Washburn University Ichabods

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

For the first time since the 2012 season the Washburn University men's basketball team has been tapped for the No. 1 spot in the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media polls released Monday by the league office before the start of the MIAA Basketball Media Day in Kansas City, Mo.

 

Washburn men's basketball has been tapped for the No. 1 spot in both MIAA preseason polls after winning an NCAA regional title and reaching the national semifinals last season. [File photo/TSN]

 

In the MIAA Coaches Poll, Washburn received 13 of 14 first-place votes, tallying 169 points and finishing ahead of Rogers State, which had one first-place vote and 141 total points.

 

In the MIAA media poll, the Ichabods received 23 of 25 first-place votes from the media for 346 total points. Fort Hays State had one first-place vote and 297 points and Rogers State had a first-place vote and 286 total points.

 

The Ichabods are coming off an NCAA Final Four appearance, an NCAA Central Regional Championship and an MIAA regular season title with a 30-4 overall record after going 17-2 in MIAA play.

 

Rogers State received its best preseason rankings since joining the MIAA in 2019 after ending last season 23-10 overall and 13-6 in the MIAA.
 
Fort Hays State, the defending MIAA tournament champion, finished 22-10 overall and 12-7 in the MIAA last season.

Both MIAA coaches and media members also included Central Oklahoma and Pittsburg State in their top five.

 

Washburn will open the 2025-26 season at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic facing Augusta on Nov. 1 and Dallas Baptist the following day in Lakeland, Fla.

 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Former Centralia multi-sport star Kamble Haverkamp cherished his time in the Kansas State football progam. 

But Washburn University offered Haverkamp an opportunity that the 6-foot, 205-pound senior free safety wasn't sure if or when he'd ever get from the Wildcats -- a chance to play on a regular basis.

Centralia product Kamble Haverkamp's decision to transfer to Washburn has been a good one for him and the Ichabods. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

"There were a lot of great guys (at Kansas State) that taught me a lot, great leaders, as far as how you have to study and prepare and how you approach all the things you have to do as a student-athlete, so I definitely grew a lot in my time there for sure,'' Haverkamp said.

"You're there and it's awesome. It's a great place to be, you can't deny that, but whenever you look at all the time you have to put in to be a student-athlete and all the early mornings and all the lifting, eating right and all the time that it takes just to be a student-athlete, the bare minimum, if I'm going to do all of that I want to play on the field.

"I want to play and contribute to my team and make all that time worth it and get the reward of playing.''

And four seasons after making the decision to transfer to Washburn, it's safe to say the move has been a good one for both Haverkamp and the Ichabods.

"Absolutely, one of the best decisions I've ever made,'' Haverkamp said. "Obviously, playing football is great and that's awesome, but it's also just all the people that I've gotten to meet, teammates that are now brothers, and coaches that have impacted me, especially coach Wat (Ichabod coach Zach Watkins).

"I've been with him four years now and he's just a great guy to be around and he's taught me so much and he's a mentor to me.''

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 9-ranked Washburn University volleyball will go on the road Tuesday to face Emporia State in the first edition of the Turnpike Tussle at 6 p.m. in White Auditorium.

No. 9-ranked Washburn will go on the road Tuesday to face Emporia State at White Auditorium. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn enters the week with a 14-1 record overall and a 3-1 mark inside the MIAA after sweeps over Pittsburg State and Newman Thursday and Friday while Emporia State is 13-2 overall and 4-0 in the MIAA after defeating Pittsburg State 3-2 on Friday. The Hornets have won 13 straight matches.

Washburn returns to home on Friday, hosting Fort Hays State at 6 p.m.

Senior Austin Broadie leads the Washburn offense with 175 kills (3.50 per set) while hitting .389, third best on the team. She has started all 15 matches and has also has logged 31 blocks with 37 digs.

Broadie has eight double-digit kill matches and ranks 16th nationally in hitting percentage and third in the MIAA. She is second among conference players in kills per set.

Bella Limback is slashing a team-high .552 with 98 kills (2.04 per set) while playing and starting in all 15 matches. She has also added 52 blocks, a team high, and served seven aces.

Limback has hit over .400 in all but two matches this season with two double-digit kill efforts. She leads the nation in hitting percentage and is sixth in the MIAA in total blocks and fifth in blocks per set. 

