Another Week of State-line Tidbits

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We have more bids on both sides of the state line after tremendous showings in qualifiers and regional bid play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Let's start in Indianapolis with MEQ.</strong> In 17 Open, [program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='[program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last='']' last=''] 17 Black did [program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='[program_tooltip program_id='428889' first='Dynasty' last='']' last=''] 17 Black things, which means getting to a championship. As in the last outing, they came up short losing to Colorado Juniors in the finale to go 9-1 on the weekend. Playing up in the open division after having a bid in national, Pohaku 17-1 had a strong showing, just missing an open bid by dropping the 5th place match to Boiler Jrs in a three-set slugfest. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>17 Liberty saw two teams tied for third which isn't a good spot to be in when only one bid went out. Missouri Jrs. 17-1 and [program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='[program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='PVA' last='']' last=''] 17 Elite dropped semifinal matches to go 8-1. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We do have champions coming out of the 17s division, Invasion 17 Blue went 10-1 to earn their bid. They battled through five three-set matches to earn a spot at nationals and outlast 96 teams in the one-bid American division. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Since we are talking about champions let's keep the momentum going with 16 American where the Topeka Saints went and kicked tail and took names going 22-0 in sets. They have a very talented roster of players, many of who just made big moves in the 2025 rankings for the state of Kansas. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">HOA Regional Bid Events</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So I didn't cover much of this event but do know [program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']' last='']'] 15 Black walked away with the tournament in American, dropping Mavs 15-1 in the championship. The Freedom saw Midwest Blitz take home the top prize, beating [program_tooltip program_id='430559' first='Central' last='Missouri Volleyball Club'] in the final. I didn't get to cover this event but was on site in my officiating role. So while I didn't get to take notes, I do have a strong memory, and here are some players who caught my attention throughout the weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='355660' first='Alyssa' last='Gray'] - OH - Mavs 15-2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When the team needed a score, they would go to her to put the ball down. She was letting it rip from both pins and delivered when her number was called. I thought she played smart and knew when to take hard swings versus roll shots or tips. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='357615' first='Piper' last='Bahr'] - OH - Invasion 15-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No player I saw personally impressed me more than Bahr. She was lighting folks up with the rockets she was sending. She is another player who sees the court well for a 15-year-old in regard to ball placement and shot selection. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='357616' first='Kamryn' last='Kinnenkamp'] - S - Invasion 15-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I thought Kinnekamp was very good in the match. She had good hands and don't think I questioned any of her sets at all. She was smart and knew where to go with the ball in crucial situations. I thought she was good on backsets in her placement. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Olivia Lierz - S - [program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='[program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='PVA' last='']' last=''] 15-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Liertz was one of the first setters I saw in the tournament and she is athletic and poised. Her decision-making is stellar and she has a bright future. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489645' first='Sofia' last='Ricci'] - RS - [program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='[program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='PVA' last='']' last=''] 15-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ricci is a [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']' last='']ful left-hand opposite who can bring a little heat behind her ball. I saw her take hard-line shots and go cross-court with confidence. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Isabella Asante - OH/S - DC Queens 15-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I had never heard of DC Queens but in warm-ups, I knew right away Asante was a player. She is a scorer on the pin and really efficient when she moves to the setter position. She is very athletic and has a swag about her to like in a player. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">High School Boys Volleyball</span> </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I know we don't cover as much boys' volleyball though I tried to do more of that a couple of years ago. However, I officiate some and wanted to plug the Kansas City Boys Volleyball League kicks off this week and runs for about five or six weeks. If your school has a team, make sure to get out and support the fellas as the progress we've seen in the last couple of years is good to see. You can find schools, schedules, and more <a href="https://kcboysvb.org/">here</a>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->