Class 5 Districts 13 and 14

<p>We are continuing our district previews in Class 5 with 13 and 14 set to kick off Thursday at Lee’s Summit West and Blue Springs South. Let’s start with District 13.</p> <p><strong>Class 5 District 13</strong></p> <p>St. Teresa’s record isn’t appealing but knowing their schedule and quality of opponents they earned the top seed in this bracket. They will play the winner of 4th seed Lee’s Summit and 5th seed Raytown, which we believe will be Lee’s Summit. I saw Lee’s Summit face-off with Staley last week and have enough pieces to pull at least one upset in this tournament. OH [player_tooltip player_id="99226" first="Ashlyn" last="Bellamy"] missed some games but still managed to put down 200 balls this fall. Junior MB [player_tooltip player_id="123656" first="Jordan" last="Stout"] has added 205 of her own and has emerged as a floor leader for this team. Freshman Brylee Johnson has turned some heads in her first season, delivering 8.6 assists per set. After they get by Raytown, don’t be surprised if they give St. Teresa’s a run for their money and a possible upset. They played back on September 8th, with a Stars sweep but this team is different from that matchup. St. Teresa’s offensive leader is Junior pin [player_tooltip player_id="101697" first="Reagan" last="Fox"]. She will need to be on to make a deep tournament run. [player_tooltip player_id="123468" first="Brynne" last="McGhie"] is having another effective season from the setter position. We are due for some bulletin board material so let’s go with the Tigers in the first semi.</p> <p>In the other match, we will see the Titans of Lee’s Summit West, the two seed versus Lee’s Summit North. North is a much-improved team from last year. The first time they met up, LSW got the sweep. In the rematch, The Broncos fell just short in a 5 set slugfest. Senior pin [player_tooltip player_id="41813" first="Sydney" last="Handel"] of LSW has 360 kills on the year. Kenzie Kennicut has been a pleasant surprise with her 206 kills. Freshman Addison Lindemann has been impressive defensively in her debut season. Senior setter [player_tooltip player_id="41816" first="Lacey" last="Higgins"] has had a stellar career and looks to finish it with another trip to sectionals. LSN has been getting a good balance of production from a trio consisting of Maddie Sibbing, [player_tooltip player_id="150004" first="Taylor" last="Bailey"], and Riley Deshay. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="150935" first="Alexis" last="Nunn"] is closing in on 300 digs on the year. Even with a close match-up last time out, we like Lee’s Summit West to make it a third victory this season. </p> <p>Lee’s Summit West vs. Lee’s Summit. We love the match-up of Bellamy versus Handel. We like the second option and setter position better for West and will pick them to win District 13.</p> <p><strong>Class 5 District 14</strong></p> <p>Now, this may be one of the more intriguing districts to keep an eye on. Top-seeded Blue Springs has experience in tough district battles. Grain Valley has had a tremendous season that includes an undefeated conference title. Remember, Blue Springs does play in what we feel is the toughest conference in the state. We’ll get to these two teams but let’s start with the 4/5 match-up.</p> <p>Truman over Fort Osage in this battle, with Truman losing to Blue Springs. We have known what we were going to get from Senior [player_tooltip player_id="41818" first="Chloe" last="Kaminski"] all along. She has had a steady career and that continues with 223 kills and 340 digs. The help from Juniors Maya Fergerson and Kayleigh Jenkins have been welcomed in the offensive department. Nikole Schnell has matched Kaminski’s play in the back row with over 300 digs of her own. </p> <p>In the other semi, Grain Valley and Blue Springs South will face off and we are going to edge Grain Valley. They have had a strong year, Junior [player_tooltip player_id="152143" first="Addi" last="Bybee"] and Senior [player_tooltip player_id="119189" first="Olivia" last="Williams"] have combined for close to 500 kills on the season. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="119217" first="Addison" last="Baumgartner"] has been solid in her final go-around with 11.8 digs per match. The setting duo of Dru Iles and Allison Koepkey have been pleasant to watch in their offensive system. Blue Springs South has made strides throughout the season behind the play of [player_tooltip player_id="152144" first="Tori" last="Valentine"]. She has carried the team offensively with over 300 kills. Senior Marti Strickert has stepped into the setting role this year and has been effective with over 600 assists. </p> <p>Blue Springs and Grain Valley should be a good battle when I look at it on paper. Grain Valley has the better record. Blue Springs has played the better competition. In the playoffs, I believe being more battled tested &gt; record. Blue Springs, as I mentioned before has been in these big games before so we will pick them to win another district title. </p>