State Preview: Class 5A Tournament Features Explosive Prospects

I am not holding back at all, the Class 5A Kansas tournament is going to be the most competitive and entertaining tournament of the bunch.   Eight teams punched their tickets for the Class 5A State Tournament which will be played in Salina.   Pools of four teams were announced on October 22. The top two teams in each pool qualify for the semifinals on Saturday. Class 6A teams will play in the afternoon sessions at the Tony's Pizza Event Center.   I looked for one player on each team to highlight and will focus on writing about a player I did not feature in last week's sub-state previews.   Here is the second of multiple previews of the seven state tournaments being played October 27-28.   No. 1 Seed: Andover Central (38-1)   [player_tooltip player_id='493581' first='Bella' last='Holcomb'], 5'10”, S/RS, Andover Central, ‘25   Holcomb shares time at setter with senior [player_tooltip player_id='152835' first='Hayden' last='Snodgrass'], but still leads the team in assists with 425 in 84 sets played. She also has 122 kills and 57 aces for the Jags. Andover Central will play in Pool A and open its tournament against the No. 8 seed Andover with a 9:30 a.m. scheduled start time.   No. 2 Seed: Maize South (35-3)   [player_tooltip player_id='153936' first='Jillian' last='Gregory'], 5'11”, OH, Maize South, ‘25   The Mavericks are always a formidable program and state contender. This year's squad is loaded with college prospects including Gregory. The junior outside hitter leads Maize South with 326 kills and is just 76 kills away from eclipsing the 1,000-career kill mark. Maize South will compete in Pool B and open the tournament with a 9:30 match against St. Thomas Aquinas.   No. 3 Seed: St. James Academy (32-4)   [player_tooltip player_id='119723' first='Julia' last='Headley'], 6'2”, MH, St. James Academy, ‘24   Headley is one of the best blockers in the state. She has a total of 61 blocks in 76 sets played. She also has collected 249 total kills. Headley has committed to play for Colgate after graduation. The Thunder are the No. 3 seed in the tournament and will begin Pool B play with an 8:30 a.m. match against Lansing.   No. 4 Seed: Seaman (33-6)   [player_tooltip player_id='219715' first='Campbell' last='Chabot'], 5'6”, S/RS, Seaman, ‘25   Seaman is a team that does not submit team stats online. However, Chabot is an athletic setter I have seen play club ball and summer ball. The Vikings are loaded with talent and Chabot has plenty of options to set to, but she has a sweet swing when called upon to hit. Seaman will compete in Pool A and square off against Spring Hill to open the tournament at 8:30 a.m.   No. 5 Seed: Spring Hill (31-8)   [player_tooltip player_id='493461' first='Sydney' last='Buscher'], 5'10”, S/OH, Spring Hill, ‘25   Buscher is one of several dual-threat setter/hitter combos in the 5A tournament. She has 261 kills for Spring Hill to go along with 435 assists. Spring Hill will play in Pool A and open the tournament against Seaman.   No. 6 Seed: Lansing (28-8)   Tabor Scanlon, 5'6”, S, Lansing, ‘24   Scanlon is an incredible setter. If she was a few inches taller she would be more heavily recruited, but this young lady knows how to run an offense. She has collected 981 assists this season, and with a strong showing in Salina, could achieve the 2,000 career assist mark during the tournament. She is quick and has great instincts on the court. Scanlon has offers from multiple NAIA programs but has yet to commit. Lansing is making its ninth straight appearance in the state tournament and opens up with a match against St. James Academy.   No. 7 Seed: St. Thomas Aquinas (27-8)   Kelsey Schenk, 5'11”, S, St. Thomas Aquinas, ‘24   Schenk is among the state leaders in assists with 568. She is tall for a setter which has helped her post the impressive numbers of 92 kills and 47 total blocks added to her stat sheet. She has two top hitters in 5A to distribute the ball to, [player_tooltip player_id='119725' first='Tatum' last='Grimes'] and Aleah Goolsby. The Saints will play in Pool B and begin the tournament against Maize South.   No. 8 Seed: Andover (29-9)   [player_tooltip player_id='493422' first='Lauren' last='Heinz'], 5'7”, S,  Andover, ‘26   Heinz will be one of the top setters on display in Salina. She has racked up 861 assists in 89 sets played. She has a big reach and has great instincts. She also can put the ball down with the tip game, as she has collected 58 kills for Andover. Andover will play in Pool A and play rival Andover Central in its first match.

I am not holding back at all, the Class 5A Kansas tournament is going to be the most competitive and entertaining tournament of the bunch.