Top performers and MVP pick from Class 4 State Championships!

Ryan Johnson November 10, 2020 @ 11:50 AM

Nerinx Hall 11-5 4th Place Anna Taylor, Senior The senior outside had eight kills and three digs in the loss to Willard 11-25, 19-25, 11-25. In the 3rd place loss to Platte County 21-25, 18-25, 19-25, she had 14 kills and four digs. Taylor Reynolds, Freshman The freshman came in and provided 42 assists in the tournament for the Markers. 17 in the loss to Willard and 25 in the 3rd place match to Platte County.   Platte County 28-7-2 3rd Place [player_tooltip player_id="101678" first="Bryn" last="McGehe"], Senior The 5’7 sparkplug had a fantastic semifinal match in the 5 set loss to Parkway West 27-25, 19-25, 25-23, 18-25, 12-15. 13 kills, 17 assists and 14 digs to end with a triple-double. In the 3rd Place match, seven kills, seven assists, and 12 digs in the 3-0 sweep of Nerinx Hall. [player_tooltip player_id="41803" first="Kate" last="Brown"], Junior Twenty-six kills in the tournament and 26 digs seem to be a match for this six rotation outside. In the 5 set loss to Parkway West, she had 15 kills, 18 digs, and the 3rd Place match 11 kills and eight digs to complete a great tournament. [player_tooltip player_id="101688" first="Presli" last="Firkins"], Senior The libero finished the semifinal match with 26 digs with a couple in the 5th set to keep the game tied up. In the 3rd place match, she only needed 14 to give her team the digs needed to complete the 3-0 sweep.   Parkway West 12-5 2nd Place Anna Pavlisin, Senior Fifty-three kills, 23 errors on 176 attempts for .170% hitting is a huge load to carry, and she did well while adding 41 digs. Thirty kills and 26 digs in the 5 set semifinal win over Platte County and then 23 kills and 15 digs in finals. Carly Kuehl, Senior The outside/setter combo put up impressive numbers in the semifinal win over Platte County. Twenty-five kills, 30 assists, and 14 digs for the triple-double. In the championship match, she added 11 kills, 15 assists, and seven digs. Cece Watts, Sophomore The defensive specialist stood out for me with some great digs in the finals against the hard-hitting Willard combo I’ll talk about later. With 12 digs in the semifinal win and 13 in the finals, the Longhorns have a future libero on their hands.   Willard 31-3-1 State Champions Paige Gayer, Junior Paige runs this offense with precision and who to give the ball to at the right times. With 31 assists in the semifinal sweep of Nerinx Hall and then added 33 assists, five kills, and five digs in the championship. Maddie Bushnell, Senior This middle was the best in the tournament. 12 kills 0 errors on 20 attempts for a .600% in the semifinal sweep over Nerinx Hall. Then the championship match had ten kills, two errors on 27 attempts—.296%. Altered shots all tournament long with her 6’2 frame and great movement and bounce. [player_tooltip player_id="41750" first="Payton" last="Van Veen"], Senior Terminator! That’s what she does! This wrecking ball had 15 kills, two errors on 25 attempts for .371% in the semifinal win. She was even better with 24 kills in the finals, two errors on 57 attempts for .386%.   MVP Willard Defense Unit Without Taylor Crighton and [player_tooltip player_id="102455" first="Kindall" last="Smithson"] and Kelsey Kirkland digging up everything in sight, the setter wouldn’t get those assists, and those big guns couldn’t repeatedly pound. It was very evidently watching both Willard’s matches, which make this team roll, and it’s the defensive unit. These three were all over the court, getting balls up for the offense to keep rolling. I’m not sure who had the better defense this weekend, Willard or Maryville, but Willard offense needs to buy these three dinners.