Alex Dvorak is second on the team with 51 blocks (1.06 per set) on the season while starting all 15 matches. Offensively she has 91 kills (1.98 per set) along with hitting .428, second best on the team. She has recorded five or more blocks in seven matches.

The senior ranks eighth in the nation and second in the MIAA in hitting percentage among qualified hitters. She is also sixth in the MIAA in blocks per set. 

Corinna McMullen has started all 15 matches this season to lead Washburn with 322 assists (6.57 per set). She has also chipped in 16 service aces while ranking second on the team with 124 digs (2.53 per set). The senior has delivered nine matches of 20-plus assists and six double-doubles. She ranks seventh in the conference in assists per set.  

Junior libero Taylor Rottinghaus leads the Ichabods with 204 digs (4.08 per set). She has chipped in 61 assists while serving 19 aces, a team-high. Rottinghaus has two matches with at least 20 digs. She ranks seventh in the MIAA in digs per set and 11th in total digs. 

Washburn is second in the nation and leads the MIAA with a .309 team hitting percentage. 

The Ichabods are 12th nationally and second among MIAA teams with 2.55 blocks per set. 

On the defensive side Washburn is limiting opponents to a .114 hitting percentage, good for sixth nationally and second in the MIAA. 

The Ichabods are dishing out 13.82 assists per set on offense, good for third in the nation and second in the MIAA. 

Washburn knocks down 14.68 kills per set to rank fifth in all Division II and second among MIAA programs. 

The Hornets are receiving votes in the latest AVCA poll. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

After playing in all 11 games last fall with three starts as a redshirt freshman, Washburn University sophomore quarterback Keller Hurla was excited for the 2025 season before a preseason injury put him on the sidelines.

Quarterback Keller Hurla is back in action for Washburn after recovering from a pre-season hamstring injury. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

But after missing the Ichabods' first three games, the former St. Marys star is back in action and hoping to help Washburn get hot over the second half of the season.

"I had a Grade 2 hamstring tear that happened late in fall camp,'' Hurla said. "At first they thought it was a Grade 1, so I thought I'd be back in a week or so and hopefully be back for Week 1 or Week 2, but then it ended up being a little worse than they thought so they held me out four or five weeks.

"I was able to return the week of (Central Oklahoma). That Wednesday I was able to get a full go and start practicing again. It's good to be back and healthy and just being with the guys out there again. I feel like (last week) I was finally getting back to 100 percent and now it feels great.''

While splitting time with graduate QB Justin Lewis, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Hurla has completed 11 of 20 passes for 149 yards and two TDs and carried the ball 21 times for 60 yards and two scores as WU pushed UCO and Nebraska-Kearney to the limit in six and seven-point losses.

Hurla also split time running the offense last season when he passed for 812 yards and five TDs and ranked No. 2 on the Ichabods with 332 rushing yards and a team-high five rushing TDs. 

"It's kind of tough not knowing exactly when you're going to be thrown in, but it's always just staying ready and being prepared as if you're the starter every week and just being ready to go whenever your name's called,'' he said. 

"I've kind of learned how to deal with situations like that just in the past year, so it's really nothing new for me and I'm just trying to take advantage of every opportunity I get.''

Washburn, 1-4 overall and 0-3 in the MIAA, faces a tough test Saturday on the road at Pittsburg State, but Hurla feels like the Ichabods' best days are ahead of them in the second half of the season.

"It's going to flip,'' Hurla said. "It will, just with our culture of this new coaching staff and the leaders on this team.

"We have the same mindset every week, just attack the new seven-day season no matter what happened last week. We  flush it, we move on and attack the seven-day season and attack it to the best of or ability.''

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University soccer team rolled to a 3-0 victory over Nebraska-Kearney Friday in Yager Stadium in the Ichabods' MIAA home opener.

"From minute 1 to minute 90, we played the way we want to play," Washburn coach Davy Phillips said.

Washburn freshman Leah Henke had a goal and an assist in Friday's 3-0 MIAA win over Nebraska-Kearney. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn improved to 5-2-2 overall and 2-0-1 in the MIAA while Nebraska-Kearney fell to 2-4-2, 0-1-2.

Washburn picked up a goal in the eighth minute from freshman Kate Hinck, who scored her second goal of the season as fellow freshman Leah Henks assisted her.

The Ichabods would continue their pressure on the Loper's goal and in the 34th minute senior Shaye Taylor headed a shot home for her second goal of the year and her college career, assisted by freshman Lydia Keller.

