By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: Shawnee County varsity coaches in all fall sports are encouraged to report their game/event results by email to
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Washburn Rural volleyball opened its 2022 season with a statement win over St. Thomas Aquinas in a battle between two of the state's storied programs in Saturday's St. James Academy Volleyball Slam.
Brooklyn DeLeye and Washburn Rural opened the 2022 volleyball season with a win over Class 5A power St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday. [File photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
The Junior Blues begins the season ranked No. 3 in Class 6A by the Kansas Volleyball Association while Aquinas is top-ranked in 5A in the KVA preseason poll.
Washburn Rural is coming off a 41-2 season and a fourth-place finish in the 6A state tournament while Aquinas finished third in 5A last season.
The Junior Blues took a 25-21 first-set win over the Saints and closed out the victory with a 25-20 victory.
"I thought for the first match we did pretty well against a really good team,'' said Rural coach Kevin Bordewick, who has led the Junior Blues to seven state championships. "We talked about whether we win or lose, this match will show us a lot of things we have to work on, and it did.''
The Volleyball Slam is regarded as one of the area's premier events and Bordewick said the Junior Blues did a good job of handling the surroundings.
Kentucky commit Brooklyn DeLeye, the reigning 6A player of the year, had a big opener for Rural, but Bordewick said the entire team made solid contributions.
"We had a great student section that gave us a lot of energy and we had three girls who made their varsity debut that handled the big-time atmosphere and pressure really well,'' Bordewick said.
"If we keep working we can have a really special season.''
The Junior Blues will be back in action Tuesday, traveling to Shawnee Mission East for a triangular with East and St. James (5 p.m. start).
Seniors Haley Carpenter (left) and Adisyn Caryl, who have qualified for the Class 6A state tournament in doubles the past two seasons, opened the 2022 season with a perfect 4-0 record in the Wamego Invitational. [Submitted photo]
Trojan tennis posts win at Wamego
Topeka High's girls tennis team opened its season with a championship in Thursday's five-school Wamego Invitational.
The Trojans won three of four divisions on the day, with the No. 1 doubles team of seniors Haley Carpenter and Adisyn Caryl and junior No. 1 singles player McCall Beall going a perfect 4-0 on the day.
Seniors Alesia Alvarez and Keira Trupp won three matches in No. 2 doubles as did senior Carter Johnson in No. 2 singles.
Topeka High won the team title by a 36-30 margin over host Wamego while Wabaunsee was third with 14 points.
The Trojans are scheduled to compete in the Emporia Invitational on Thursday and in the Seaman Invitational next Saturday.
Easton Bradstreet
Devon Rutschmann
Rural soccer rolls in season-opener
Washburn Rural, the Class 6A state runner-up last fall, opened its 2022 season on Friday with a 7-1 non-league road win at Kapaun Mt. Carmel.
Senior Easton Bradstreet scored four goals and had two assists while junior Devon Rutschmann had a goal and three assists for the Junior Blues, who were 19-1-0 last season.
Rural also got goals from senior Aaron Tinajero and freshman Dylan Willingham while senior Ty Stead was credited with an assist.
Washburn will face Shawnee Heights at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday at the Bettis Family Sports Complex.
