There was no way Julie Slater could say no.
 
The legendary Lansing volleyball coach hadn’t been a part of the program since retiring in 2019, concluding a 35-year coaching career that saw her win 1,003 matches. But as a lifelong Lansing resident and alum, she never lost touch with the program either.
 
And when the Lions suddenly found themselves without a head volleyball coach after Jason Jones’ abrupt resignation just a week before practice started, Slater knew she was back in the red and black.
 
“When they called me, the principal (Alan Pinrose) said, ‘I want to beg you to this job,’” Slater said. “I bleed red. I love Lansing. … There’s no way I can say no to Lansing. They’re in a pickle. I immediately knew I’d do it. They would have been up the creek and I couldn’t let that happen.”
 
The timing may not have been ideal, but the match has been a good one. Under Slater’s direction, the Lions are once again one of the top teams in Class 5A, sporting a 25-7 record. That includes a 7-0 mark in United Kansas Conference action that clinched the league title for the Lions.
 
“I had high expectations like I always do,” Slater said. “We had a really good returning nucleus, which was good. We definitely wanted to win league and then our goal is always to win sub-state and make it to state. Those expectations don’t change at all.”
 
It wasn’t the first time in Slater’s career that she’s joined a program late in the game. After retiring from Lansing in 2019, Slater was pulled in to coach at Pleasant Ridge when the Rams’ head coach quite shortly after the season had started.
 
Slater led the Rams to back-to-back 20-11 seasons before retiring again.
 
But when Lansing came calling, Slater came out of retirement again.
 
She had received word from Jones in late July that he had applied for a basketball coaching job in Indiana though he wasn’t sure he would get it. He wanted to make sure the program wasn’t left in a bind and gauged Slater’s interest.
 
When Slater didn’t hear back for a week or so, she “thought I was off the hook.” But on July 29, Jones called again saying he’d been offered the job. On Aug. 1, he resigned.
 
After accepting the position, Slater immediately got in touch with this year’s seniors and on Aug. 6 – only a week before fall practice began – she met them for breakfast.
 
“There were a lot of things I had to get rolling, but it was a smooth transition because I knew exactly what I was doing,” Slater said. “They were excited and they’ve heard all the stories of my traditions. I like to do a lot of fun things and I have a lot of traditions I like to do. We brought some of those back that were long-time Lansing traditions.”
 
There was a familiarity there as well. Many of the players on the team had grown up going to Slater’s summer camps at Lansing. Several had older sisters who played for Slater as well.
 
Of Lansing’s seven losses, the Lions have avenged four of them – going 1-1 against Seaman with their win clinching the league title, 2-1 against Spring Hill and 1-2 against Blue Valley Southwest. Lansing’s other losses have come to 5A powerhouse and defending state champion St. Thomas Aquinas, three-time reigning 3A/2A state champion Olathe Heritage Christian and 5A Maize South, which is 28-2 this season.
 
Lansing also has swept reigning 4A state champion Bishop Miege, which is coached by Lindsay Zych, who had replaced Slater as coach at Lansing and led the Lions to the 2021 Class 5A state title before returning to her alma mater.
 
“I had high expectations and they are doing what I expected,” Slater said of her team. “Some of those losses that could have gone either way, I think it’s good to face adversity and deal with it. We’re mentally tougher now than we were early in the season, which is what you want.”
 
Lansing is currently on a streak of eight straight state tournament appearances. To keep it going, the Lions may have to avenge another one of its early-season defeats.
 
At 25-7, Lansing is currently the No. 4 seed in the 5A east bracket, just behind Spring Hill, which is 24-6. The No. 5 seed is currently Aquinas, which is 22-7 and just percentage points ahead of Blue Valley Southwest (24-8).
 
Lansing closes its regular season against 6A foes Shawnee Mission Northwest (17-15) and Blue Valley West (25-8).
 
“If we can win those two, we’ll have done everything we can to put ourselves in the best position possible,” Slater said. “That’s all you can ask.”
 
Slater said this stint is a one-year deal and has spent the season with her husband, Rick, by her side as her assistant. After the season, she’ll go back into retirement … for now.
 
“It’s been fun, but it’s been exhausting,” said Slater, who with a 1,068-348 career record ranks second all-time in state history.
 

