Greater Kansas City Suburban Conference Gold Preview

More previews! This time we are tapping into the Kansas City region previewing the Greater Kansas City Suburban Conference. The conference fluctuates between four and five divisions and this year they are back to four. The Gold division is the largest schools by population in the conference.   Blue Springs   It was a tough 23' season for the Wildcats as they limped to a 6-25 finish. They counted on young players a year ago and should see improvement in the win column this fall. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='735562' first='Kaelyn' last='Kendrick'] is their top returner in kills after 165 last year. She will depend on a couple of sophomores who contributed in their freshman season to help carry the load. Claire Miller and Laynie Miller are now a year older and were both shy of 100 kills. Blue Springs will also depend on the leadership of senior [player_tooltip player_id='261309' first='Layla' last='Redding'], who is back to set the team in her final run.   Blue Springs South   The Jaguars of Blue Springs South returned to being one of the top teams in the area in 2023 after going 23-10. They graduated some key players but return enough where a big drop-off shouldn't be expected. Senior Jaelynn Turley had a strong junior season and was one of the kill leaders. She will look for support from Senior Malina Zeller to help put the balls down. Senior setter Abby Truong is back and will look to eclipse the 1,000 assists in her final season after dishing 813 last fall. Defense and passing will be something to keep an eye on as new faces enter the line-up.   Lee's Summit   Lee's Summit graduated a lot from a team that went 10-20 a season ago. Their top attacker returning will be Zoie Rank. The question mark will be who will join her in scoring points. The good thing is they return an experienced player in first contact with [player_tooltip player_id='220296' first='Lexie' last='Morefield'] back for her final season. She is an outstanding libero who passes well and covers a lot of territory defensively. This should help sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='485619' first='Brecklyn' last='Johnson'] run a productive offense. Johnson saw quality minutes in her freshman season and had a strong spring with her club team.   Lee's Summit North   North is one of those teams I call a dark horse in 2024. Their record wasn't the flashiest last year, going 17-20-1. However, they were a young team and return many of those key pieces for what could be a breakout season. They do play in one of the toughest conferences in the state. [player_tooltip player_id='357615' first='Piper' last='Bahr'] averaged 4 kills per set last year and looking to be even better. Kylie Sibbling and [player_tooltip player_id='496502' first='Rhys' last='Zinn'] are a couple of bigs who can affect the match offensively and defensively. And of course, The Benne sisters, Leighton and Madilynn are back and cover a lot of territory behind the block.   Lee's Summit West   After a final-four run in 2023, West will be a team with a big target on their back and I'm sure they welcome it. The Titans finished their year 27-10 and want more in 2024. They will be led by Kamyrn McDonald and [player_tooltip player_id='349614' first='Bella' last='Bishop'] offensively. They provide a 1-2 tandem that should provide a lot of points and be amongst the best duos in the city. We will look for sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='446328' first='Tori' last='Massengill'] to play a bigger role in year 2 after a productive first season. The setters are back with [player_tooltip player_id='219779' first='Delaney' last='Rhoden'] and Taelyn Bowie running the offense. They are the glue to this offense and their IQ on the court is an intangible that can carry them deep into the postseason again.   Liberty North   All eyes will be on North as they replace arguably the best player to walk the halls. Don't expect them to tuck their tails though as they have a host of players with big match experience. A trio of players will be counted on for the offensive production voided by Cisneros. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='219774' first='McKenna' last='Jacquin'] was impressive last year and had over 200 kills. Fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='349622' first='Reagan' last='Herring'] and sophomore Mak Miller will look to increase their numbers from a year ago. North has run a two-setter system for the last few years and returns one of them in [player_tooltip player_id='153934' first='Emma' last='Christian'].   Raymore Peculiar   Ray-Pec is a team that intrigues me this fall. They have a roster with quite a few players who played well this most recent club season. I'm interested to see if this carries over to the fall. Last year they went 13-16-1 and played good volleyball. Senior Izzy Bowen is their top returnee offensively. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='542205' first='Bryleigh' last='Martin'] showed she can be an asset at the net, totaling over 40 blocks last year. Sophomore Addie Swan got quality touches in her debut high school season in the setter position and looks poised to lead the team in 2024.   Staley   Our final team is the Falcons of Staley High School. They were .500 last year, going 16-16. They are another team that relied on youth and could be even better this season. There is a collective of 593 kills back between junior [player_tooltip player_id='542202' first='Hanna' last='Klein'], junior [player_tooltip player_id='222066' first='Naima' last='Makachia'], senior [player_tooltip player_id='261286' first='Cara' last='Elam'], and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='472890' first='Jaden' last='Monroe']. Makachia also teamed up with Mya Schirk to provide a good setting tandem. If their passing is consistent, they are a team that can score points.

More previews! This time we are tapping into the Kansas City region previewing the Greater Kansas City Suburban Conference. The conference fluctuates between four and five divisions and this year they are back to four. The Gold division is the largest schools by population in the conference.