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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Surrounded by All-Americans in her first four years in the program, 5-foot-11 hitter Halle Meister had to wait her turn to move into a prominent role for Washburn University's volleyball team.
Halle Meister
And when the fifth-year senior finally got that opportunity this fall, she has made the most of it, helping lead the No. 2-nationally ranked Ichabods to a perfect 8-0 start entering this weekend's MIAA openers at Lee Arena against Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney.
Meister turned in a career performance this past weekend in the Lee Invitational in Cleveland, Tenn., earning Most Valuable Player honors after helping the Ichabods post a 4-0 record on the weekend while leading the WU offense with 44 total kills and a .488 attacking percentage.
Halle Meister turned in a big performance for Washburn in the Lee Invitational last weekend, helping the Ichabods improve to 8-0 on the season. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
In Saturday's 3-1 win over Saint Leo, Meister knocked down a career-high 16 kills and hit a sizzling .565 for the match and followed that with 13 kills with a .524 hitting percentage in a sweep over Trevecca Nazarene.
Meister ranks second on the team with 71 kills while being a part of 11 blocks.
"I just had to be patient,'' Meister said of her breakout season. "I came in and I kept working every single day. The girls above me deserved the spot and I wasn't mad about it. I was cheering them on, I was happy for them and whatever makes the program win I'm totally down for it.''
The Omaha, Neb. native has tried to maintain that same attitude this fall.
"I'm having the same amount of fun as I have the last four years,'' she said. "Nothing has really changed. Yeah, I'm on the court now, but the vibe and the energy and everything is still the same.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Most college football players have to wait a year, sometimes a lot longer, to get on the field.
Conversely, Jake Zeller, a former Holton High standout, only had to wait a matter of minutes to make his debut for the Washburn University football team and delivered in a big way in the Ichabods' 45-3 season-opening win over Lincoln.
Jake Zeller
Zeller, a 6-foot-1, 175 pound true freshman, averaged 54.3 yards on three punts with a long of 61 en route to being named the MIAA Co-Special Teams Player of the Week, and also handled the holding duties for the Ichabods on extra point and field goal attempts.
Zeller came to Washburn knowing that the WU punting job was open after the graduation of Lane Spiker and earned the job in preseason camp.
"I was told at the beginning of camp that camp decides a lot, so I went in with the mindset that, 'Im going to work my butt off and I want that spot,' '' Zeller said.
Zeller actually made his Washburn debut as the holder for Kameron Lake's extra point after a James Letcher Jr. touchdown that capped WU's first possession.
Zeller punted for the first time in the third quarter, recording a 48-yarder, and followed that with 61 and 54-yard punts as his average per punt was the second-highest in Washburn single-game history.
"Surprisingly I wasn't that nervous,'' Zeller said. "The first punt I probably put a little bit too much on that one but after that I settled down and just kicked the ball.''
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Vellamy Diaz stole the show with two Highland Park goals in the Scot' 3-2 victory over Topeka West on Tuesday night at Hummer Sports Park.
“Vellamy is an amazing soccer player with a ton of potential,” Highland Park coach Colin Moriarty said. “Vellamy continues to impress me and his teammates every year. I think he can compete with anyone that’s in front of him. If I have to choose someone for a one-on-one battle, I’m choosing Vellamy versus most people.”
Highland Park senior standout Vellamy Diaz (10) advances the ball against Topeka West junior Kyren Padilla in Tuesday's 3-2 Scot win over the Chargers. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Highland Park senior Vellamy Diaz (left) celebrates one of his two goals in Tuesday's 3-2 soccer win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Diaz' electrifying offense countered by his stifling defense was a big factor that played into Highland Park’s victory.
While the Scots would spend a majority of the first half in Topeka West territory, they were unable to capitalize offensively against a tough Topeka West defense.
That would all change with 24:58 left on the clock when Diaz poked in a goal that was assisted by Neri-Diaz Mayorga to put the Scots up, 1-0.
Strong efforts by both teams would result in a defensive slugfest for nearly 25 more minutes.
Diaz would achieve his second goal of the half after a slick pass from Estevan Aguirre in a crowded box to give the Scots a 2-0 lead.
“We came out strong in the first half,” Moriarty said. “We had to face a lot of adversity tonight so having a strong start helped us throughout the remainder of the game.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka High's Avery Zimmerman got her junior golf season off to a solid start Tuesday at Wamego Country Club, shooting a city-low 84 in the 16-school Washburn Rural Invitational.
An All-Shawnee County first-team pick as a sophomore, Zimmerman tied for 12th in a field of 80 golfers and said she was extremely pleased with how her day went.
Topeka High junior Avery Zimmerman watches her birdie putt roll toward the No. 6 hole Tuesday at Wamego Country Club. Zimmerman made the putt en route to an 84 on the day. [Photo by Rick Petersson/TSN]
"This is a hard course, it's my first tournament, and I'm really happy with how I played,'' Zimmerman said.
And although she'll obviously be trying to shoot lower as the season moves on, Zimmerman said she'll always be happy with anything in the mid-80s or lower.
"Absolutely, anytime,'' said Zimmerman, also an All-City pick in soccer.
Zimmerman played the back nine, regarded as Wamego's toughest nine, first on Tuesday and said she felt like that helped her. Zimmerman shot a 43 over her first nine holes before improving two strokes to a 41 to close out her round.
"I was able to get the hard ones out of the way and then I had the easy ones left, so it kind of boosted my confidence at first, which was nice,'' she said.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural junior football standout Branton DeWeese and Seaman freshman girls cross country runner Ryin Miller have been named the first Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency Rising Stars of the Week for last week.
The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the 2022-2023 school year.
Here’s a brief look at the accomplishments of DeWeese and Miller last week:
Branton DeWeese
BRANTON DeWEESE, Washburn Rural
The Junior Blues' standout quarterback, DeWeese opened his junior season with a big game in Washburn Rural's 49-42 non-league road victory at Wichita East last Friday.
DeWeese helped Washburn Rural come from behind on four occasions to take the win, completing 26 of 38 passes for 302 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions. DeWeese also helped Rural complete five successful two-point conversions and rushed for 21 yards on two carries.
Ryin Miller
RYIN MILLER, Seaman
Miller made her high school cross country debut in last Saturday's Manhattan Invitational at Warner Park, posting a third-place individual finish to lead Seaman to a second-place team finish.
The Seaman freshman clocked a five-kilometer time of 20:32.6 and led the way as the Vikings finished second to Lawrence in the team standings by just two points (56-58).
