By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights volleyball has faced an uphill battle in the early stages of the 2025 season while wading through a tough schedule, including a matchup with defending Class 5A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas.
Shawnee Heights volleyball celebrates a point in Tuesday's UKC volleyball sweep at Topeka West. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
But T-Bird coach Sami Kearney is pleased with the progress her team has made, including Shawnee Heights' first sweep of the season in Tuesday's Topeka West triangular.
Shawnee Heights senior Avery Willey goes up for a kill in Tuesday's UKC volleyball sweep at Topeka West. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
Now 6-6 on the season, the T-Birds dominated their first two United Kansas Conference matches of the year, rolling to a 25-12, 25-15 win over Seaman and a 25-13, 25-13 victory over Topeka West.
"I feel like we're moving in the right direction,'' Kearney said. "We've just played some tough teams, and I don't think you'll get better as a team if you don't play good teams, so I want that challenge and they accept that challenge and we're just getting better every week it feels like, so I just want to keep moving up with them.
"It's always about records, but at the same time we've got to go play good teams to make it to state, so we might as well get started and see what we need to get to and it's a good goal for us to try to reach.''
Senior Avery Willey, who had a big night Tuesday, agreed with her coach that the T-Birds are improving all the time.
"I think we've played some great teams and the losses are fine because we played great volleyball and we're just going to get better from it,'' Willey said. "Playing bad teams all year is not going to help us get better so I'm glad we get to play those really good teams.''
But Willey said it was good for Heights to pick up its first sweep in Tuesday's triangular.
"It is good to get some wins and we're 2-0 in league right now, so that's good,'' Willey said.
Seaman volleyball celebrates a point during Tuesday's UKC volleyball triangular at Topeka West. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
Seaman went 1-1 on the night, with the 3-9 Vikings taking a hard-earned 30-28, 19-25, 25-19 win over Topeka West.
Topeka West junior Sydney VanDyke goes up for a spike during Tuesday's UKC volleyball triangular at Topeka West. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
West went 0-2 Tuesday, but played very well at times, including taking Seaman, the 5A state champ in 2023 and the runnerup last fall, to three sets.
MATCH RESULTS
Seaman def. Topeka West, 30-28, 19-25, 25-19; Shawnee Heights def. Seaman, 25-12, 25-15; Shawnee Heights def. Topeka West, 25-13, 25-13.
