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No. 9 Washburn volleyball records fifth straight sweep in win over No. 2 Lopers
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 9-ranked Washburn University volleyball picked up its first victory of the year over a nationally ranked team in dominant fashion on Saturday afternoon in Whiting Fieldhouse, knocking off No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney in three sets.
Washburn volleyball knocked off No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney for its fifth straight sweep Saturday at Whiting Fieldhouse. [File photo/TSN]
It was a back-and-forth affair in the first set, but after coming away with a 25-21 win, Washburn (17-1 overall, 6-1 in the MIAA) didn't look back, winning 25-13 and 25-14 in the final two sets over the Lopers (18-2, 5-2 MIAA) to post its fifth straight 3-0 sweep.
The win over Nebraska-Kearney was the highest-ranked victory for Washburn since Sept. 18, 2021 when the Ichabods also defeated the Lopers, who were ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time.
The Ichabods' 17-1 start matches the best start to a season since 2021 when Washburn also began the season 17-1.
Within the first 16 points of the match there were six ties as both sides traded blows. A eight-point rally from the Ichabods began with Brynne Topolski slashing a kill and ended at 14-8 after Austin Broadie delivered back-to-back kills.
Nebraska-Kearney came nearly all the way back, getting within one point, but Washburn had an answer, landing four straight points with a block by Limback and Keilah Rivers capping off the rally. Broadie eventually landed another kill to end the set at 25-21.
The momentum carried over into the second set for the Ichabods as they jumped out to a 6-0 run with the last three points all coming from Alex Dvorak on a solo block and two kills. Also at the net, Limback and Emery Keebaugh combined for a block to make it 10-2 and force another Loper timeout. Washburn eventually pushed the lead to double-digits at 22-12 before taking three of the final four points to win 25-13.
Regional tennis roundup: City trio claims regional team championships
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Fresh off a sweep of city, United Kansas Conference and Class 5A regional team championships, Jamie Robinson's Seaman girls tennis team will now turns its focus on trying to earn a top-three state finish for the second straight season.
Emma Sweeney won the singles title in Saturday's Class 5A regional at Kossover Tennis Center, helping the Vikings win the team championship. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman senior Molly Gorman finished second in singles in Saturday's Class 5A regional at Kossover Tennis Center, helping the Vikings win the team championship. [File photo/TSN]
The Vikings tuned up for state with a team title in Saturday's regional at Kossover Tennis Center and will be back at Kosover Friday and Saturday for the state meet.
Seaman achieved its goal of qualifying all six of its varsity players for state while edging St. James Academy for the team championship, 22-21.
"That is so huge,'' Robinson said of Seaman's qualifying effort. "And that's something you don't want to take for granted is getting your six in. That's huge for team morale, it's huge for people coming back the next year and we've done it for three, four years in a row, so that's exciting.
"Everybody's rooting for each other and our parent base is happy and proud and it makes the whole program proud when you take six to state. That is not a given, not even with good teams.''
Viking junior Emma Sweeney and senior Molly Gorman went one-two in singles while the Vikings' doubles teams of senior Peyton Henry and junior Camryn Lux and juniors Cadence Speer and Kaylyn Hiebsch placed third and fourth.
Sweeney and Gorman advanced to the regional singles final for the second straight season, with Sweeney taking a 6-0, 6-1 win in the final.
After both Seaman doubles teams dropped semifinal matches to St. James Academy, Henry and Lux took a 6-1, 6-3 win in the third-place match.
Topeka West's senior doubles team of Jordan Felsburg and Taryn Gilbert is also headed to state after finishing fifth Saturday with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Piper's Allison Ochs and Aubrey Eidson.
Felsburg and Gilbert are West's first girls state qualifiers since 2021.
Washburn Rural girls tennis poses for a team picture after winning the championship in Friday's Class 5A regional at Wichita. [Submitted photo]
Junior Blues, Trojans finish one-two in 6A regional
Washburn Rural claimed the team title in Friday's Class 6A regional at Wichita's Riverside Tennis Complex by a 15-12 margin over Topeka High while the city schools swept the singles and doubles championships.
Topeka High senior Madeline Deters, the Centennial League champion, won the regional singles title with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Junction City's Hannah Micheel while Washburn Rural juniors Julia Katzer and Halle Owen, the city champs, took the regional doubles crown with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Manhattan's Keylee Schartz and Jackie Hsu.
Rural freshman singles player Bridget Hoopes qualified for state with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Derby's 5 2 Ella Boline and the Junior Blues' doubles team of senior Alizah Chedzoy and sophomore Annie Henderson defeated Derby's Katie Brehm and Karlie Demel in the fifth-place match, 6-1, 6-2.
In addition to Deters, Topeka High qualified its doubles team of senior Ava Ritter and sophomore Hailey Caryl, who posted a third-place regional finish with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Wichita East's Charlotte Docking and Jane Docking.
The 6A state tournament will be played at the College Boulevard Activity Center in Olathe.
Ichabod football drops 34-10 MIAA decision on the road to Gorillas
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Former Topeka High star Ky Thomas scored Washburn's lone touchdown in Saturday's loss at Pittsburg State. [File photo/TSN]
The Gorillas (5–2 overall, 4–1 MIAA) struck first midway through the opening quarter with a 42-yard field goal before adding a 17-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jackson Berry to go ahead 10–0.
Washburn (1–5, 0–4) answered early in the second quarter when Logan Madden engineered a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive.
Madden hit Ky Thomas on an 8-yard swing pass to cap the march, trimming the Gorilla lead to 10-7.
Pittsburg State countered immediately with a 75-yard drive of its own, ending in Berry's second rushing touchdown from 19 yards out.
After forcing a Washburn punt late in the half, the Gorillas extended the margin when Berry connected with Jaelon Travis for a 73-yard score with six seconds left before intermission, pushing the lead to 24–7 heading into the break.
Washburn's defense stiffened in the second half, forcing a turnover and limiting PSU to a pair of field goals and a late short touchdown. The Ichabods turned a recovered Gorilla fumble into a 34-yard Battle field goal early in the fourth quarter to make it 24–10, but the hosts pulled away down the stretch.
The Ichabods were limited with time of possession in the game (21:16 to PSU's 38:44).
Madden completed 14 of 28 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown. Thomas caught four passes for 26 yards and a score, while D.J. Bell added five catches for 31 yards and 39 return yards for a team-high 84 all-purpose yards. Chase Allen-Jackman provided the game's longest Washburn play with a 40-yard reception in the first quarter.
Defensively, linebacker JC Heim paced the Ichabods with 12 total tackles, while L.J. Minner Jr. added 10 stops. Defensive end Elijah Clarke-Boyd contributed 1.5 sacks as Washburn recorded two total on the day.
Pittsburg State finished with 481 total yards to Washburn's 170, powered by a 260-26 advantage on the ground. Berry threw for 221 yards and rushed for 29 more with three total touchdowns.
Washburn punter Jake Zeller was strong again, averaging 47.5 yards on six punts with three pinned inside the 20.
The Ichabods who were top-five in the nation in least penalty yards and least penalties called against, were flagged for 108 yards and 10 calls. The Gorillas were called for 12 flags for 143 yards.
