Kansas 6A Shawnee Mission Northwest Sites

<p>We keep it moving with our Class 6A previews and predictions. Your overall top seed is 31-2 Blue Valley North. Second Seed and earning the chance to host will be Shawnee Mission Northwest at 29-8. The third host will be the defending state champions Blue Valley West. Rounding out the top seeds at the fourth slot is Olathe Northwest.</p> <p><strong>Blue Valley North Substate</strong></p> <p>The Mustangs are one of the teams who have been a surprise for us this fall. We knew they had strong returning pieces but not at the level to wheel off 31 wins. One of the things we didn’t see coming was the play of Freshman [player_tooltip player_id="154041" first="Logan" last="Parks"]. She has 266 kills in her debut high school season. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="105633" first="Jasmine" last="Dulan"], who has a history of being able to contribute all over the floor has 198 kills. The duo of Parks and Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="119693" first="Janelle" last="Green"] has been tremendous running the offense. Add in the defense of [player_tooltip player_id="120030" first="Nora" last="Carlsen"], this team is a contender. They will play the winner of the play-in game between Wyandotte and Harmon. </p> <p>The 8/9 match between Shawnee Mission East and Olathe South will be a good one. The teams faced off once this year with East getting the 2-1 win. The Lancers have a trio of 200 kill earners in [player_tooltip player_id="152173" first="Rachel" last="Bingham"], [player_tooltip player_id="119812" first="Zoe" last="McDonald"], and [player_tooltip player_id="152838" first="Anna" last="Alexander"]. [player_tooltip player_id="123174" first="Ella" last="Bunde"] is closing in on 400 digs. For South, look for Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="150066" first="Sara" last="Allmon"] and Junior [player_tooltip player_id="150075" first="Jaya" last="Johnson"] to lead the way in points, with both hovering around 200 kills. [player_tooltip player_id="152170" first="Emma" last="Wheeler"] is closing in on 400 digs for the year. Both teams limped down the stretch but we’ll go with East to win this one.</p> <p>Blue Valley North over Shawnee Mission East to go to state. North has too many weapons.</p> <p><strong>Shawnee Mission Northwest Substate</strong></p> <p>Like most of the teams hosting outside of Blue Valley North, there are more losses than you normally see in top seeds. These teams have played a gauntlet of a schedule and that speaks for Shawnee Mission Northwest. Their staple wins this year would be over Lee’s Summit West and Blue Valley West, along with early season dubs over Mill Valley and Olathe Northwest. Junior [player_tooltip player_id="152169" first="Vix" last="Vilott"] has had a breakout year. After 191 kills last year she’s dropped 332 heading into postseason action. Classmate Elinor Engel has delivered this year, with 285 kills. [player_tooltip player_id="123105" first="Vivian" last="Kieffer"] continues to show why she’s one of the top defenders in the state, showcasing her game with 484 digs. [player_tooltip player_id="120038" first="Tori" last="Creason"] has been passing dimes, evidenced by her 910 assists on the season. They will face the Shawnee Mission South vs. Shawnee Mission West match, who we believe will be West. West then loses to Northwest in the directional showdown.</p> <p>The 7/10 pits Olathe North (17-15) against Lawrence (13-14). North beat Lawrence 3-0 in an earlier contest and expect them to repeat that outcome in this match. Senior Kristin Kaufman leads the offensive charge for the Eagles. Freshman Avery Baker has emerged as a dependent defender with close to 300 digs. Alex Cummins, the senior setter is averaging about 8.5 assists per set. Gianna Cooper looks to lead the Lions to a playoff win. We have Olathe North winning this one.</p> <p>In the finals, we like Shawnee Mission Northwest to get it done. They are solid in the three most important aspects of the game, first pass, setting, and terminators. </p> <p><strong>Blue Valley West Substate</strong></p> <p>West played what may end up being the most important match of the season leading into postseason play, which was a five-set thriller with Lansing. Those are the type of games that propel you to a dominant postseason run. They return many players who tasted success last year and they are ready to defend their title. Coming off of two, three-set losses they are a hungry team and will take it out on their opponents this weekend. We will start with the setter. Freshman Lily Wedman has been nothing short of amazing this fall leading a veteran team with high expectations. She has 847 assists in year one. It helps to have the hitters she get to work within [player_tooltip player_id="120079" first="Brooke" last="Leiker"] and [player_tooltip player_id="120071" first="Taylor" last="Stockman"]. The two have combined for just under 600 kills on the season. They will face 14th seed Olathe East to kick off the postseason and should handle them.</p> <p>Blue Valley and Gardner Edgerton will exchange rallies on the other contests. Junior [player_tooltip player_id="152168" first="Avery" last="Delong"] will do her part to play another weekend leading the Tigers offensive attack. [player_tooltip player_id="150068" first="Ryan" last="McAleer"] has been a bright spot with her defensive play. Gardner will rely on the arm of senior [player_tooltip player_id="105644" first="Jaylyne" last="Bell"] and her 300+ kills to get them to the next round. Junior Kailana Chamnongchith and Ryleigh Sander have been effective in running the offense. We think Blue Valley will win this one in a close one.</p> <p>In the final, Blue Valley West will take it and earn the opportunity to defend its state title. </p> <p><strong>Olathe Northwest Substate</strong></p> <p>Olathe Northwest has been a little up and down this year but it’s important to remember even with this postseason success last year, they are a young team. With a roster that includes players missing time here and there for national development programs, they are probably finally syncing and primed for a post-season push. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="119707" first="Skyler" last="Pierce"] is a dynamic player on the pin and much improved as a defender. [player_tooltip player_id="119724" first="Jillian" last="Huckabey"], another sophomore sensation can cause havoc on the pin. Sophomore setter Addison Horn has been good this year. They are still a young team composed of mainly freshmen and sophomores. This time of the year with all of their playing experience, they aren’t young anymore and definitely battle-tested. They will take on 13 seed Shawnee Mission North in the opening match. Brittan Lee and Mia Olson are players to watch for North. We believe Northwest will get the win.</p> <p>In the other battle, Blue Valley Northwest will go up against Olathe West. BVNW has 21 wins on the year, including a quality win over Shawnee Mission Northwest. Ellison Gracik has played in every set and has delivered. She has 236 kills and 124 digs. Alayna Pearson continues to shine and separate herself as one of the state’s top defenders with 443 digs. Olathe West (14-19) had a big win over Maize South earlier this month. Junior [player_tooltip player_id="120040" first="Ava" last="TeStrake"] is averaging 3.3 kills per set to lead the team. We will go with Blue Valley Northwest to win and head to the finals of the Northwest.</p> <p>Olathe Northwest will return to state in four. </p>