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No. 2-ranked Washburn volleyball posts sixth straight sweep in home win over No. 24 Jennies
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 2 nationally ranked Washburn University volleyball is on an unquestioned hot streak ... and just keeps getting hotter.
The Ichabods stretched their win streak to six straight sweeps, covering 18 straight sets, Thursday night at Whiting Fieldhouse with Washburn taking a 25-20, 25-21, 25-23 MIAA victory over No. 24 Central Missouri.
No. 2-ranked Washburn volleyball celebrates a kill from senior Austin Broadie (23) in Thursday's 3-0 MIAA sweep over No. 24 Central Missouri. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn, which posted its second straight win over a ranked opponent, improved to 18-1 overall and 7-1 in the MIAA while Central Missouri fell to 14-4, 6-2.
"Really solid,'' Washburn coach Chris Herron said of the Ichabods' performance. "But that's a really good (UCM) team. I have to be honest with you, in all my scouts this year so far, that team worried me more than anybody, just because their middles are good, their outsides are good, their (libero) is good and their setter has gotten so much better.''
But the Ichabods were definitely up to the challenge.
"Our middles both hit for a really high percentage, which opens stuff up for (Austin) Broadie and Broadie's playing at an All-American level,'' Herron said. "And our setters are smart enough to know where the gravy is on the biscuit, so I thought they did a good job as well.''
Senior Alex Dvorak, the reigning MIAA Offensive Player of the Week, also gave her team high marks for its work against the Jennies.
"I think that we've found our flow so well and being in like the middle of the season, I think we're in a great spot to just keep on rolling,'' Dvorak said.
Dvorak admitted that being ranked No. 2 and in the midst of a winning streak could bring along some pressure with it, but she said the WU team is good about just being able to concentrate on the task at hand.
"I think we're very good about always trying to get better,'' she said. "Like in practice, we're always trying to get better and we're not hesitating or slowing down, so there may be some kind of pressure on us, but with us wanting to keep growing, we're just kind of flowing with it.''
Central Missouri led 4-3 early in the opening set but Washburn's Brynne Topolski got a kill that started a 4-1 run, putting the Ichabods in front.
The Ichabods held the narrow lead until Topolski got another kill that became the first of six points for Washburn. A Corinna McMullen ace made it 19-12.
The Jennies would score five in a row later in the set to pull within three but an Ichabod offense that hit .324 in the set finished off the five-point win on another Topolski kill.
The Ichabods took control early in the second set, with a setter kill by Sydney Conner sparking a 6-2 run that put Washburn in front, 15-10.
Central Missouri stormed back, tying the set at 16 after four straight points.
With the score once again tied, this time at 19, Topolski and Keilah Rivers slashed kills and Shawnee Heights product Kali Henry served an ace. Another three-point WU run ended the set at 25-21.
The first four points of the third set belonged to Washburn, starting with a kill by Dvorak.
The Jennies hung around, eventually coming all the way back to tie the set at ten. They would go in front with a 5-1 run at 15-14.
After five ties the Ichabods created a two-point advantage with Bella Limback making a solo block to put Washburn in front at 21-19. Central Missouri tied it back up at 23 but the final two points of the match belonged to the home squad to complete the sweep.
Topeka soccer community comes together to support Trojans' Carson Bradney in cancer fight
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
When Topeka-area soccer teams meet on the pitch, they leave it all on the field. The intense battles leave players bruised and drenched in sweat. They jostle for position and jockey for balls, pushing the boundaries of legal physicality.
But when someone within that soccer community needed help recently, the team loyalties faded instantly.
Topeka High sophomore soccer player Carson Bradney (behind bench), who is battling bone cancer, was on hand to support his team during Wednesday's match against Topeka West. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
Rivals from throughout the Capital City are rallying behind Topeka High sophomore Carson Bradney, who in August was diagnosed with bone cancer.
Bradney is described by Trojan coach Derek Snook as one of the fiercest competitors on the field. But his opponents, as well as his teammates, are going all out to encourage him in his fight against osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer that typically affects adolescents and young adults.
