St James Volleyball Slam Morning “Game Changers”
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The first official weekend of volleyball kicks off with the St. James Volleyball Slam if you are in the KC Metro area. The 13th annual competition brings big-time schools and big-time players. The man behind the lens captured a different perspective…
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Continue ReadingThe first official weekend of volleyball kicks off with the St. James Volleyball Slam if you are in the KC Metro area. The 13th annual competition brings big-time schools and big-time players. The man behind the lens captured a different perspective from the first four matches (Morning Wave).
My “Game Changers” will be a series of 1-3 players I thought were key contributors for their respective teams during their particular match or tournament. It is not cumulative throughout the season or previous accolades.
Chloe Tyrrell Chloe Tyrrell 5'10" | OH Olathe East | 2024 State KS – OH – 2024 – Olathe East
Almost every ball goes through Tyrrell during the match against Blue Valley. Whether in serve receive or coming with a swing, East’s offense relied heavily on the Junior pin hitter.
Kate Wright Kate Wright 5'8" | DS/L Olathe East | 2025 State KS – L – 2025 – Olathe East
Wright dons the libero jersey for the first time for East. She goes for every ball and even had a great one-handed dig on a chase ball. Put her on your Sophomore watch list this season.
Karli Perell – S – 2025 – Olathe East
Perell’s playing-making ability as a setter was evident in the morning match. She was able to get her feet to the spot and hand set the majority of the balls, creating better opportunities for her hitters than lobbing an out-of-system ball to the pins.
Ryan McAleer Ryan McAleer 5'5" | DS/L Blue Valley | 2024 State #29 Nation KS – L – 2023 – Blue Valley
McAleer controlled the backcourt with poise. Her speed, control, and energy make everything looks easy being the libero. She tracked down a lot of balls and kept plays alive with her athleticism.
Julia Kinney
Julia
Kinney
5'11" | OH
Blue Valley | 2023
State
KS
– OH – 2023 – Blue Valley
Kinney can do it all as a pin with her shot-making capabilities. The Senior hitter makes it easy with her cross-body swings with pin-point accuracy to get it done offensively.
Kate Peterson – S – 2023 – Blue Valley
Peterson was a huge playmaker as a setter. She distributed the ball to all her hitters efficiently as well as being a solid right side in a 5-1 offense.
Sawyer Thomsen Sawyer Thomsen 6'2" | MB Free State | 2023 State #145 Nation KS – MB – 2023 – Lawrence Free State
Thomsen was spectacular in the contest against Blue Valley North. The 6’2″ MB did it all in the middle defensively and offensively. Thomsen ran more than a handful of slides to keep the Firebirds’ offense going.
Rylee Unruh Rylee Unruh 5'11" | S Free State | 2023 State KS – S – 2023 – Lawrence Free State
Unruh’s on-court leadership and experience shined on Saturday. She was able to see the court setting up her hitters and being intelligent in changing the tempo on a few dumps and two-touch overs.
Myla Nover-Estes – OH – 2023 Lawrence Free State
Nover-Estes is deserving of props for her plays defensively and offensively. Her calm demeanor on the passing platform translates to Free State’s offense running smoothly. She’s dependable on the left pin using her pass-to-attack transition game.
Janelle Green Janelle Green 5'9" | S Blue Valley North | 2024 State #68 Nation KS – Pin/S – 2024 – Blue Valley North
Green can do it all: setting, passing, hitting on the left and right pins. Her primary role is to set the offense in an intriguing 6-2 lineup. There are so many weapons on the team that Green is part of. She showed her athleticism with her sets and got some block touches in the front row.
Logan Parks Logan Parks 5'11" | S Blue Valley North | 2025 State #8 Nation KS – Pin/S – 2025 – Blue Valley North
Parks is Green’s partner in crime for Blue Valley North’s squad. As a hitter, Parks can hit wherever she is needed and was obliterating balls for kills. She was dangerous on the serving line as one of the few players in the country to bring jump top-spin serves consistently. Parks was also utilized in the 6-2 offense and provided consistent sets to all North’s attacking options.
Jenna McClure Jenna McClure 5'8" | OH Blue Valley North | 2025 State KS – OH – 2026 – Blue Valley North
Playing as a 6-rotation outside, McClure hit smart shots for the Mustangs and was a consistent passer during serve receive. McClure was often utilized as a back row attacking option during out of system plays.
