Lansing Battles Bishop Carroll At Seaman Invitational

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Six teams met at Seaman High School for a round-robin tournament with the host Vikings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I scouted two matches in the morning. The second match I scouted was a three-set match won by Lansing over Bishop Carroll.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a report on seven ranked prospects from the back-and-forth match that went the distance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='222091' first='Avery' last='Sands']</strong>, 5'7”, DS/OH, Lansing, ‘26 (Pictured Above)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I know I should not have favorites, but I always have a few when you watch as much volleyball as I do. Sands is one of those athletes. She is an unselfish athlete and the emotional leader of a young Lansing squad. She was a stat monster in the win over the Golden Eagles. She collected a match-high 13 kills along with 11 digs, and 11 serve receptions. Bishop Carroll avoided serving the ball at her for almost the entirety of the first two sets. The Eagles tried to attack her in the third set and paid the price. Sands is ranked No. 9 overall in the Kansas Class of 2026 and is still uncommitted.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='456247' first='Halle' last='Laincz']</strong>, 5'11”, RS, Lansing, ‘27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Laincz is currently ranked No. 10 overall in the class of 2027. She had a solid match and probably the best defensive match I have seen her play. She racked up 18 serve receptions as Bishop Carroll targeted her in the serve game and avoided serving to Sands. She also finished with 11 kills and 10 digs. She is an athlete who can play six rotations. She stepped up in the match and continued to prove she is a legit college prospect.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='518358' first='Brooklyn' last='Andrews']</strong>, 5'8”, S, Lansing, ‘28</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Andrews is currently ranked No. 26 in the class of 2028 by Prep Dig. She is a solid setter who moves quickly. She collected 31 assists in the win over Carroll. She also collected 13 digs and made a couple of high-pressure digs during long rallies. She is young as is the pretty much the entire Lion lineup. I'd like to see how she does as a hitter at some point in her club or high school career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='512227' first='Lilianah' last='Jackson']</strong>, 5'10”, MB, Lansing, ‘28</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jackson was another prospect who stepped up her game in this match. She is currently ranked No. 6 in the Kansas Class of 2028. She finished the match with nine kills, four digs, and two blocks. She is a physical athlete who hits the ball hard. I would like to see her improve her lateral quickness. She is disciplined around the net and dug a couple of tough balls off the net in the win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489777' first='Brea' last='Martin']</strong> 5'6”, DS/OH, Bishop Carroll, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Martin had an impressive first two sets of the match. She is a solid defender tallying 20 serve receptions and six digs. She did not play the third set as the coaching staff made a mistake in turning in the lineup. The Golden Eagles looked out of sync that entire set. She has a quiet platform and has been taught well how to receive. She has some bounce in her game as well. Martin is currently ranked No. 125 overall by Prep Dig.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='493494' first='Olivia' last='Nicoli']</strong>, 5'10”, OH/RS, Bishop Carroll, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I had not seen Bishop Carroll compete since a jamboree before the 2023 season. I was impressed with the improvement this squad has made since in a year. The Golden Eagles are a discipline defensive squad and Nicoli is the back-bone of the team collecting a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='480404' first='Lauren' last='DeGroot']</strong>, 5'10”, MB, Bishop Carroll, ‘27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lauren “I AM” DeGroot is a sophomore with a high ceiling. She tallied 18 serve receptions, eight kills, and eight digs in the three three-set loss. She plays club ball with Shockwave and will be a player for college coaches to key in on. She is currently ranked No. 40 overall in the Kansas Class of 2027, but I expect she made a solid argument to climb up a few spots. I would also say she is an early favorite to make my All-Deck Class of 2027 team at the end of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->