Topeka High's soccer team wears T-shirts to bring attention to teammate Carson Bradney's cancer fight during warmups Wednesday at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
Fundraising tables were set up Wednesday at Hummer Sports Park to raise money to benefit Topeka High sophomore Carson Bradney and his family. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
Recent games between Topeka High and Topeka West have turned into fundraisers for the Bradney family, with shirts worn by both teams to draw attention to the cause. Chili and baked items, wrist bands and other items have been sold or raffled to help the Bradneys financially.
Other schools in the community have also gotten into the act. Seaman, which devotes a game every year to benefit cancer victims, raised more than $1,000 for the Bradneys earlier this week.
“It’s been heartwarming and amazing,” said Nicole Lutz, mother of a Topeka High player, who has helped organize fundraising efforts. “These schools who are showing up to help this family are rivalries in some aspects. But the camaraderie and team effort for this cause is amazing and beautiful.”
“It’s a terrible thing that should never happen for someone his age. But our community here in Topeka, our soccer community is amazing,” said Topeka West coach Josh Kutter. “Everyone understands that there’s things more important than sports and that when there’s a student, an athlete, that needs something, everyone’s going to come together and provide that support.”
Topeka High sophomore soccer player Carson Bradney (left), who is battling bone cancer, roots on the Trojans during Wednesday's match against Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
A tall, athletic defender, Bradney started nearly every game as a freshman and earned Centennial League honorable mention. Snook had penciled Bradney into his lineup for this season, but a sore right knee prevented him from being a full participant in summer drills.
“I had a stress fracture in my knee, so I was out for pretty much the whole summer,” Bradney said. “I started to come back the first week of the season. It was rough. I played the first game. Then after that we went to the doctor. And that’s when they found all the tumor and cancer.”
Washburn men's basketball reloads for another title shot
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The 2025-2026 Washburn men's basketball team will have to replace four players who all received MIAA postseason honors from last season's 30-4 team that advanced to the NCAA Division II semifinals.
Jack Bachelor
Brady Christiansen
But the Ichabods' cupboard is far from bare. In fact, Washburn coach Brett Ballard feels like the pieces are in place for the Ichabods to challenge for another MIAA championship and put together a strong postseason run.
"I think we have five guys returning that all either had started, did start or probably would have started on almost any team in the country last year,'' Ballard said. "We were just deep and talented.''
Junior Jack Bachelor, a first-team All-MIAA pick last season, is the Ichabods' lone returning starter, but Washburn also returns several other experienced players from last year's team, including seniors Sam Ungashick and Brady Christiansen, and sophomores Dillon Claussen and Tyson Ruud.
"Jack has started, Sam has started in the past, and now is healthy and playing as good as anybody,'' Ballard said. "Brady has started before and has shown that he's a high-level MIAA guy and then Dylan Claussen didn't start last year because he was playing behind Andrew Orr, but he would have started on most of the teams in our conference.
"And Tyson Ruud, when healthy, I think showed you he's a high-level MIAA guy, so yes we lost a lot, but I really feel good about the talent and leadership of the guys returning.''
Ungashick, an All-MIAA honorable mention honoree as a sophomore before battling back from knee injuries last season, agrees with his coach that the Ichabods are capable of putting together another banner season this winter.
"We definitely feel that way,'' Ungashick said. "We have a lot of guys who played real minutes in our games last year and they're all back on this team and all playing at a high level in practice so far this fall.''
Washburn was picked No. 1 in both the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media polls and Ungashick said the Ichabods embrace that challenge.
"We've kind of talked about that in practice, that we'd rather be No. 1 than last place, so I think that target on our back is forcing us to prepare in a good way for the season and I think that's pushing us to be the best and play to the best of our abilities,'' Ungashick said.
Bachelor, a 6-foot-2 point guard, averaged 13.6 points and 5.5 assists last season while hitting 66 3-pointers and shooting 85.6 percent from the free throw line.
Christiansen (6-7) has played 93 games as an Ichabod with 31 starts and averaged 7.0 points and 5.6 rebounds with 36 3-pointers last season while Claussen (6-8) averaged 7.4 points and 3.9 rebounds as a freshman, including a 17-point performance in the national quarterfinals.
