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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 20 Washburn University's volleyball team captured the program's first-ever MIAA Tournament title on Saturday evening in St. Joseph, Mo., defeating the No. 2 seed and No. 12-ranked Nebraska-Kearney in four sets.
No. 5 seed Washburn volleyball hoists the MIAA Tournament championship trophy after topping Nebraska-Kearney 3-1 in Saturday night's championship match. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Washburn volleyball poses for a team picture after winning its first MIAA Tournament championship Saturday night in St. Joseph, Mo. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
With the victory, Washburn earned an automatic bid to compete in its 17th NCAA Tournament, which will take place Nov. 17-19.
The complete postseason bracket of location and seeding will be announced Sunday evening at 9:30 p.m. Topeka time on ncaa.com.
Washburn, the MIAA Tournament's No. 5 seed, topped Nebraska-Kearney by the set scores of 25-18, 19-25, 25-22, 25-20 and moved to 24-7 on the year. Nebraska-Kearney is now 28-5 on the season, with three of the Lopers' losses coming against Washburn.
Additionally, the Ichabods have now won five straight matches against Nebraska-Kearney.
At the conclusion of the match, the Ichabod quartet of Jalyn Stevenson, Halle Meister, Sydney Pullen and Kealy Kiviniemi were selected to the All-Tournament team.
In the opening set of Saturday's championship match, the Ichabods trailed 11-8 when they scored eight of the next nine points to jump in front, 16-12.
The Lopers pulled within three at 18-15, but a kill from Ella Waters started a 3-0 mini-run to create some breathing room.
Washburn maintained its lead and Pullen capped off the 25-18 first-set win with a service ace.
Hitters Austin Broadie and Stevenson recorded six kills each in the first set.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn Ichabods closed the first half on a 27-6 run, rolling to a 75-46 win over No. 18-ranked Augustana in Saturday's final game of the Central Region Challenge in Municipal Auditorium with WU leveling its record at 1-1 on the season. Washburn will have its home opener on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against William Jewell.
Sophomore Jaden Monday scored a career-high 22 points with six 3-pointers as Washburn rolled to a 75-46 win over No. 18-ranked Augustana Saturday in Kansas City, Mo. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
With the Ichabods trailing 13-7 with 14:39 to play in the opening half after starting the game 2 of 8 from the field, Washburn scored the next 12 points of the game, hitting 4 of 6 shots while holding Augustana (1-1) to an 0 of 7 spurt to go up 19-13 with 6:59 to play in the half.
After a free throw by the Vikings, Washburn finished the half on a 12-2 run to take a 34-19 lead into the break.
Washburn held Augustana to 5 of 24 shooting in the first half while the Ichabods were 11 of 27.
The Ichabods pushed their lead to as many as 32 with two minutes left in the second half as Augustana was 9 of 23 from the field in the second half and 1 of 7 from deep as Washburn outscored the 2022 NCAA Central Regional finalists, 41 to 27.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's football team wrapped up the 2022 regular season with a 37-20 MIAA win over Missouri Southern Saturday in Joplin, Mo.
The Ichabods, who recorded their seventh straight win over Southern, finished the regular season at 7-4 overall and in the MIAA.
Washburn senior James Letcher Jr. scored a pair of touchdowns in his final regular-season game for the Ichabods, including an 89-yard punt return, as WU capped a 7-4 regular season with a 37-20 win at Missouri Southern. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods scored first on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Jared Taylor to James Letcher Jr. to go up 7-0 following the extra point by Kameron Lake with 1:57 to play in the opening quarter. The five-play scoring drive was set up by a Micah Skebo interception return of 42 yards down to the Missouri Southern 26-yard-line setting the Ichabods up just outside of the redzone.
After the Ichabods forced a Lion punt on their next drive, the Ichabods marched 65 yards in 13 plays for a 2-yard Tyler Bowden score to push the WU lead to 14-0 with 9:28 to go in the first half.
On the Lions' next drive, after the Ichabods tried an onside kick, the Lions scored on a 43-yard touchdown pass to cut their deficit to 14-7.
It only took six plays for the Ichabods to go back up two scores when Taylon Peters scored on a 4-yard run as Washburn stretched its lead back to 14 at 21-7 midway through the second quarter with the final points of the half.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's women's basketball team got off to a slow start in Friday's season-opener but quickly got up to speed in the second and third quarters on the way to a 16-point victory.
On Saturday the Ichabods never did find that high gear, dropping a 43-41 decision to Oklahoma Bapist in the final of the Washburn Crossover Classic at Lee Arena.
Emma Chapman, a 6-3 senior, led Washburn with 10 points in the Ichabods' 43-41 loss to Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"We could not find a rhythm tonight,'' Washburn coach Lora Westling said. "We were up at halftime because I thought we guarded well enough to save that and then we didn't guard enough in the second half so when you still don't have any rhythm in offense and things like that then you're going to pay for it.
"They did a good job of going to their go-tos and we just couldn't get the stops.''
Washurn managed just five points in the opening quarter and didn't get out of the 30s until Aubree Dewey hit a 3-pointer as time ran out.
The 1-1 Ichabods led 20-19 at the half but Oklahoma Baptist, also 1-1, scored the final six points of the third quarter to take a 31-28 advantage into the fourth.
Washburn tied the game at 35-35 on a Dewey free throw with 5:56 remaining but the Bison ran off the next seven points to take a 42-35 lead and held off the Ichabods the rest of the way.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden's football team will get a chance to atone for the only blemish on its schedule next Friday night after rolling to a 39-19 Class 3A sectional victory at Columbus Friday night.
Now 10-1 on the season, Bill Arnold's Wildcats will make the short trip to Holton for the second time this season for next week's 3A sub-state contest after Holton, also 10-1, advanced with a 47-27 win over Girard Friday night.
Hayden sophomore Jensen Schrickel had a big game, including a pick-six, in the Wildcats' 39-19 Class 3A playoff win at Columbus Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
Finn Dunshee set the tone with an early 60-yard touchdown run in Hayden's 39-19 playoff win at Columbus Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
Holton defeated Hayden 37-13 in a Week 7 district game, but Hayden has bounced back with four straight victories, including Friday night's win over 5-6 Columbus.
Hayden never trailed Friday night after junior Finn Dunshee went 60 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage and the Wildcats added the 2-point conversion for an 8-0 lead just 17 seconds into the game.
After losing a fumble at the Titans' 3-yard-line, Hayden's defense came up with a stop and the Wildcats took advantage of a short punt to add to their lead on their next play from scrimmage, with sophomore quarterback Jett Wahlmeier completing a 29-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Jensen Schrickel.
Schrickel tacked on the extra point kick to put Hayden in command 15-0 with 5:10 left in the opening quarter.
The score remained 15-0 at the end of the first, but Columbus got back in the game with a nine-play scoring drive, capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass from Brett Hamilton to Landon Midgett with 11:20 left in the half (extra point failed).
Dunshee scored from 3 yards out and Schrickel edded the extra point to extend Hayden's lead to 22-6 with 7:24 left in the half, but Columbus used a 63-yard pass play to set up a 4-yard TD pass from Hamilton to Cole Minor to cut Hayden's halftime lead to 22-12 (2-point conversion failed).
