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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University senior libero Faith Rottinghaus has been named the MIAA Volleyball Defensive Athlete of the Week for the fourth straight week after another stellar weekend on the court for the No. 1-ranked Ichabods.
Washburn senior Faith Rottinghaus has been named the MIAA defensive athlete of the week for the fourth straight week. [File photo/TSN]
The former Shawnee Heights multi-sport standout averaged 5.17 digs per set in two victories last week while also successfully receiving all 12 service attempts that came her way with zero errors. In a sweep over Newman, Rottinghaus led the Ichabods with 14 digs and also added 17 digs in a shutout win over Central Oklahoma.
For the season, Rottinghaus is leading the conference with 6.02 digs per set, which also ranks eighth in the nation, and she is also tied for the team lead in service aces with 18.
There has been at least one Ichabod receive MIAA Athlete of the Week honors every week this season.
Washburn remains at home this weekend taking on Missouri Southern Friday and Pittsburg State Saturday.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn University volleyball team holds down the No. 1 spot in the AVCA Top 25 NCAA Division II Poll for the third straight week after posting two sweeps at home last weekend.
The Ichabods received 39 first-place votes and hold an overall record of 14-1 with a perfect 6-0 mark in MIAA matches.
Washburn is on a six-match winning streak and has recorded nine 3-0 victories this season.
Washburn University's volleyball team is ranked No. 1 in the nation for the third straight week. [File photo by Kyle Manthe/TSN]
Washburn leads the conference in several statistical categories, including hitting percentage (.317 percent, second in D-II), kills per set (14.96 kills/set, third in D-II), assists per set (13.57 assists/set, fifth in D-II) and blocks per set (2.42 blocks/set, 19th in D-II).
The top five teams in the AVCA rankings remain the same as last week as Metro State-Denver checks in at No. 2 behind Washburn. Angelo State remains No. 3, Concordia-St. Paul is No. 4 and Central Missouri rounds things out at No. 5.
The MIAA continues to be well-represented in the top 15 as the Ichabods and Jennies are joined by Northwest Missouri, which moved up three places to No. 10 and Nebraska-Kearney at No. 14. Central Oklahoma also received votes in the poll.
Washburn is back in Lee Arena this weekend, hosting Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State on Friday and Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 6 p.m. starts
AVCA NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL RANKINGS
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman junior Lois Deeter and Washburn Rural swept the individual and team titles in Monday's Manhattan Invitational girls golf tournament at Stagg Hill Golf Club in Manhattan.
Deeter, the city champion, shot a sizzling 66 to claim individual medalist honors by 10 strokes while city and Centennial League champ Washburn Rural captured its seventh tournament championship of the season by a 19-stroke margin over Blue Valley Northwest.
Lois Deeter
Aliyah North
Kaitlyn Crough
Senior Aliyah North was the individual runner-up behind Deeter with a 76, while senior Kaitlyn Crough tied for third with an 81, senior McKenna Merrick tied for fifth with an 82, junior Avery Scott tied for eighth with an 84 and sophomore Raegan Petersen finished 10th with an 85.
Seaman finished fifth as a team, with Avery Samuelson tying for 18th with a 92.
Avery Zimmerman placed 22nd with a 96 to lead Topeka High while Topeka West was led by Alex Baxter, who finished 38th with a 108.
MANHATTAN INVITATIONAL GOLF
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's girls tennis team claimed 12 of the first 14 Centennial League championships after the league expanded to 10 schools in 2004, including an eight-year title run.
But Manhattan had reigned supreme the past three seasons before Rural re-claimed the top spot Monday with a solid team effort at Kossover Tennis Center.
Manhattan junior Jill Harkin won the singles title and Seaman senior Grace Unruh and junior Lauren Sweeney continued their perfect season in doubles, but the Junior Blues rode their balance to the team win, with Rural placing all four entries in the top five places.
Washburn Rural's doubles teams of Kate Fritz and Meredith Kucera and Hailey Beck and Shelby Schmutzler posted second and third-place league finishes while Rural's Sheriden Wichman placed third and Mena DiMarzio fifth as the Junior Blues won the team title by an 86-79 margin over Manhattan.
"It's just a real solid team overall and it was a good team effort,'' Rural coach Kevin Hedberg said. "I'm really, really pleased with them. It was a good day.
"We know there are some much tougher situations coming, but we're going to enjoy tonight. Winning the league is a nice thing to do.''
Washburn Rural's girls tennis team poses with the Centennial League championship trophy after Monday's win at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman's Unruh and Sweeney won their second straight league doubles championship, rallying from a 2-0 deficit in the final to improve to 29-0 on the season with an 8-3 win over Fritz and Kucera.
"I think there were some nerves, feeling a little pressure,'' Unruh said of Seaman's slow start against Rural. "They hit some good shots that we couldn't do anything about, but we're always talking and always trying to bring that energy and I think those first two games we weren't bringing the energy, but then we kind of turned it around.''
Sweeney admitted that there's a certain amount of pressure that comes with every tournament, but said that she and Unruh try to put those thoughts aside.
"There's alway pressure no matter what,'' Sweeney said. "It's just we've got to do what we have to do. I tell Grace all the time, 'Let's just play our game.' ''
Seaman's Grace Unruh (left) and Lauren Sweeney went 5-0 in Monday's Centennial League tennis tournament to capture their second straight league doubles title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The singles final pitted the reigning league champion, Harkin, against Hayden freshman Ainzley Zulueta, the city singles champ, and Zulueta held her own early before Harkin pulled away for an 8-3 win.
Hayden freshman Ainzley Zulueta finished second in singles in her first Centennial League tournament Monday. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman finished third as a team with 75 points, with Nina Del-Zio adding a fourth-place finish in singles. Del-Zio dropped an 8-1 decision to Wichman in the third-place match.
Beck and Schmutzler lost to Rural teammates Fritz and Kucera in the semifinals before bouncing back to to finish third with an 8-3 win over Topeka High's Adisyn Caryl and Haley Carpenter.
City schools will compete in regional tournaments this weekend, vying for state tournament berths, with Class 6A and 4A regionals at Kossover and Seaman hosting a 5A regional.
The 6A tournament will be held on Friday and Saturday while the 5A and 4A regionals will be contested on Saturday.
CENTENNIAL LEAGUE GIRLS TENNIS
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Tylan Alejos
TYLAN ALEJOS, Topeka High
Alejos, a senior running back, ran for 400 yards and eight touchdowns on 27 carries in Topeka High's 70-42 Centennial League victory over Highland Park last Friday at Hummer Sports Park. Alejos scored on runs of 32, 21, 4, 6, 71, 51, 31 and 21 yards as the Trojans improved to 2-3 on the season.
Carter Brian
CARTER BRIAN, Cair Paravel Latin
A senior quarterback, Brian completed 14 of 19 passes for 236 yards and six touchdowns as Cair Paravel improved to 5-0 with a 54-8 victory over previously-unbeaten St. Mary's Academy last Friday at Highland Park. Brian completed TD passes of 17, 54, 16, 27, 10 and 8 yards to four different receivers in the win.
