Class 3 Quarterfinals 1 and 2 Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph {"textColor":"primary"} --> <p class="has-primary-color has-text-color"><strong>Quarterfinal 1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ste. Genevieve 31-4-2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vs. Ursuline Academy 14-11-2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams lost to Windsor this season as Ste. Genevieve fell in 5, and Ursuline fell in 3. The Dragons boosted a dominant senior team led by Dru Koetting, Arie Taylor, and Tessa Grass. Ursuline starts with three freshmen, [player_tooltip player_id='207581' first='Jillian' last='Raterman'], [player_tooltip player_id='224817' first='Elizabeth' last='Koenig'], and [player_tooltip player_id='224818' first='Addyson' last='Gresham']. Sophie Mika leads the Bears with 234 kills, followed by [player_tooltip player_id='207581' first='Jillian' last='Raterman']'s 181 and [player_tooltip player_id='224817' first='Elizabeth' last='Koenig']'s 120 and 306 assists. Maya Watts has 529 digs for the Dragons, and Sophia Huck and Devyn Basler run the 6-2 offense. Ste. Genevieve is a slow-starting team, but once they get going, they are a handful. This match will come down to if the freshmen handle the pressure of the quarterfinal. In the end, Ste. Genevieve has more firepower and better defense and allows the Dragons to pull out the 3-1 win to advance to the final four for the first time in over a decade.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"textColor":"primary"} --> <p class="has-primary-color has-text-color"><strong>Quarterfinal 2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lutheran St. Charles 23-15</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vs. <strong>Blair Oaks 31-3-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defending Class 3 champion Falcons are back and ready for the repeat, but the Cougars are standing in the way. Blair Oaks has one of the best 2024 plays in the state in [player_tooltip player_id='124226' first='Autumn' last='Bax'], and she brings with her 473 kills. Bax has plenty of company, with [player_tooltip player_id='150054' first='Bailey' last='Braun'] 319 kills, [player_tooltip player_id='150016' first='Anna' last='Wekenborg'] 210, and Aubrey Hardwick132 kills. [player_tooltip player_id='234314' first='Libby' last='Juergensmeyer'] runs the offense with 950 assists and gets help in the backcourt from Tayla Prenger's 348 digs. Eldon and Jefferson City are the two common opponents, as both teams beat Eldon. Jefferson City knocked off Blair Oaks 3-0, and Lutheran knocked off Jefferson City 2-0. [player_tooltip player_id='150022' first='Mattie' last='Reynolds'] is the hot hand for the Cougars, with 540 kills on the season, and [player_tooltip player_id='170035' first='Maya' last='Griggs'] is next with 264 kills. A fantastic young setter [player_tooltip player_id='168046' first='Katelyn' last='Diani-O'Day'] is an offensive-minded setter with 115 kills to go along with her 975 assists. After the dust settles, the Falcons will come out victorious in a 3-1 win keeping their chances for a repeat alive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->