No. 3-ranked Lopers take 3-0 win over No. 7 Ichabods to earn MIAA Tournament title
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 7-ranked Washburn volleyball's MIAA Tournament run came to an end in the championship match on Saturday night in St. Joseph, Mo., with the Ichabods falling 3-0 to No. 3 Nebraska Kearney.
Washburn volleyball will find out its NCAA Tournament destination during Monday's NCAA selection show. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods' NCAA Tournament destiny will be determined on Monday at 6:30 p.m. in the selection show on NCAA.com.
The Lopers (29-3) jumped in front right away to win 25-14 in the first set. Washburn (26-4) made a run in the second set before falling just short, 25-22. Nebraska Kearney closed out the match, winning 25-15 in the third.
The first six points of the match all went to the Lopers, forcing the Ichabods to call timeout.
Shortly after that, a 5-1 Lopers run pushed the lead into double figures. Washburn held off set point twice with kills by Emery Keebaugh and Brooklyn Morrisey but Nebraska-Kearney got the final point to end the set.
Washburn got out to a quick start in the second set, leading 6-3 after Sydney Conner set up Brynne Topolski for a kill. The Lopers responded back with seven straight points to pull in front.
The lead reached seven points at 16-9 before the Ichabods started to chip away. Morrissey knocked down a kill that started a 8-1 burst, with Austin Broadie tying the match at 17 on a kill.
Nebraska Kearney won the next two points and didn't look back, going on to win 25-22.
In the third set Washburn fell behind 10-5 early. The Lopers offense hit an efficient .400 in the set, keeping the Ichabods down as the deficit reached double figures again before Nebraska-Kearney closed out the match winning 25-15.
Washburn finished the match hitting .194 with 36 kills, while the Lopers had 40 kills and hit .316. Both sides managed 34 assists while Nebraska Kearney led 11-2 in aces and 42-39 in digs.
Keebaugh came off the bench to lead the Ichabods with nine kills, hitting .316. Conner had a team-high 16 assists with four digs while Taylor Rottinghaus scooped up 11 digs.
Sydney Davis led Nebraska-Kearney with 10 kills and hit .600, while Peyton Neff had 32 assists in the match.
Rossville holds off Jackson Heights 21-18 to advance to Class 1A title game
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Rossville defensive back Cale Horak cradled the ball just inches above the muddy turf. Then he rolled on his side, his uniform more brown than white, and held the ball aloft to show his teammates and the Rossville contingent that traveled to Jackson Heights that the Bulldawgs were heading to the state championship.
Rossville celebrates Friday's 21-18 Class 1A semifinal victory at Jackson Heights. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
Rossville shut down Jackson Heights in the second half and clawed back to win 21-18 Friday to punch the school’s ticket to the Class 1A state championship game next Friday at Hutchinson Community College, where they will face undefeated Sterling.
Rossville will make its first trip back to the state championship since winning back-to-back Class 2A titles in Salina in 2020 and 2021 under coach Derick Hammes. Prior to that, Hammes guided the Bulldawgs to three straight 3A championships, 2014-2016, in Hutchinson.
“It never gets old, I say,” Hammes said. “It’ll be back in Hutch and we’ve got good memories there, and our folks will travel well. And the bottom line is this group of kids, they have done a great job of the buy in and trusting the process. They just deserved a chance.”
The center of the rain-soaked field at Jackson Heights was a brown paste, and the treacherous portion of the field expanded as the night wore on. The muck caked the competitors jerseys and pants and made holding onto the ball and finding footing difficult. Jackson Heights was limited almost exclusively to quarterback runs, and senior Drake Mellies put forth a valiant effort. He rushed for 168 yards on 29 carries, even though Rossville knew he was coming.
“They weren’t great,” Hammes said of the field conditions. “I’m sure we probably both would have liked a better playing surface. But you’ve got to play the hand you’re dealt and both of us did.”
Rossville senior quarterback Canann Mitchell ran for a TD and threw for two scores in the Bulldawgs' 21-18 Class 1A sub-state win over Jackson Heights. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
Rossville quarterback Canann Mitchell dashed through the mud for a 51-yard score five plays into the game to put Rossville up 6-0. But Mellies answered immediately with a 60-yard bolt for a score.
But that was all Jackson Heights could manage early. The Cobras ran just three plays in the first quarter due to Rossville’s clock-chewing attack. A 16-play drive which lasted almost nine minutes culminated with a 10-yard pass from Mitchell to Cael Horgan. The Bulldawgs ran the exact same play for a two-point conversion to put Rossville back on top 14-6.
Jackson Heights responded with its own 12-play drive that finished with Mellies plowing in from a yard out.
