Games of the Week: Week 4

<p>Week 3 is in the books and the season is well underway. Most teams have now played a few matches and at least one tournament. Players are starting to shine and teams are gaining momentum. Let’s take a look at a few awesome matchups this week and the players that have started to stand out. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Edmond Santa Fe @ Bishop Kelley 08/31</strong></p> <p>Possibly a state title preview as the #1 and #2 ranked teams in 6A square off this Tuesday! It doesn’t get much better than this. Both teams have players at almost every position that can turn it on when their teams need it the most. They both earned two wins this past week. 11-2 Santa Fe got wins over Yukon and Southmoore, while 8-2 BK got two top-ranked wins over Deer Creek and BTW. BK also plays #3 Broken Arrow this week. The Comets love to play tough competition each and every night. </p> <p><strong>Players to watch: </strong>We know players like [player_tooltip player_id="144108" first="Madison" last="Edwards"] and Allison Pope will do their part but the players for the Wolves that could really make a big impact in this game are 2025 RH Anna Rice, 2022 OH [player_tooltip player_id="144099" first="Katelyn" last="Branson"], and 2023 MB [player_tooltip player_id="145982" first="Audrey" last="Bird"]. Yes, you read that correctly, rightside hitter Anna Rice is just a freshman and has already earned a starting spot for the Wolves. Between both Bird and Rice, the opponents have a really tough time getting their outsides every really rolling. They both put up quite the wall at the net. Branson may be undersized but her vertical and control give her plenty of opportunities to earn points for her team. For BK, Curry Kendall will get her kills upfront per usual but 2023 libero [player_tooltip player_id="145984" first="Jessica" last="Shildt"] is doing a phenomenal job thus far. 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="145992" first="Kristen" last="Lewallen"] and Kate Shneeberg are the setters in the 6-2 offense, they keep the offense humming nicely. </p> <p><strong>Catoosa @ Verdigris 08/31</strong></p> <p>Coach Horton has done a sensational job at Verdigris, he has the cardinals ready to get to the state tournament. They are currently 10-2 on the season and ranked #5 in 4A. One of those losses came at the hands of long-time head coach at Catoosa, Carolyn Replogle. Catoosa is sitting at 10-7 and ranked #8. Both teams are set to host a regional, and both want to keep it that way. </p> <p><strong>Players to watch: </strong>2023 OH Logan Hamilton and 2023 MB Morgan Borgstadt will be looked to for some big production. They have both handled themselves well at the net but they have also done well on the service line for the cardinals. 2022 OH Macie Wayne has been the Indian’s go-to player all season, and tonight should be no different. </p> <p><strong>Lawton MacArthur @ Carl Albert 09/02</strong></p> <p>This is a huge battle in class 5A. The Highlanders will visit the Titans this Thursday. This will be a rematch of an earlier game they played at the Coweta Invitational. Carl Albert got the best of Lawton Mac in a close match 25-21, 25-22. Lawton Mac however got voted #1 in the first rankings, helped in large part, by a 17-2 record. </p> <p><strong>Players to watch: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id="143130" first="Emily" last="Boyer"] is a 2023 5’11 setter for the Titans. She is in a 5-1 system and does a great job of attacking from the front row to keep the defense guessing. Being nearly 6 foot tall is a bonus but how high her contact point is for setting just makes it even better. 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="144118" first="Zella" last="Heater"] has also done a good job for her team, she has been getting a lot of touches up front and helping slow down the other team’s offense. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Due to it being Labor Day weekend, teams do not play in tournaments this weekend. With the time off, if you know of anyone we should be looking at, please have them fill out this form. We plan to have our new rankings update sometime after the high school season finishes up.   [gravityform id="8" title="true" description="true"]</p>