Who Will Make it to the Final Four: Classes 3/4

As we shared last week, we don’t know who will be in what classes yet. Basically, we are all over the place. There are teams we are listing here who could actually be class 5. With that being said, we are listing teams who may fall in either category. We are attempting to get a pulse on who appears to be the favorites to make it to the final weekend of the season. Let’s take a look at some of those top contenders and some we will want to keep an eye on. Carl Junction Bulldogs One of the more intriguing teams entering the 2020 season is the Bulldogs of Carl Junction. Last season, they finished a game above 500 but return many key players this fall. This team will be led by All-State honoree [player_tooltip player_id="41753" first="Salma" last="Lewis"]. The Drury commit put down 466 kills and expects many more moving to the best of 5 this fall. She is not alone in the scoring department. Jessa Hylton is back for her junior season after delivering 241 kills as a sophomore. The setting is in good hands with the return of [player_tooltip player_id="101701" first="Logan" last="Jones"]. Jones was most recently named one of the top 10 players in the state after a freshman season in which she dished out 817 assists. Logan-Rogersville Wildcats On paper, the Wildcats lost most of their firepower from a season ago. Their top 3 scorers have graduated and moved on. Some teams you just have a feeling will reload and Logan-Rogersville has built a culture in which you can expect that to be the case. The good news is they return one of the top setters in the state in [player_tooltip player_id="41769" first="Sam" last="Thompson"]. The senior paced the way with over 900 assists in 2019. She will have to find new weapons to feed the ball to but expect Ashley Warren to be one of those players. The senior finished fourth on the team last fall with 116 kills. What they lost in offense, they return in defense. Along with Sam, Mckinzie Thompson will anchor the back row. Last year combined they had just short of 500 digs. They will look for a few youngsters to step up to keep the tradition going. St. Francis Borgia Knights When you return five of your top six scorers, as a coach your only desire is a bunch of really good first passes. The youth and talent at Borgia is scary. Junior [player_tooltip player_id="41802" first="Ella" last="Brinkman"]n returns for her junior year after 283 kills in 2019. She is not alone. Juniors Lily Brown, Lynsey Batson, Kaitlyn Patke, and Caroline Glastetter teamed up for 554 kills last fall. [player_tooltip player_id="41798" first="Annie" last="Arand"] is also back to hold down the back row after a strong sophomore season but could also take over the setting duties. Once the setter role is ironed out, the defense will help determine if the Knights return to the final four. St. Michael the Archangel Guardians We wouldn’t be shocked if we learned St. Michael has already booked rooms for the last weekend of the season. They have enjoyed numerous trips to Cape over the last few years. This year they will have high expectations to return. They will have to depend on many new faces to keep the streak alive. After losing their top 3 scorers, the youth will be looked upon to fill the scoring void. Many of these players also played a heavy workload in the dig catergory. The Guardians return senior [player_tooltip player_id="41789" first="Cali" last="Bokenkroger"]. The All-State player has shown she can help the team in many avenues. She may be depended upon to do more scoring in 2020 but she can set and dig among the best in the state. Senior Tess McCombs also looks to increase her numbers after a strong junior campaign. St. Dominic Crusaders St. Dominic looks to be in the hunt for a final weekend push in 2020. After a 28 win season, heavy expectations surround the Crusader program. The team returns some valuable pieces that will lead the way. Senior Audrey Weber will lead the way in the scoring category. Last year, she finished with 390 kills on the season. She will not be the only weapon. Classmate Alayna Methard had a good campaign last year with 216 kills. Feeding them the ball will be junior [player_tooltip player_id="102453" first="Rachel" last="Schipper"]. In her sophomore season, she had 737 assists. Defensively, St. Dominic will be strong and we know defense wins championships. Olivia Skiljan, Brianna Schreimann, and Ella Boeding all return after contributing in the back row last fall. The team is positioned to compete long into the postseason. Pleasant Hill Chicks The Chicks have had success over the last few years and this year shouldn’t be any different. They will be led by one of the top setters in the state in [player_tooltip player_id="101695" first="Hannah" last="Joyce"], The senior is well on her way to a 2000 assists career in 2020. Her leadership is what is needed to spur the team to a long postseason run. She will have a few options to feed the ball to. Their two leading scorers return in seniors Maddy Nelson (290) and Makenzie Carlile (207). Like St. Dominic, many key contributors return in the back row. Ashlyn Long (322) and Makenzie Layton (202) return as dig leaders. Expect Pleasant Hill to be in contention late in the year. Windsor Owls A 24 win season last fall has Windsor believing they are ready to hold up the championship trophy in 2020. Many young players contributed to a strong 2019 season and expect them to start the season strong. Sophomore Lexi Menne is looking to build on a big freshman year. Seniors Sydnie Kube and Lidiya Sokolic look to increase their offensive input this season. The Owls have a void to fill in the setting and defensive departments. Defensively, sophomore Grace Lowery put up good numbers in her first season. Sophomore Madison Williams played minimal minutes last fall and will be in the setter competition. Other Teams to Watch Incarnate Word Red Knights The Red Knights return enough pieces to be in the conversation. The team will depend heavily on [player_tooltip player_id="102447" first="Emmalyn" last="O’Keefe"] and Taylor Greenberry to score points. Behind the front line, Emma Klasing and Regan Blase are back to anchor the back row. The setter position will be one to watch. Odessa Bulldogs Odessa had a phenomenal 2019 season. They did lose many important players to graduation. The play of their young talent will be what to watch as the season progresses. Jefferson City Jays [player_tooltip player_id="41794" first="Kayla" last="Walters"] is the key returnee for the Jays in 2020. She had close to 300 kills in her junior season. Senior Rhakayla Blackmon held down the net with 82 total blocks. [player_tooltip player_id="41795" first="Paige" last="Reeser"] is the top digs returner with 262 to go with her almost 800 assists. Watch to see who steps up as a second scorer for Jeff City.