Class 5 Preseason Rankings 1-5

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 5 was a challenging field last year, and Lafayette is again the favorite to win it back-to-back. The Lancers bring back a wealth of talent. Liberty North has the best 2024 player in the country, and never count the Eagles out. Kickapoo returns a loaded squad but will have to fight like crazy to get out of districts. With the multiplier in effect, the field for Class 5 could change slightly, but the favorites to win the title won't.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1. Lafayette Lancers 32-6</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defending Class 5 champions return key players at each position except for the middle. No worries; there are always players waiting for their chance to shine. A trio of seniors, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='124222' first='Allison' last='Risley'], [player_tooltip player_id='124219' first='Alyssa' last='Nelson']</strong>, and <strong>Mia Moser,</strong> will have the team buzzing again come late October.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2. Liberty North Eagles 31-6</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='119226' first='Carlie' last='Cisneros']</strong> is the best player in the state and will guide the Eagles back to the final four to better last year's 3^rd place. Keep an eye on <strong>Mak Miller</strong>, as I see her having a breakout season for North.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3. Kickapoo Chiefs 31-9</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class 5 runner-up Kickapoo has the talent to return to make another run to the championship. Rocket launcher outside <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='124851' first='Isabella' last='Faria']</strong> headlines the team, along with libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='342439' first='Kya' last='Johnson']</strong> and a mix of 4 more seniors. Experience is on the side of the Chiefs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>4. Lee's Summit West Titans 22-11</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Titans return the top four hitters in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='216020' first='Ryanne' last='Wattree'], Kamryn Mcdonald, [player_tooltip player_id='349614' first='Bella' last='Bishop']</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='179749' first='Ava' last='Anderson']</strong>. The key to the team's success will be replacing the setter lost to graduation.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>5. Ozark Tigers 23-12-2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='219778' first='Tara' last='Venable']</strong> led the Tigers and returned <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='150036' first='Reagan' last='Baade']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='219783' first='Skylar' last='Hilton']</strong> and the 979 kills between the trio—Ozarks in a challenging area with Class 5 runnerup Kickapoo and always-strong Nixa.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->