Washburn would continue its pressing style and would find its third goal in the 54th minute when Aubree Tanksley found Henke, who would bury her shot in the bottom left corner for her fifth goal of the season.

Freshman Lili Everley posted her her fifth straight clean sheet in goal for the Ichabods.

Washburn has won 10 straight matches over the Lopers.

Washburn will be on the road against Missouri Southern on Friday, October 10th, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 10-ranked Washburn University volleyball posted a second straight MIAA sweep Friday, taking care of Newman in three sets in Wichita.

After taking the first set 25-15, Washburn (14-1 overall, 3-1 MIAA) improved in each of the next two sets, defeating Newman (2-13, 0-4) 25-13 and 25-12 to close out the match.

No. 10-ranked Washburn volleyball improved to 14-1 with Friday's sweep at Newman. [File photo/TSN]  

The Jets hung close to begin the first set, with both sides splitting the first 20 points.

Alex Dvorak slammed down a kill from Corinna McMullen, which opened a 7-0 Washburn scoring run capped off by an ace from Taylor Rottinghaus. The Ichabods held onto the advantage, finishing off the set with a 5-0 run and an ace by Kali Henry. 

In the second set Washburn jumped out to an 8-3 advantage that quickly grew to 15-6 after a block by Bella Limback and Brynne Topolski. After hitting under .200 in the first set it was the offense that led the charge, hitting .370 as a team in the second to take the 12-point win. 

The momentum continued into the third set, with the Ichabods leading 7-2 after a kill by Emery Keebaugh.Newman pulled back within three points before Washburn responded with a 5-0 run. The Ichabods kept the Jets out of arms reach the rest of the way, finishing the set off with four points and a kill by Layla Collins to end the match.  

Washburn out-hit Newman in the match .286 to -.009 while recording 41 kills to just 22 for the Jets with 23 errors. Digs went in favor of the Ichabods 52-39 as did assists, 38-19.  

It was a balanced effort offensively for the Ichabods with 10 players recording kills led by eight from Austin Broadie while hitting .375. Limback, Keilah Rivers and Keebaugh all had seven kills. McMullen registered a double-double with 20 assists and 10 digs while Rottinghaus led the defensive effort with 13 digs.  

Washburn volleyball coach Chris Herron reached 1,100 career wins with Friday's sweep at Newman. [File photo/TSN]

With the win, WU coach Chris Herron reached 1,100 career coaching victories between his time coaching in high school and college.

The Ichabods will wrap up their road trip on Tuesday against Emporia State.   

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 10-ranked Washburn volleyball will be on the road for a pair of MIAA matches Thursday and Friday. [File photo/TSN]

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Freshman Leah Henke scored Washburn's game-winning goal in Sunday's 1-0 win over Newman and has a team-high four goals on the season. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn freshman goalkeeper Lili Everley and the Ichabod defense have not allowed a goal in WU's past four games. [File photo/TSN]

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 10-ranked Washburn Ichabod volleyball bounced back from its first loss of the season to post a three-set MIAA road sweep over Pittsburg State on Thursday.

Senior Austin Broadie led Washburn with 13 kills in Thursday's 3-0 MIAA road sweep at Pittsburg State. [File photo/TSN]

Junior Taylor Rottinghaus registered 14 digs in Thursday's 3-0 MIAA Washburn road sweep at Pittsburg State. [File photo/TSN]

The Ichabods will stay on the road facing Newman at 6 p.m. on Friday in Wichita.  

In all three sets Washburn (13-1 overall, 2-1 MIAA) hit over .300 as a team, beginning with a commanding 25-12 first-set win followed by 25-17 and 25-19 victories over the Gorillas (7-6, 1-2). 

After Pittsburg State went up 4-1 to open the match, the Ichabods responded with a 7-1 run started by a kill from Bella Limback. The score stayed within four until nine straight points for Washburn, beginning with Corinna McMullen setting up Austin Broadie for a kill. The offense hit .379 as a team while holding the Gorillas to a below zero hitting percentage to take the set by 13 points.  

In the second set Washburn jumped out to a 3-0 lead with an ace from McMullen beginning the set. The lead continued to grow slowly until the Ichabods broke the set open with five straight points, capped off by two straight kills by Emery Keebaughto make it 17-8. After a kill by Broadie made it set point at 24-13, Pittsburg State scored four more until Broadie slashed another kill to end the second set.  

