By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will recognize Shawnee County's all-time best teams in 21 sports as part of our Best of the Best project. The project continues with volleyball and readers will have the opportunity to vote for teams in that sport through August 6, with the top teams in all categories announced in late July and August. To cast a vote for the Best of the Best, click on https://take.quiz-maker.com/poll4881663x7A8C40E8-151 while email votes/nominations will be also accepted at
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Twenty-five. That single number sums up Shawnee County's proud volleyball history.
It took 27 years for county schools to notch their first state championship in the sport, but once Angie Bittner's Silver Lake team broke the ice with a Class 3A championship in 1998 the flood gates opened, with four county schools combining for 25 tiles over the past 24 seasons.
Silver Lake's volleyball team won the first of its nine Class 3A state titles in 1998. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Silver Lake and Washburn Rural have combined for an amazing 17 championships while Hayden and Shawnee Heights have combined for another eight titles.
Washburn Rural's volleyball team went 45-1 to capture the school's eighth Class 6A state title last fall. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Kevin Bordewick's powerhouse Washburn Rural program won the county's most recent state crown, with the Junior Blues winning their eighth state championship in 6A, the state's largest class, last fall.
The Junior Blues, led by All-American and Kentucky signee Brooklyn DeLeye, capped a 45-1 2022 season with their 44th straight victory, puntuated by a 25-21, 26-24 win over Blue Valley in the 6A championship match.
Bordewick, who topped the 1,000 victory mark for career wins in '22, also led the Junior Blues, who won their first title in '04, to four straight titles from 2006-2009 and back-to-back championships in '11 and '12.
In addition to Silver Lake's '98 title, Bittner led the Eagles to back-to-back 3A championships in '03 and '04 and in '06 and '07 before current Lake coach Sarah Johnson took over the reigns of the program and coached the Eagles to two straight championships in '13 and '14 as well as titles in '16 and '18.
Hayden won its third straight Class 4A-II state volleyball title in 2017 and won five state championships under Jesica Farmer-Walter. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Hayden won five state championships under Jesica Farmer-Walter, who led the Wildcats to a 4A title in '07, a 4A-II three-peat from '15 through '17 and the 4A title in '19.
Kerry Kapfer's Shawnee Heights volleyball team won its second straight Class 5A state title in 2000. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Kerrry Kapfer's Shawnee Heights teams, led by Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Famer Dani (McHenry) Schmidt, captured back-to-back 5A championships in '99 and '00 while posting a combined record of 82-3 while Laura Curry's T-Birds, led by future college stars Jazz Sweet (Nebraska), Megan Cooney (Illinois) and Faith Rottinghaus (Washburn) added Heights' third title in '16.
Vote for your favorite team at https://take.quiz-maker.com/poll4881663x7A8C40E8-151 while readers also have the option of writing in a candidate.
Vote as many times as you wish. Final selections will be based on reader vote as well as input from TSN contributors and current and past local sports media professionals.
Votes in boys track and field will be accepted through August 6 before TSN publishes our Best of the Best lists in late July and August.
NEXT UP: Boys/girls wrestling (ballot will be published on TopSports.news on Monday).
