Q’s 4A State Preview: Is this the year?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Is this the year Bishop Miege goes down? The argument is the same every year...Why is Miege in class 4A? They play in a tough conference. They play some of the best teams in Kansas City. They hover around .500. They then get to state and run through the tournament. But this year may be different. The field may be as close as it's been in some time. Who will walk away state champion?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pool 1: Clearwater, Eudora, Andale, Bishop Miege</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pool 2: Towanda Circle, McPherson, Louisburg, Holton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Pool 1</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Clearwater (35-3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Key Players: [player_tooltip player_id='219720' first='Kenzy' last='Mcartor'], [player_tooltip player_id='493438' first='Madison' last='Williams'], [player_tooltip player_id='489658' first='Justine' last='Berlin'], Autumn Chmieleski, [player_tooltip player_id='219719' first='Kaylee' last='Hampton']</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clearwater is coming in as the top overall seed with 35 wins this fall and riding a 10-match win streak. They own wins over other qualifiers Andale, Circle, and McPherson. They also are the only team to beat the top seed in 5A Andover Central this year. [player_tooltip player_id='219720' first='Kenzy' last='Mcartor'] is averaging 4.4 kills per set on the year and [player_tooltip player_id='219719' first='Kaylee' last='Hampton'] may hit 1,000 assists in a season this year. They are a strong front-line team with [player_tooltip player_id='489658' first='Justine' last='Berlin'] and Allison Clevenger putting up a big block. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Eudora (23-8)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Key Players: [player_tooltip player_id='495639' first='Rayah' last='Foltz'], [player_tooltip player_id='493575' first='Adalyn' last='Hemphill'], Madison Karten, Indigo Pruitt, [player_tooltip player_id='495656' first='Parker' last='Long'], [player_tooltip player_id='495645' first='Ellie' last='Suber'], Harper Andrews</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eudora has an 11-match win streak of their own entering the state tournament. Their bigs in the middle come in with 56, 56, and 52 blocks collectively, making it difficult for opponents to score. Speaking of scoring, Foltz is averaging over 4 kills per set. They own a win over qualifier Louisburg earlier in the season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Andale (27-10)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Key Players: [player_tooltip player_id='357543' first='Hayden' last='Grimes'], [player_tooltip player_id='495580' first='Grace' last='Rowland'], Eva Preister, [player_tooltip player_id='493447' first='Taya' last='Orth'], [player_tooltip player_id='757269' first='Abbi' last='Winter']</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Andale was on the brink of a state title a year ago and is back in 2023. They own multiple wins over McPherson and also beat Andale this year but hold losses to top seed Clearwater. There are some new faces this year that made major contributions this year. [player_tooltip player_id='495580' first='Grace' last='Rowland'] has been strong offensively and defensively, averaging close to 4 kills per set, while adding 173 digs and 469 receptions in serve/receive. [player_tooltip player_id='357543' first='Hayden' last='Grimes'] also has been stellar with 4 kills and 4 digs per set. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bishop Miege (19-17)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Key Players: [player_tooltip player_id='173376' first='Lauren' last='Lopez'], [player_tooltip player_id='119689' first='Ava' last='Martin'], Georgia Lemay, [player_tooltip player_id='342341' first='Gabby' last='Anderson'], Trinnit Stevens, [player_tooltip player_id='478871' first='Maryn' last='Dean']</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've said much about Miege above but didn't mention they start their year losing nine straight. One of the keys in the past has been the middle play in this program. New faces this year have been something to keep an eye on. Stevens expanded her play there this fall with over 100 kills and blocks on the year. Georgia Lemay has been solid this year. [player_tooltip player_id='173376' first='Lauren' last='Lopez'] was all-state a year ago and has led the offense in kills and [player_tooltip player_id='119689' first='Ava' last='Martin'] and [player_tooltip player_id='478871' first='Maryn' last='Dean'] are running the team well from the setter position. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Advancing: Clearwater and Bishop Miege</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Pool 2</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Towanda Circle (33-5)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Key Players: [player_tooltip player_id='172454' first='Jacqueline' last='Corcoran'], [player_tooltip player_id='261115' first='Mia' last='Fox'], [player_tooltip player_id='493434' first='Katelyn' last='Paul'], [player_tooltip player_id='516253' first='Brianna' last='Paul'], [player_tooltip player_id='342342' first='Reagan' last='Smith']</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Circle comes in winners of 16 of their last 17 matches and is the second seed overall. They have a couple of players who can fill up the stat sheet offensively in Corocoan and Fox. Smith is closing in on 900 assists on the year and will push towards 1,000 this weekend. They have split matches with McPherson this year, who they will see in pool play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>McPherson (29-9)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Key Players: [player_tooltip player_id='493431' first='Addison' last='Chapman'], Haely Hagemann, [player_tooltip player_id='483952' first='Jaela' last='Thompson'], [player_tooltip player_id='495588' first='Alex' last='Romero']</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McPherson enters the state tournament with wins over Circle and Andale. They also beat 6A qualifier Garden City. They don't post stats so we are unable to touch on key numbers for this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Louisburg (24-14)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Key Players: [player_tooltip player_id='495665' first='Madelyn' last='Williams'], Hailey Sword, Megan Quinn, [player_tooltip player_id='483927' first='Adelyn' last='Moore']</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wildcats come in winners of 4 straight and 9 of their last 10. The two-setter system has worked for them this year with Megan Quinn and [player_tooltip player_id='483927' first='Adelyn' last='Moore'] both touching 400 assists this year. The primary beneficiaries of those balls have been Williams and Sword with short of 600 kills combined. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Holton (25-15)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Key Players: Renn Deters, [player_tooltip player_id='480408' first='Tinley' last='Wilson'], [player_tooltip player_id='515147' first='Elizabeth' last='Schuster'], [player_tooltip player_id='495573' first='Cora' last='Miller'], Katie Etzel, Lorna Smith</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Holton will be the 7th-seed when play kicks off this weekend. They went through a tough spell winding down September but rebounded for a strong October. They are one of the more balanced teams offensively with three players averaging close to 3 kills per set, with Deters leading the team at 3.4. Schuster has been a monster at the net with 68 blocks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Advancing: Towanda and McPherson</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Semifinals</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Clearwater vs. McPherson</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I think Clearwater upends MIege in pool play and gets McPherson in the semis. Their previous match this year went three sets with Clearwater getting the win. I like Clearwater to win the rematch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Bishop MIege vs. Towanda-Circle</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I know it's easy to look at the records but Miege is known to be tournament-ready. They have a couple of players who have played well in the big state. On the other hand, Circle has a host of really good players who are ready for the challenge. I'm due for an upset pick and though on paper, it's not, Towanda over Miege.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Championship</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Clearwater vs. Towanda-Circle</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We will go with Clearwater to grab a state title</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">3rd Place</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Miege over McPherson. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->