Top Kansas 5A schools to watch in 2021

<p>A season isn’t a season without some guessing of who the top teams will be this fall. Many of these teams are well respected and have found success in post-season play over the years. Here are some of our early favorites to hold up the big trophy come November in Kansas 5A. These are teams we jotted down prior to the season started. </p> <p><strong>St. Thomas Aquinas</strong></p> <p>The Saints are off and running to start their fall campaign. We knew [player_tooltip player_id="119689" first="Ava" last="Martin"] would be a force and she hasn’t disappointed putting down 47kills in 9 sets. [player_tooltip player_id="119692" first="Sophia" last="Bond"] and Kelsey Schenck have been rock steady in running the offense and finding their array of hitters. [player_tooltip player_id="152165" first="Reagan" last="Anderson"] is a player to watch defensively along the backline. </p> <p><strong>Lansing</strong></p> <p>We got an early preview with Lansing and St. Thomas Aquinas to start the year, which ended in a Saints sweep. Lansing bounced back to sweep Topeka Seaman. [player_tooltip player_id="120076" first="Olivia" last="Mae Van Der Werff"] and Iyanna Jackson have both started the year strong at the net combining for 33 kills. [player_tooltip player_id="105685" first="Kamryn" last="Farris"] is her usual self defensively, leading the team in digs. She should be in the hunt come November to make a return trip to the state tournament. </p> <p><strong>Maize South</strong></p> <p>South was on our radar to kick off the season and have sprinted out to a 5-2 start. Shout out to Curtis Klein for the updates! [player_tooltip player_id="119709" first="Gracie" last="Morrow"] and [player_tooltip player_id="153936" first="Jillian" last="Gregory"] are spearheading the offense, both tallying over 40 kills early in the year. The team will continue to put pressure on their opponents with a strong serve game. Already they have 48 aces in this young season. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="123113" first="Bella" last="Boulanger"] and sophomore Jenna Sokoll have looked strong running the show. </p> <p><strong>Wichita Bishop Carroll</strong></p> <p>Carroll graduated a large portion of their skills and leadership last fall. They do return enough experience however to put themselves in the mix come November. Kenzie Dugan will look to pick up the void in the scoring department as the leading returner in the kills category. Lily Ebright had a strong year defensively and behind the service line in 2020. They do return Anna Wineland, who averaged over 4 assists per set in 40 sets played. </p> <p><strong>St. James Academy</strong></p> <p>St. James was one of our early surprises out the gate, knocking off Olathe Northwest in the Spectrum St. James Volleyball Slam. They did run into a tough Washburn Rural team but showed they are a team who will be in the conversation throughout the season. [player_tooltip player_id="150067" first="Heidi" last="Devers"] is among the top defenders in the state. [player_tooltip player_id="119718" first="Ava" last="Spachek"] is a player we intend to keep an eye on this fall. They have some young players on their roster. If they gel, look out for this team in the postseason. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>