What We Learned

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are coming in with a midweek check-in after some great matches early in the week. This new segment is titled, "What we learned"! Here are a couple of things we learned this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>We Believe</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We learned we believe in our preseason power ranking that says St. Thomas Aquinas is the best team in the city. There is still a lot of season to go but they have all the pieces to capture a state title. When they beat Liberty last week the easy thing to do would have been to move St. James to number 1. That was a signature win that earned them the top spot. They took care of business Tuesday night defeating #2 St. James, giving them their first loss. They also took down #4 Blue Valley North. So for a recap, in a four-day span, they defeated numbers #2, #3, and #4. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Setter [player_tooltip player_id='119691' first='Kelsey' last='Schenck'] is doing a great job of leading this team offensively and putting her hitters in a position to be successful. Speaking of hitters, [player_tooltip player_id='153937' first='Alea' last='Goolsby'] and [player_tooltip player_id='150076' first='Betsy' last='Goodenow'] have been close to automatic on the pins. [player_tooltip player_id='119725' first='Tatum' last='Grimes'] and [player_tooltip player_id='152161' first='Ashlyn' last='Reeves'] have done their job in the middle. And let's not forget the defense on display from [player_tooltip player_id='152165' first='Reagan' last='Anderson']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Liberty Noth said forget a rebuild...we reload. </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We really didn't know how good this team would be this year. They lost one of the best opposites in the state. They lost one of the best setters in the state. They graduated a couple of good role players who did their part. But listen, I saw them briefly Saturday and watched their match live Tuesday against Platte County and what we learned is they are legit. Let's start with the two setters [player_tooltip player_id='152821' first='Lauren' last='Wright'] and [player_tooltip player_id='153934' first='Emma' last='Christian']. It may take two to replace the current Drake starter but these two looked so sharp last night. Their movement and decision-making were flawless. Speaking of Christian, let's talk about big sis libero [player_tooltip player_id='119225' first='Abigail' last='Christian']. She was nails against Platte County, reading angles and getting in position with ease. I was also impressed with the play of [player_tooltip player_id='219774' first='McKenna' last='Jacquin'] on the pin. Her ability to score and put a little heat behind some balls was eye-opening. [player_tooltip player_id='152148' first='Rory' last='Stanley'] had good spurts, along with Emma Seller from the right side. This team communicated well and had fun on the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Debate Time</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There was one player I didn't mention in the Liberty North piece above. The reason is what I learned at approximately 7:15 pm last night that [player_tooltip player_id='119226' first='Carlie' last='Cisneros'] is the best player in the city...you can debate your goldfish but not me. She can score absolutely every shot she takes with a level of confidence I haven't seen at this level. If her back row says, "line", she kills the line. If they say, "cross", puts it down without a touch. But what really stood out was her passing and defense. She made a dig you don't normally see 6 feet pins make with the ease she did. When you watch her on the court she also displays tremendous leadership attributes you want in your best player. In a city with tremendous volleyball players, Cisneros is who I would pick number 1 on today September 21st. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And this is what we learned by the mid-week mark!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->