Tori Creason Tori Creason 5'9" | S Shawnee Mission NW | 2023 State KS – S – 2023 – Shawnee Mission Northwest
Creason utilized her setting prowess and set to all of her hitters. She fed middle Liv Martin when necessary; those two are making a deadly combo for SMNW. She’s a quick athlete who get balls up defensively and put consistent sets to her pins.
Olivia Martin Olivia Martin 6'1" | MB Shawnee Mission NW | 2024 State KS – MB – 2024 – Shawnee Mission Northwest
Martin was the go-to hitter for the Lady Cougars. Whenever they got in trouble, Martin was quick to transition and able to run 3’s for Creason to set. Her ability to block with her pins created offensive chaos for the opposition.
Julia Anisimova Julia Anisimova 5'9" | OH Shawnee Mission Northwest | 2026 State KS – OH – 2026 – Shawnee Mission Northwest
Anisimova fits right in with the Lady Cougars, making immediate impact as a freshman. Anisimova was not afraid to take a few hard swings in the match and provided solid platform on the receiving game.
Summer Anderson Summer Anderson 5'7" | DS/L Blue Valley Northwest | 2025 State KS – DS – 2025 – Blue Valley Northwest
It’s difficult to shine as a defensive player when you have Alayna Pearson Alayna Pearson 5'6" | DS/L Blue Valley Northwest | 2023 State #110 Nation KS (Texas A&M commit) as your libero. Anderson showed otherwise. The sophomore transfer from Blue Valley West provided much needed points with her tough serving and extra defensive cushion, making great defensive plays and receiving game.
Lainie Douglas Lainie Douglas 6'3" | OH Blue Valley Northwest | 2024 State KS – OH – 2024 – Blue Valley Northwest
If Shaquille O’Neal is famous for breaking basketball rims, then Douglas is the equivalent for volleyball in raw power. Douglas hit the ball so hard that the antennae got knocked off its holder. The 6’3″ outside hitter will be dangerous to contain this season as she gets her timing down from last year’s injury.
Marly Burbach Marly Burbach 5'11" | S Blue Valley Northwest | 2025 State KS – S – 2025 – Blue Valley Northwest
Burbach was cool, calm, and collected running the 5-1 offense for Blue Valley Northwest. She was smart on her set decisions and fed the hot arms of her hitters.
Lily Wedman Lily Wedman 5'8" | S Blue Valley West | 2025 State KS – S – 2025 – Blue Valley West
Wedman continued her role from last year and showed why the Lady Jags run a 5-1 offense through her. Her ability to change the flow on her sets kept the opposing defense guessing. Her hops were on display Saturday as she provided critical blocks throughout the match.
Ella Davidson Ella Davidson 5'10" | OH Blue Valley West | 2025 State KS – OH – 2025 – Blue Valley West
In case you didn’t know, Davidson switched positions this year from middle to outside hitter. The slower tempo sets to the outside will be an adjustment for Davidson, but it did not look like a problem. Few middles can transition quickly in the passing game, and Davidson’s is already equivalent to her defensive counterpart.
Carlie Pandjaris Carlie Pandjaris 5'8" | OH Blue Valley West | 2026 State KS – OH – 2026 – Blue Valley West
The freshman outside hitter played confidently and was one of the most electrifying players on the court. She was not afraid to use her power on the serving line and was smart to change up her shot strength during the match.
Aubrey Kohl – S – 2023 – Lee’s Summit West (MO)
The first thing I noticed about Kohl’s sets were her quick release. As the match went on, Kohl’s sets were BUTTER all day. Expect Kohl to run the 5-1 offense this year.
Kamryn McDonald Kamryn McDonald 6'0" | OH Lee's Summit West | 2025 State MO – OH – 2025 – Lee’s Summit West (MO)
McDonald was efficient in the front row and provided the blocking need for LSW’s team. Her court awareness was on point when she had to fight off some tight balls against the opposing’s right side player. She was consistent creating offensive opportunities on the left pin.
Ava Anderson Ava Anderson 6'3" | MB Lees Summit West | 2024 State MO – MB – 2024 – Lee’s Summit West (MO)
Anderson will be one of Titans’ “Game Changer” this season. She had some great hits in the middle and provided some big-time blocks. It’s awesome to see the team gets pumped up behind Anderson’s big blocks in the match.