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Washburn Ichabod soccer team picked up its first MIAA win of the season Sunday, with freshman Leah Henke's goal the difference in a 1-0 win over Newman in Wichita.

 

Washburn freshman Leah Henke (11) scored the game's only goal in Sunday's 1-0 MIAA win over Newman. [File photo/TSN]

 

"Today was a tough game in a challenging environment,'' Washburn coach Davy Phillips said. "The team was unlucky not to add one or two more, as we hit the post a few times and their keeper made a couple of really good saves. The girls, again, grew into the game pretty well and played a pretty good second half.

 

"It was a great goal by Leah and an important three points for us. We're finding ways to get results, which is an important quality in successful teams."

Washburn (4-2-2, 1-0-1) was bombarding the Newman goal in the opening 45 minutes, even putting a shot off the post in the 22nd minute. The Ichabods attempted 11 shots, with four of them on goal, forcing saves out of the Jets' goalie.

 

The Ichabods held Newman (1-6-1, 0-2-0) to zero shots in the first half.

 

Washburn started the second half right where it left off by peppering the Newman goal.

 

In the 67th minute, the Ichabods found a breakthrough by way of Henke, a Wichita native who fired home her fourth goal of the season.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

No. 7-ranked Washburn University volleyball opened its MIAA conference schedule at home Friday night with a 3-1 win over Northwest Missouri State in Whiting Fieldhouse.

No. 7-ranked Washburn opened conference play Friday with a four-set win over Northwest Missouri. [File photo/TSN]

The Ichabods will look to continue their winning streak on Saturday as they host No. 24-ranked Missouri Western at 6 p.m.  

The Ichabods (12-0 overall, 1-0 MIAA) set the tone for the match, downing the Bearcats (6-4, 0-1) 25-11 in the first set. Northwest Missouri responded with a 25-23 win in the second set before Washburn put the match away with 25-16 and 25-15 victories.  

The first three points of the match went to the Ichabods. After the Bearcats pulled within one point at 5-4 a four-point streak, capped off by an ace from Bella Limback, created separation that would last.

Washburn took advantage of errors by Northwest Missouri while also hitting .423 as a team to build a 22-9 lead. Abby Leaf ended the set with a kill on her first swing.  

In the second set it was the Bearcats jumping out ahead at 5-2. A Taylor Rottinghaus ace completed a 4-0 run to give the lead back to the Ichabods.

With the Ichabods in front 11-8, a seven point rally from Northwest Missouri began, putting them in front 15-11. They remained in front until consecutive kills by Brynne Topoloski and Austin Broadie knotted the set at 22. The Bearcats recovered with three of the next four points to win, 25-23.  

Both sides split the first 16 points of the third set before a kill by Keilah Rivers on a pass by Corinna McMullen jump-starting a four-point streak for Washburn to go in front, 12-8.

Northwest Missouri kept it within four points until the Ichabods ended the set on a six-point run. Natalie Hedlund provided the final point with her kill finding the hardwood at 25-16.  

Washburn took the first point of the fourth set and never relinquished the lead, holding off five ties from the Bearcats with the final coming at 11-11.

A kill by Alex Dvorak broke the tie and was the first of five straight points for the Ichabods, who hit .325 as a team in the final set. The final four points of the set and match went to Washburn, ending at 25-15 with an ace by McMullen.  

The Ichabods finished the match hitting .329 with 63 kills while holding the Bearcats to just a .109 attacking percentage and 38 kills. Washburn led in digs, 59-52 and had a big lead in assists, 58-38.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University's football team led Nebraska-Kearney 24-17 at the start of the fourth quarter, but the Lopers used a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull out a 31-24 win on Saturday in front of more than 4,000 fans on Family Day in Yager Stadium.

 

Washburn junior Chase Allen-Jackman had a pair of receiving TDs in Saturday's 31-24 MIAA loss to Nebraska-Kearney. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Ichabod quarterback Justin Lewis passed for 99 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday's 31-24 MIAA loss to Nebraska-Kearney. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

 

"There's no moral victories,'' Washburn coach Zach Watkins said. "We played well, but not well enough to win.''

 

Watkins said that the fact that Saturday's game came down to just a few plays was not a surprise.

 

"I've been in the MIAA a long time and I told these guys that's what it's going to come down to,'' Watkins said. "We've preached that all week and good or bad you're going to come down to a few plays and they made a few more than we did.''

