By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Two seasons ago Class 6A state champion Washburn Rural volleyball graduated Brooklyn DeLeye, one of the most accomplished players in Kansas history and now a star at Kentucky and for the Team USA Under-21 team.
Washburn Rural senior Layla Collins (3) spikes the ball during Monday's volleyball triangular at Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Layla Collins (3) is congratulated by her teammates after a kill in Monday night's triangular. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And last year the Junior Blues graduated a pair of Division I athletes, Jada Ingram (UNLV volleyball) and Zoe Canfield (Kansas basketball), but Rural continues to crank out winners, improving to 6-0 to start the current season with straight-set wins over Gardner-Edgerton and Basehor-Linwood Monday night at Rural.
Washburn Rural, which has won eight 6A state titles under Hall of Fame coach Kevin Bordewick, took a 25-21, 25-18 win over Gardner-Edgerton before capping its night with a 25-13, 25-21 win over Basehor-Linwood.
"We're still pretty inexperienced when it comes to varsity experience, but I do like the way we've progressed since our jamboree,'' Bordewick said. "Even tonight I don't think we were necessarily that sharp but there were some really good things.
"We did some nice things on defense as far as digging and had a couple of blocks. We need to get better at that and we need to have connections with our setters and hitters a little bit more but overall I've been pretty pleased with how we have progressed.''
Senior Layla Collins, a returning starter, is also proud of the way her team has started the season.
"I think all the younger players who have come up are doing a great job filling their spots,'' Collins said. "We want to keep our undefeated record up and just keep on going. I'm excited to see how we end, hopefully with a state title, but we'll see.''
Washburn Rural senior Kate Hinck sets the ball during Monday's volleyball triangular at Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Rural, ranked No. 6 in 6A in the Kansas Volleyball Association preseason rankings, trailed 4-1 and 10-7 in the first set against the Trailblazers but the Junior Blues used back-to-back kills from Collins and junior Hallie Walker to rally for a 21-17 lead and went on to close out the four-point win.
The second set was tight in the early stages before the Junior Blues went on a run to take a 14-7 lead on a kill from sophomore Molly Schuler.
The Trailblazers got no closer than seven points the rest of the set while Rural ran off four straight points to open up a 21-12 advantage on a Collins kill and closed out the seven-point win on another Collins kill.
Rural never trailed in the first set against Basehor-Linwood, with the Junior Blues taking a commanding 16-7 advantage on back-to-back Collins kills before finishing off the 12-point rout.
Basehor-Linwood jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the second set and led 14-11 before Rural rallied for 20-15 lead and held off the Bobcats the rest of the way, ending the match on a Walker kill.
Gardner-Edgerton went 1-1 on the night, taking a 25-21, 25-19 win over Basehor-Linwood.
MATCH RESULTS
Washburn Rural def. Gardner-Edgerton, 25-21, 25-18; Gardner-Edgerton def. Basehor-Linwood, 25-21, 25-19; Washburn Rural def. Basehor-Linwood, 25-13, 25-21.
