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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Host Seaman dominated Saturday's Class 5A girls tennis regional, sweeping the singles, doubles and team championships on the Vikings' home courts.
Senior Grace Unruh and junior Lauren Sweeney captured their second straight regional doubles title while remaining undefeated on the season (32-0) while Viking junior Nina Del-Zio and her sophomore teammate, Katie Krumins, posted a 1-2 regional finish in singles as Seaman won the team title by a commanding 20-10 margin over Shawnee Heights.
Seaman doubles partners Lauren Sweeney (left) and Grace Unruh won their second straight 5A regional doubles title Saturday, remaining unbeaten on the year. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
While the day belonged to Seaman, Heights and Topeka West also had reason to celebrate.
The runner-up T-Birds got a third-place doubles finish from seniors Paige Devena and Bella LeJuerrne, while senior Laura El-Koubysi took fifth in singles and seniors Ariah Durkes and Shelby Elskamp qualfied for state with a sixth-place doubles finish.
Topeka West singles player Anna Newcome qualified for the state tournament with a third-place singles showing.
The 5A state tournament will be played at Emporia on Friday and Saturday.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Ever since an early-season 8-5 loss, Hayden freshman star Ainzley Zulueta had been looking forward to a possible rematch with Bishop Miege freshman Breanna Quigley, just to see how far she had progressed over the course of the season.
Zulueta got that opportunity in Saturday's Class 4A regional tournament at Kossover Tennis Center and delivered in a big way, taking a decisive 6-2, 6-1 victory to claim the regional singles championship.
"Honestly, I really wanted to prove myself,'' said Zulueta, now 31-5 on the season. "After losing a few matches early in the season I trained a lot more so I could be more conditioned and it really paid off.''
Hayden freshman Ainzley Zulueta won the singles championship in Saturday's 4A regional at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Zulueta took control of Saturday's final early on and felt good about her performance.
"I think I actually played really well,'' she said. "At the beginning of this tournament my ankle was kind of hurting, but I think after I started winning a few points in a row that brought up my confidence to play better.''
Hayden, which tied Bishop Miege for the regional team title with 20 points, also got a championship from the doubles team of sophomore Lauren Sandstrom and Emily Sheetz and a third-place doubles finish from juniors Briahna Barnett and Sloane Sims.
Hayden freshman Emily Sheetz (right) congratulates sophomore doubles partner Lauren Sandstrom after a good shot in Saturday's Class 4A regional tournament. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Sandstrom and Sheetz, who improved to 22-6, claimed the title with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Miege's Livi Shull and Clair Winklhofer in the championship match while Barnett and Sims took a 7-6 (7-5 tiebreaker), 4-6, 6-4 win over Miege's Emma Larzarcyk and Emily Lynn in the third-place match.
Overall, Hayden coach Christy Sheetz said it was a banner day for her Wildcats.
"I am so pleased,'' Sheetz said. "Two of them are essentially first-year varsity players as juniors and then there's two freshmen and one sophomore so I have a young team and a lot to look forward to.''
Next up in the 4A state tournament Friday and Saturday in Winfield.
SHERER QUALIFIES IN 3A-1A
Rossville junior Alivia Sherer, who competed for Hayden during the regular season as a co-op player, punched her ticket to the 3A-1A state tournament with a third-place finish in the 3A-1A regional tournament at Hillsboro.
Sherer finished off her regional performance with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Marantha Christian Academy's Olivia Favero in the third-place match.
Sherer will now compete in the 3A-1A state tournament Friday and Saturday at Maize South High School.
CLASS 4A GIRLS TENNIS REGIONAL
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's girls tennis team finished off its sweep of city, Centennial League and Class 6A regional championships Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center.
The Junior Blues, who have not lost a competition this fall, qualified all six of its players for Friday and Saturday's state tournament at Wichita en route to a 22-19 regional victory over runner-up Manhattan.
Washburn Rural's girls tennis team poses with its Class 6A regional championship trophy Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural got a one-two finish in doubles from the teams of Kate Fritz and Meredith Kucera and Hailey Beck and Shelby Schmutzler while Sheriden Wichman finished second and Mena DiMarzio fifth in singles.
"I'm really proud of these gals,'' Hedberg said. "It's a team effort. We're not star-laden, but we have good solid players at the top.
"They all pull together for each other and it's been really satisfying to watch them have some success.''
Fritz and Kucera, both juniors, captured the regional doubles title with a 6-3, 6-4 win over junior Beck and senior Schmutzler in the championship match, while Wichman, a senior, advanced to the singles final, dropping a 6-1, 6-1 decision to Manhattan star Jillian Harkin. DiMarzio closed out the Junior Blues state qualifiers, finishing fifth in singles with a 6-1, 6-0 win over in the fifth-place match.
Topeka High also turned in a solid regional performance, with the Trojans qualifiying both their doubles teams for state while finishing third as a team.
Juniors Adisyn Caryl and Haley Carpenter finished fourth on Saturday, dropping a 6-3, 7-5 decision to Manhattan in the third-place match while senior Mary Dietrick and sophomore McCall Beall finished sixth, dropping a three-set decision in the fifth-place match.
Dieterick and Beall turned in what was arguably the match of the two-day tournament, surviving a 3 hour, 40-minute three-set match on Friday to punch their ticket to state.
"In over 50 seasons of coaching that's got to be clearly one of my all-time favorite matches to watch, to not only see what it meant to them, but just the effort,'' Topeka High coach Duane Pomeroy said. "They were dead tired and just kept digging down deeper and deeper and going longer and longer and never gave up.
"We're really excited to be able to take four girls to state.''
CLASS 6A GIRLS TENNIS REGIONAL
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By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
Following a 3-1 victory the night before, No. 1-ranked Washburn volleyball was back in action Saturday against Pittsburg State University, which was fresh off a sweep of Emporia State.
After a slow finish on Friday the Ichabods were looking for a clean, strong effort all the way through.
“It was really important, that was one thing that we made sure to talk about last night and then focus on today,” said senior middle hitter Allison Maxwell, who finished with a game-high 15 kills.
Washburn senior Allison Maxwell (8) celebrates a kill during Saturday's 3-0 win over Pittsburg State at Lee Arena. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/TSN]
Washburn got back to finishing the job in three sets, winning 25-14, 25-18, and 25-17. The sweep moved the Ichabods to 16-1 on the year.
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By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
After sweeping both matches the weekend prior, No. 1-ranked Washburn volleyball began another weekend at home with a match against Missouri Southern, which entered Friday winless in the conference and 3-12 overall.
Washburn's success has set high standards for the team each night out and although Friday's match was a somewhat suprising four-setter, the Ichabods remained undefeated in MIAA play, taking a 25-8, 25-8, 22-25, 25-14 victory at Lee Arena.
“We should have beat them in five more minutes and then gotten out of the gym,” said Head Coach Chris Herron.
Washburn senior Genna Berg had a match-high 18 kills in Saturday's 3-1 Ichabod home win over Missouri Southern. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/The Washburn Review]
The first set was business as usual for Washburn as it jumped out to an early 8-1 lead and cruised from there to a 25-8 victory. Five Ichabods up front had at least three kills in the set while senior libero Faith Rottinghaus recorded 8 digs.
“We were just connecting really well with the setters, and I think confidence was really big,” said senior outside hitter Genna Berg, who recorded 5 kills in the first set.
There was more resistance early in the second set as it began 4-4 but Washburn took control from that point, going on a 21-4 run to win the set, 25-8. The Ichabod defense was stout, forcing the Lions to record six errors in the set compared to just three kills.