 

After a 47-yard field goal by Nebraska-Kearney's Kyle Failing broke a 14-14 halftime deadlock, Washburn (1-4 overall, 0-3 MIAA) answered with a 50-yard Aidan Battle field goal to tie the game at 17 and and later in the quarter Keller Hurla found Aden Canty for a 5-yard touchdown to give the Ichabods their seven-point lead with 43 seconds left in the third quarter.

 

But Nebraska–Kearney responded with big plays in the fourth quarter, getting a 62-yard touchdown pass from Daron Bryden to Jaden Jude to tie the game with 14:18 left in the fourth and then marching 81 yards for a Jett Turner 3-yard run for the go-ahead TD after forching a Washburn punt. 

 

The opening quarter saw each team score two touchdowns each in the first 15 minutes.

 

UNK (4-1, 2-1 MIAA) got a 19-yard TD run from Bryden scored on a 19-yard run, but Washburn quickly answered with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Justin Lewis to Chase Allen-Jackman, capping a four-play drive covering 45 yards and 70 seconds.

 

After Bryden scored again on a 3-yard keeper, Lewis and Allen-Jackman connected once more, this time from 32 yards, to knot the score at 14-14 with 4:06 to play in the opening quarter. Allen-Jackman finished with three receptions for 58 yards.

 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The No. 7-ranked Washburn Ichabod volleyball team fell for the first time this season Saturday night, with No. 24 Missouri Western taking a 25–23, 19-25, 25-20, 25–19 decision in the MIAA matchup inside Whiting Fieldhouse.

Washburn senior Austin Broadie contributed a match-high 23 kills Saturday night, but Missouri Western handed the Ichabods their first loss of 2025 in four sets. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

"They played harder than us, they played with more urgency than we did,'' Washburn coach Chris Herron said. "They got balls up that we thought were down and they just made plays. They made hellacious plays tonight. I thought they played really, really well.

"This week will show what (the Ichabods) are made of. We just got through talking about, 'Are you soft or are you tough?' We'll see.''

 

The opening set was tightly contested, with seven ties and four lead changes, as senior Austin Broadie provided early offense for Washburn with seven kills before the Griffons, coming off a loss Friday at Emporia State, were able to outlast the Ichabods for a 25-23 victory.

In the second set the Ichabods jumped out to a commanding 13–5 lead behind sharp serving from Autumn Gibbs and timely swings from Broadie, holding the Griffons to .096 hitting while the Ichabods hit .263 to take a 25-19 win and even the match.

In the third set, the Griffons jumped out to a 6-2 lead and were in control most of the way before Washburn rallied to get within 19-16, but Western closed on a 6-4 run to go up 2-1 in the match.

The fourth set saw seven lead changes and nine ties as Broadie contributed five kills with only one error, but the Griffons hit .395 compared to .268 for the Ichabods to hand Washburn its first loss of the season.

Broadie finished with a match-high 23 kills on a .362 attack percentage, while Brynne Topolski had nine kills.

Corinna McMullen collected a double-double with 23 assists and 15 digs and Taylor Rottinghaus paced all players with 20 digs.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Washburn Ichabod football team will be back in Yager Stadium for the first time in three weeks on Saturday, hosting MIAA foe Nebraska-Kearney in a 1 p.m. Family Day contest.

 

Zach Watkins' Washburn Ichabods will be looking to pick up their first MIAA win in Saturday's Family Day contest with Nebraska-Kearney. [File photo/TSN] 

The Ichabods are 1-3 this season with three straight losses but are coming off a strong performance last Saturday in a 34-28 MIAA loss at No. 15-ranked Central Oklahoma.

 

Now Washburn coach Zach Watkins and the Ichabods will be looking to parlay that nailbiter into their first MIAA victory.

 

"Winning's the ultimate goal and there's no moral victories in college football and if you don't win then you're disappointed,'' Watkins said. "But our kids have attacked every week, win or lose, in a really positive way.

 

"Coming off two long road trips to Colorado and Oklahoma, our two longest road trips of the year, it's so great to be back home at Yager Stadium in front of our fans, especially on Family Day. We've talked all week about Family Day and what family means in our program, so hopefully we'll play our best game this weekend.

 

''We have not played as well as we can and once we play as well as we can I think that will hopefully turn into success.'' 

 

The Lopers are 3-1 this season after a 34-20 MIAA win over Emporia State at home last Saturday and Nebraska-Kearney received votes in the latest AFCA Top 25 coaches poll.

