She has come off the bench in all four matches and earned a spot on the Oredigger Classic All-Tournament team.
Washburn's first Washburn Invitational opponent on Friday, Truman State, is 1-3 on the year after falling 3-0 to Pittsburg State last time out.
Autumn Erickson leads the Bulldogs with 30 kills and is hitting .316. She has made 10 blocks and served a pair of aces.
Addy Janssen leads Truman State with 67 digs. The libero has also assisted on 18 kills with three aces.
Tori Creason runs the Bulldog offense with 104 assists on the year. She has five aces while making 43 digs.
Minnesota State-Moorhead is off to a 4-0 start in 2025 after defeating Dallas Baptist 3-2 last time out.
Raiah Mandell is tied for the team lead with 49 kills while hitting .295.
Brielle Riess is leading Minnesota State-Moorhead with 67 digs and is also tied for the team lead with 49 kills.
Newman is off to a 1-3 start on the season after falling 3-1 to Southeastern Oklahoma State its last time out.
Hannah Tymitz leads the Jets with 37 kills while serving four aces and recording 27 digs.
Brooklyn Lane paces Newman with 59 digs while Madalyn Hoot controls the Jets offense with 125 assists, a team high.
William Jewell is 0-4 to begin the new campaign after falling 0-3 to Oklahoma Christian on Sept. 6. The Cardinals have yet to win a set this season.
Emma Lea Benney leads the team in kills with 26 while Alexis Nunn paces the Cardinals with 48 digs and Reaghan Bible has 32 assists.
Washburn will wrap up its non-conference schedule next week in its final regular season tournament, heading to Warrensburg, Mo. for three games at the Central Missouri Invitational beginning Sept. 19.
The Ichabods' first MIAA match of the season will come on Sept. 26 against Northwest Missouri State at 6 p.m. inside Whiting Fieldhouse.
