Olathe West Loaded With Young Talent

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It is a rare occasion when I scout a high school match and feel like I am watching a college volleyball match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the occurrences took place on September 19 in a two-set victory by Olathe Northwest over Olathe West.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was the fastest-paced match and cleanest match I have witnessed this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The talent on display was so good that I decided to break the match down into two reports one on each team's stat monsters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a report on a young Owls team that battled a more experienced Raven team in a 25-23, 27-25 loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='216375' first='Brynn' last='Stowell']</strong>, 6'3”, RS/MH, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stowell was the most physically intimidating player on the court and that says volumes as the state's top two players in the Class of 2024 were on the other side of the net. She had eight kills for the Owls and a couple of digs. She did a really nice job of staying out of the net during battles for the ball at the net. She is way under-ranked in Prep Dig's current Class of 2024 rankings and No. 49. She is committed to playing at Division II Nebraska-Kearney.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152833' first='Riley' last='Ourth']</strong>, 5'7”, DS/L, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ourth lived up to the expectations I had of her heading into the match. She tied Barcus in receptions with 13 and added five digs. She is committed to play for the Missouri State Bears after high school.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='219740' first='Ashley' last='Barcus']</strong>, 5'9”, OH, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Barcus has improved immensely since club season. She was all over the court for the Owls. She finished the match with seven kills, nine digs, and 11 serve receptions. Her serve is more accurate and harder than I remember from last spring. She communicates well with teammates and is a floor leader. She is currently ranked No. 71 in the Class of 2025 rankings, but look for her to move up when the rankings are next updated.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='355651' first='Neely' last='Leathers'], </strong>5'10”, S, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Leathers is a gritty player who will grow up and gain experience with the rest of this talented young roster at Olathe West. She finished the match with five digs and four serve receptions. She has a talented corps of hitters that she will set over her next two seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='222099' first='Ella' last='Stowell']</strong>, 6'0”, MH/OH, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The younger of the Owls' two Stowells is a physical specimen as well. At 6-foot she has a long reach and might have a bigger vertical than the older Stowell. She had five kills in the match against Olathe Northwest and is in the Class of 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->