Washburn sophomore linebacker JC Heim, a former Washburn Rural star,leads the MIAA in tackles with 59 and sophomore L.J. Minner Jr. is second with 48, with the Ichabod duo ranking third and fourth, respectively, in the NCAA Division II-2 national rankings.

Minner has recorded double-digit tackles in each of his last seven games dating back to last season. The seven-game double-digit tackle streak is the longest since Grant Gould had at least 10 tackles in seven straight from the final game of the 2004 season to the first six games of the 2005 season.

Chase Allen-Jackman'sfour touchdown receptions lead the MIAA and is 13th in the NCAA D2 ranks.

 

Allen-Jackman finished with five receptions for 118 yards and both of Washburn's passing touchdowns against UCO while sophomore Keller Hurla added two rushing scores to go with his long touchdown pass in his first game of the season.

 

Heim led the Ichabod defense with 16 tackles (eight solo stops) and also picked off a pass while Minner had 13 stops (five solo). 

 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Chris Herron's Washburn University volleyball team is off to an outstanding start to the 2025 season, winning 11 straight matches while dropping just three sets en route to earning a No. 7 national ranking from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

But Herron says the task for the Ichabods only gets tougher from here, with Washburn opening MIAA play with Friday and Saturday 6 p.m. home matches against Northwest Missouri State and No. 24 Missouri Western in Whiting Fieldhouse. 

"There's 12 teams in this conference and 11 of them have winning records,'' Herron said. "Yikes! I'm looking forward to it though. It's fun.

"It makes you not sleep at night a little bit, but other than that, I'm excited about it.'' 

Washburn volleyball newcomer Autumn Gibbs (1) celebrates a point with her teammates during the recent Washburn Invitational. [File photo/TSN]

Junior defensive specialist/libero Autumn Gibbs, who transferred to WU after two seasons at Metropolitan State-Denver, said she feels like the closeknit Ichabods are up to the challenge moving forward.

"There's always room to grow,'' Gibbs said. "It's early in the season, but I think we've really done a great job and I think the reason we're so able to flow on the court is because we're able to flow off the court.

"We're a really close group and we love spending time together, so when it gets harder and the game's not going exactly our way, it's easy to rely on our teammates and I think that's going to be really powerful over the stretch of the season.'' 

While thrilled to be undefeated three weeks into the season, Herron knows there's still plenty of things for his team to work on. 

"Our setting consistency was poor last weekend and we're still missing too many serves,'' Herron said. "And then always, always, always you want to be a better serve receive team so your offense can flow and all that stuff, but I think every coach in the United States is going to say that to you that knows about volleyball. You've got to serve it and you've got to pass it better every single time.

"But I think so far offensively we've been good, our blocking has been really solid. And when we have (Gibbs) and Taylor (Rottinghaus) in the game at the same time in the back row, balls don't find the floor very easily. They're really good defensively.''

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Washburn University soccer team will open MIAA play on the road this weekend, facing Central Oklahoma on Friday at 7 p.m. and Newman on Sunday at 1 p.m.

 

Washburn Rural product Kate Hinck scored her first collegiate goal in Washburn's 2-0 win over Harding last Friday. [File photo/TSN]

 

"Start of conference play always brings an elevated level of excitement and intensity,'' Ichabod coach Davy Phillips said. "I'm looking forward to watching our team apply the lessons that our difficult non-conference schedule provided."

 

"UCO is always a quality MIAA opponent that is well coached and, much like us, coming off a very difficult non-conference schedule. It will be another fantastic game to kick off MIAA play this year."

 

Washburn is coming off back-to-back wins over the weekend, with a 2-0 win over Harding last Friday and a 1-0 win Sunday over Ouachita Baptist.

 

Over the weekend, the Ichabods had two players who scored their first collegiate goals at totally different points in their careers.

 

First, on Friday night, freshman Kate Hinck scored her first goal as an Ichabod in her hometown, and then on Sunday, senior Shaye Taylor scored the game-winning goal on a long free kick.

 

Washburn averages 12 shots a game with 5.3 shots on goal per game.

 

The Ichabods only allow seven shots a game. Washburn has taken 29 corners in the first six games of the season, while their opponents have only taken 16.

