By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Perennial Class 6A state volleyball power Washburn Rural got off to a bit of a slow start this season both in terms of a so-so 5-4 record and the number of matches played.
Washburn Rural volleyball celebrates a point during Saturday's 5-0 run to the Centennial League championship. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
But a busy stretch has paid big dividends for the Junior Blues, with No. 6-ranked Washburn Rural running off 11 straight victories over the past week, seven in the past three days and five on Saturday as host Rural dominated the Centennial League tournament en route to the league championship.
"We haven't played near as many matches as some of those other teams have,'' Rural coach Kevin Bordewick said. "We've got this kind of weird schedule where we don't play very much and then we play a lot.
"But the fact is we've got to get out and play and we had some good matches today that tested us pretty good.''
Washburn Rural freshman Brynn Anderson (20) celebrates a kill during Saturday's 5-0 run to the Centennial League championship. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Now 16-4 on the season, Rural dropped a 25-20 decision to Manhattan in its first set of the day, but the Junior Blues proceeded to win 10 straight sets over the remainder of the league meet.
After its first-set loss to the Indians, Rural bounced back to top Manhattan with 25-18, 25-17 wins and then followed that performance with a 25-16, 25-14 victory over No. 3 (4A) Hayden, a 25-14, 25-13 win over Junction City, a 25-13, 25-17 win over Emporia and a 25-9, 25-8 romp past Topeka High.
Washburn Rural senior Taylor Guffey sets the ball during Saturday's 5-0 run to the Centennial League championship. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Bordewick said he feels like his team is making progress.
"I do, and we still have a pretty high ceiling,'' Bordewick said. "Manhattan and Hayden are really good teams and I thought we clicked in the second and third set against Manhattan pretty well and against Hayden I thought both sets we played pretty well, but I think we've got more in us.''
Washburn Rural senior Dayne Shriver spikes the ball during Saturday's Centennial League championships. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Rural senior Dayne Shriver said she agrees with Bordewick that the Junior Blues are starting to gain momentum.
"In the beginning of the season we hadn't played as many games, so I feel like now we're starting to get into the flow of it playing more games and connecting better,'' Shriver said. "I just really think that as the season goes we're flowing better.
"It's nice sometimes to have it be go, go, go.''
Manhattan posted a second-place league finish, running off four straight wins after the loss to Washburn Rural to finish 4-1 on the day.
Sophomore Blakely Walter sets the ball for Hayden during Saturday's Centennial League tournament. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Hayden went 3-2 on the day, posting two-set wins over Junction City, Emporia and Topeka High before dropping a 25-23, 27-25 nailbiter to Manhattan in the match to decide second place in the league.
Emporia posted a 2-3 tournament record while Topeka High went 1-4 with a three-set win over Junction City and the Blue Jays went 0-5.