 
OTHER VOLLEYBALL STANDOUTS

• Hanover completed an undefeated run to the Twin Valley League regular-season championship, sweeping Onaga to finish league play 11-0, three games ahead of both Valley Heights and Centralia. The Wildcats are 25-5 overall and had a pair of players hit milestones in the past week as well. Kaydence Schotte dished out her 1,000^th career assist and Tessa Lohse picked up her 1,000^th career dig.
• Perry-Lecompton captured the title at the Atchison Tournament on Saturday, going 5-0 on the day, with four of those wins coming against schools 4A or bigger. The Kaws pulled out a three-set win over 4A power Louisburg 25-23, 23-25, 25-18 in the finals as Taylor Damme had 16 kills, 11 blocks and 2 aces and Kyndol Gray added 15 assists and 4 blocks.
• Clay Center went 5-0 to take the title at the Council Grove Invitational, including a 25-17, 21-25 25-18 win over Clearwater in the championship match that was just the second loss of the season for the Indians. Freshman Lily Edwards had 15 kills in the title match and junior Ayla Johnson and freshman Raimee Lipker each added 7 kills while Johnson also had 6 blocks and junior Janae Crimmins had 25 assists. Edwards finished the tourney with 62 kills while Johnson had 49 and Lipker 32. The Tigers (22-11) now have wins over the top seeds in both 4A west (Clearwater) and east (Rock Creek).
• Concordia wrapped up the North Central Kansas League title with a split against Clay Center on Tuesday. The Panthers finished league play 9-1, two games ahead of both Clay Center and Abilene.
• Jefferson County North captured the title at the Riverside Invitational last weekend going 5-0 on the day. The Chargers not only didn’t drop a set but allowed 20 points just once, that coming in a 25-20, 25-18 win over St. Joseph (Mo.) Christian in the championship. The Chargers are now 22-4 overall and are tied atop the Northeast Kansas League standings with Pleasant Ridge, each at 13-1 in league play after North took a 25-12, 25-22 win over the Rams on Tuesday after earlier losing to them.
• Lebo claimed the Lyon County League title with a 7-0 run through league play, capping the title with a sweep of Marais des Cygnes Valley (25-11, 25-14) and Waverly (25-22, 25-8) on Tuesday. The Wolves are now 26-2 overall. Burlingame was runner-up in the league at 6-1 in league play.
• Ellsworth senior Kylan Turpinseed hit a major milestone as she recorded her 2,000^th career assist in Tuesday’s split with Southeast of Saline. Turpinseed had 20 assists in the Bearcats’ 25-21, 25-23 win over the Trojans and added 13 more in a 25-16, 25-22 loss in the second match, pushing her season total to 580 and career total to 2,024.
• Sacred Heart senior Avery Eshelman recorded her 1,000^th career kill in the Knights’ win over Centre on Tuesday.
• Nemaha Central clinched at least a share of the Big Seven League title with its sweep of Holton (25-10, 23-25, 25-18) and Riverside (25-11, 25-5) on Tuesday night, improving to 12-0 in league play. The Thunder have a two-game lead on Perry-Lecompton and face the Kaws next Tuesday in the final league night.
• Beloit clinched its eighth straight North Central Activities Association title with its sweep of Ellsworth on Oct. 3. The Trojans are 8-0 in league play, holding a three-game lead on both Southeast of Saline and Ellsworth going into the final two league matches.
• Rock Creek is 8-0 in Mid-East League play after sweeping Riley County on Tuesday night, taking a one-game lead into next Tuesday’s showdown for the league title with Silver Lake, which is 7-1 in league play. The Mustangs are 23-5 overall and currently the No. 1 seed in the 4A east standings.
• Osage City split with Mission Valley on Tuesday, but still wrapped up the Flint Hills League title. The Indians finished 12-2 in league play, one game ahead of West Franklin, which handed them their other league loss.
• Little River finished as undefeated Wheat State League champions for the second straight year, going 9-0 in league play. The Redskins are 29-2 overall.
• Fresh off capturing the Centennial League title, Washburn Rural won the Manhattan Invitational with a 5-0 showing. The Junior Blues have won 15 straight matches since a 6-7 start and have moved into the No. 1 seed in 6A west.
• Anderson County wrapped up the Pioneer League title in splitting with Santa Fe Trail and Prairie View on Tuesday. The loss was the Bulldogs' first in league play, but they have a two-game lead on Trail with one league match remaining.

 
BOYS SOCCER STANDOUTS

• After setting the state career goals record last week, Kansas City Christian’s Isaiah Morris added the career points record to his resume as the Panthers took wins over Cair Paravel (7-0), Tonganoxie (2-0) and Bishop Ward (4-3 OT) in a six-day span. Morris scored three goals against Cair Paravel and two each in the Tonganoxie and Ward wins and with two assists in the Ward game, Morris broke the career points record of 231 set by Maranatha Academy’s Jon Lemmon from 2000-03. Morris now has 233 career points. KC Christian rallied from down 2-0 and 3-2 to get its second overtime win over Ward this season, improving to 11-0-1 overall.
• Connor Torres scored 2 goals and had 2 assists as Leavenworth picked up its first United Kansas Conference win of the season in a 5-2 victory over Basehor-Linwood. Kellen Slusher, Kaleb Brown and Luke Myers also scored the first varsity goals of their careers in the win.
• Washburn Rural added a pair of big victories to follow up its showing in Iowa, beating 6A power Blue Valley West 4-2 last Thursday and shutting out 5A power Bishop Carroll 1-0 on Tuesday. Devon Rutschmann scored a pair of goals and had an assist in the win over West and then the lone goal against Carroll while Ethan Uhlrig had the clean sheet against Carroll.