The Cobras then forced Rossville into the only punt of the game. Jackson Heights marched down the field and Mellies scored his third touchdown of the half to give the home team an 18-14 halftime edge.
The game turned, however, on the opening possession of the second half. Jackson Heights moved to midfield, where Mellies broke free for a 62-yard touchdown run. But the play was brought back on a holding call. Two plays later, the Cobras committed the game’s first turnover, a fumble recovered by Rossville’s Cameron Miller.
Rossville seized the opening, driving five plays to the Jackson Heights 20-yard line. That’s where Mitchell found Horgan for another scoring pass to put Rossville up 21-18.
Horgan stood out as the only receiver who seemed comfortable with the footing and with the wet ball. He produced two touchdown catches, a two-point conversion, and 80 yards on five receptions.
“It was slippery. Really slippery,” Horgan said. “I was just keeping my feet under me, not trying to go too fast on the cut. Just make sure I’m staying stable.”
Rossville’s defense locked in after intermission. Following the fumble, it forced the Cobras to turn the ball over on downs on Jackson Heights’ next two possessions.
With the field water-logged and sticky, it was up to Mitchell to try to burn the remaining 4:38. He struggled to set his feet to throw and was repeatedly sacked for losses in the second half. But he marched the ball to the Jackson Heights 35 and used up more than three minutes before finally giving the ball back to Jackson Heights one more time.
Mellies broke containment for a couple of long runs to move the ball into Rossville territory. But with no timeouts remaining and the clock rapidly expiring, the Jackson Heights quarterback lofted the pass over the middle that Horak intercepted at the 23-yard line to thwart the comeback.
“I thought both teams played extremely hard. (The Cobras) are a very good team,” Hammes said. “We had to dig deep to get it done against those guys. I think the difference for us was that we settled in at halftime. Defensively, we did a much better job in the second half and we contained them.
“There was an adjustment or two (on defense), but it was honestly getting the kids on the right page to do what we were needing to do. And the tackling I thought was better as well.”
A year ago, Rossville advanced to the sub-state round before losing to Centralia. They reached the semifinal by pulling off an improbably comeback over Jackson Heights. Hammes knew the Cobras remembered that painful loss.
“We knew that we would get their best shot,” Hammes said. “The only thing that we talked about was just making sure that we handle the emotion of the game because we knew that they would bring it and that they would certainly be ready for us.”
Davy Phillips becomes Washburn soccer's all-time wins leader in 2-0 Central Region win
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University soccer coach Davy Phillips became the school's all-time wins leader on Friday in Mankato, Minn. as the Ichabods advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 2-0 victory over Missouri Western.
Davy Phillips became Washburn soccer's career wins leader on Friday with a 2-0 NCAA Central Region win over Missouri Western. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Freshman standouts Kate Hinck and Leah Henke scored Washburn's goals, one in each half, as the Ichabods improved to 12-3-5 and advanced to Sunday's 1 p.m. game to face No. 1 seed and regional host Minnesota State-Mankato.
Phillips picked up Washburn win No. 91 to take over the top spot on the school's career victory list.
"I thought they played really, really well,'' Phillips said. "I thought the girls brought a terrific mentality and put on a really good performance today. Really happy with what they could do on the field today."
The opening 10 minutes were controlled by the Griffons, who attempted two shots on goal in that span.
Freshman Kate Hinck scored the only goal Washburn would need in Friday's 2-0 Central Region win over Missouri Western. [File photo/TSN]
It would be a back-and-forth game until the 33rd minute when Hinck took a pass from fellow freshman Henke and found the back of the net to give Washburn a 1-0 halftime advantage. Freshman goalkeeper Lili Everley made four saves in the opening 45 minutes.
Washburn would start the second half with three shots in the opening five minutes, with two of them being on goal.
Freshman Leah Henke scored her 10th goal of the season in Friday's 2-0 Washburn Central Region win over Missouri Western. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods would continue to apply pressure and broke through again in the 65th minute with Henke scoring off an assist from sophomore Sam Searcey.
Washburn, which battled Western to an 0-0 tie in the regular season, out-shot the Griffons 15-14, and both teams had eight shots on goal.
Everley made a career-high eight saves in the match.
Henke scored her 10th goal of the season, putting her fifth in Washburn history for most goals in a single season, and second-most by a freshman in a single season behind Jessica Mainz's 13 goals in 2005.
Hinck, the former Wasburn Rural star, recorded her sixth goal of her freshman campaign, tying her for 18th for the most goals for WU in a single season.
Washburn volleyball will find out its NCAA Tournament destination during Monday's NCAA selection show. [File photo/TSN]
