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Seaman volleyball takes 3-1 dual victory over Free State in home debut
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
Defending Class 5A state volleyball champion Seaman opened the home portion of its 2024 schedule on Thursday night against Free State, rallying from a slow start to take a 3-1 dual decision over the 6A Firebirds.
Seaman senior Ava Esser spikes the ball in Thursday's 3-1 dual volleyball win over Free State. [Photo by Travis Brown/Seaman Athletics]
After dropping the first set 26-24, Seaman reeled off 25-18, 25-21 and and 25-21 wins to close out the match.
“I was proud of the way we fought back after being down one game at the beginning,'' Seaman coach Tatiana Dowling. "However, we had far too many unforced errors and we need to work to be more consistent.
"Our serve receive and defense looked great tonight. I love a scrappy team and I felt like we did that tonight.”
The Lady Vikes were led in serve receive by seniors Kinley Wilhelm and Maegan Mills along with junior Kinsley Smith. Seniors Ava Esser, Maggie Moulden and Mills led the team in kills. Senior Campbell Chabot and junior Harper Hafenstine led the Lady Vikes in assists while Wilhelm, Chabot and Smith led in digs.
Ella Dirks honoring father's football legacy as member of Washburn football coaching staff
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Ella Dirks didn't know exactly what to expect when she reached out to Washburn University football coach Craig Schurig this past spring.
Ella Dirks, who grew up around football, joined the Washburn University coaching staff this fall as a student assistant. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
But suffice it to say the Washburn freshman was blown away by Schurig's response, offering the 18-year-old the opportunity to break into coaching as a member of the Ichabods' coaching staff as a student assistant.
"My senior year of high school (at Blue Valley Northwest), around April, I contacted coach Schurig because I was still deciding on colleges and I was like, 'Can I be a manager? I would carry water or anything because I just want to be a part of football,' '' Dirks said. "And he came up to me with this opportunity and said, 'Hey, would you like to do this? Is this something you're interested in?'
"I was honestly shocked and I was like, 'Absolutely, I would love to do it,' so all props to coach Schurig for offering me the position. I'm very grateful for what I'm doing.''
Schurig's association with the Dirks family goes way back to 2000 and 2001 when Schurig was an assistant at Pittsburg State and Ella's father, the late Josh Dirks, was a standout offensive lineman for the Gorillas.
Schurig and the Dirks family re-connected in 2013 and 2014 when Josh came on board at Washburn as a volunteer assistant while Ella's mother, Tiffany, served as a WU professor.
Josh Dirks, then an assistant coach at Olathe North, passed away in November, 2021, at the age of 39 but Schurig maintained contact with the family, and when Ella contacted him, Schurig thought it was a natural to offer her a chance to be involved with a sport she loves.
Student assistant coach Ella Dirks cheers on Washburn during the Ichabods' season-opener against Emporia State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
"I had seen Ella grow up and she was very athletic and she loved sports and loved football,'' Schurig said. "Her dad was a very good football player and a coach and all of that, so when she was coming to school here she approached me and wanted to see if there was anything she could do to help out the team. I was like, 'Well shoot, why don't you GA, why don't you coach?'
"Her dad was coaching at Olathe North, so she went to all of those games and she knows football and she loves athletics and loves to compete. And it worked out well because Mitchell (Schurig) is with the offensive line and he knows Ella well and we thought we might as well have her learn the offensive line because that's where her dad played. I thought that was a good fit and pretty cool.
"You're seeing these women in the NFL and major college football and everywhere, and if she really likes it she could get involved in coaching and there's always a way you can do that. So she kind of got excited about it and then we wanted to see if it would fit and it fit well.''
Washburn University volleyball improves to 2-0 with three-set sweep over Winona State
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Washburn volleyball took the first four points of the match on Friday and never looked back, sweeping Winona State to improve to 2-0 on the season.
Corinna McMullen led Washburn with 19 assists and 11 digs in Friday's sweep over Winona State in the Kansas City Classic. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods will wrap up the Kansas City Classic on Saturday at 11 a.m. in Liberty, Mo. against William Jewell.
Washburn never trailed on the day as the Ichabods hit .407 as a team en route to 25-10, 25-12 and 25-16 set victories over the Warriors (1-1) in the second match of the season.
After taking the first four points of the match the Ichabods kept their foot on the gas.
An ace from Taylor Rottinghaus put Washburn up 8-2 and the lead grew to double digits at 18-8 after a block from Jalyn Stevenson and Alex Dvorak, which was part of a six-point burst for Washburn to go up by 14.
A kill by Brynne Topolski would wrap up the first set and a 15-point victory.