 

Washburn has fouled 23 more times than their opponents this year, 73-50.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Austin Broadie, Washburn University 

AUSTIN BROADIE, Washburn University

A 6-foot senior outside hitter, Broadie helped lead No. 9-ranked Washburn volleyball to a perfect 3-0 record in the Central Missouri tournament on Friday and Saturday in Warrensburg, Mo. as the Ichabods improved to 11-0 on the season. Broadie registered a career-high 25 kills in Washburn's final match of the weekend, a five-set thriller over Ouachita Baptist.

Dayne Johnson

DAYNE JOHNSON, Silver Lake

Johnson, a senior standout on both sides of the ball for the Silver Lake football team, helped lead the way Friday night as the Eagles picked up their first win of the season, a 19-6 home Big East League decision over Perry-Lecompton. A multi-sport standout, Johnson caught 17 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown from freshman quarterback Kipton Kruger against the Kaws.

Cale Ketter

CALE KETTER, Seaman

Ketter, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound junior quarterback, completed 12 of 15 passes for 278 yards and five touchdowns Friday night as Seaman picked up its first win of the season, a 61-0 United Kansas Conference romp past Topeka West at Hummer Sports Park. Ketter hit Josh Brown for 18 and 32-yard touchdown, Noah Kobuszewski for a 78-yard score, Jayden Evans for a 39-yard strike and Coy Barta for a 27-yard TD.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The first goal of senior Shaye Taylor's collegiate career was just enough for Washburn University soccer to post its second straight shutout victory with a 1-0 non-conference win over Ouachita Baptist Sunday at Yager Stadium.

Taylor, a 5-foot-7 defender, scored the game's lone goal with just 3:55 left in the opening half, ripping home a free kick that was estimated to be at least 35 yards out.

Washburn defender Shaye Taylor receives a hug from teammate Rilyn Snyder (25) after scoring the lone goal in Sunday's 1-0 win over Ouachita Baptist. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn's soccer team mobs senior defender Shaye Taylor after she scored the lone goal in Sunday's 1-0 win over Ouachita Baptist. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

"Obviously I took a lot of free kicks today and on that one my goal was to shoot it, my goal was to score,'' said Taylor, who began her career at Minot State before transferring to Washburn last season. "I thought the goalie had it and then it slipped through her fingers, so honestly I was a little surprised.

"It would have been a great save on her part, but I was really excited it went in.''

Washburn coach Davy Phillips said the Ichabods' goal on free kicks is always to give themselves a chance to score.

"The most important thing is to put the ball in dangerous areas,'' Phillips said. "And then if you have bodies crashing in dangerous areas own goals happen, goalkeeper mistakes, goals, all of those things.

"So it's about putting the ball in dangerous areas and then hopefully getting dangerous runs to complement the service.''

Phillips, whose Ichabods improved to 3-2-1 and are above .500 for the first time this season, said the team still needs to continue showing improvement, but he was obviously happy to get Sunday's win and a weekend sweep.

"I wasn't overly impressed with our performance today,'' he said. "For me it's about stringing performances together versus results and we I thought missed a chance to string performances together.

"But I told the team I'm proud of them -- two wins, two shutouts -- and those are things we can take a lot of pride in and gain some confidence in and grow it as we get into conference now. Those are important things for us to accomplish this weekend, but I thought ultimately we missed the final goal a little bit.''

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Washburn University soccer team got back in the win column on Friday at Yager Stadium with a 2-0 victory over Harding.

Former Washburn Rural state champ Kate Hinck scored her first collegiate goal on Friday in Washburn's 2-0 win over Harding. [File photo/TSN]

Former Washburn Rural star Kate Hinck, a freshman forward, scored the first goal of her collegiate career in the seventh minute off an assist from sophomore midfielder Sam Searcey and Searcey, who added a goal of her own in the 28th minute to account for the final score.

Washburn attempted eight shots in the half, with half of them being on goal.

Ichabod freshman goalkeeper Lili Everley saved the only shot of the half from the Lady Bison.

Washburn would continue to control the game in the second half, maintaining pressure on the Harding goal while  taking five more shots, with one being saved. Washburn also took two corners in the second half to see out the match.

WU's 13 shots were the Ichabods second most in a game this season, with five of them being on goal. Washburn only allowed three shots total, which is the least amount of shots Washburn has allowed so far this season. 

Everley picked up her first collegiate shutout in goal.

The Ichabods had five corners in the match, while allowing only two from the Lady Bison.

All six of Washburn's goals on the season have been scored by underclassmen.

Washburn is back at home at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, hosting Ouachita Baptist.