Class 1 District 9 - 12 Preview

Most Class 1 teams have already advanced to the semifinal round, and the preview will pick up from that point in the playoffs. Here are my picks for district winners from districts 9-12. I hope you enjoy them.   District 9   Semifinal 1: School of the Ozarks 25-6 vs. Crane 10-20-1   School of the Ozarks already spanked Crane 25-12, 25-14, and 25-13. Madison Lundeen is the big gun for the Patriots and will guide SofO into the finals.   Semifinal 2: Galena 31-8 vs. Hurley 18-15-4   Da Bears already have two wins over Hurley this season, 25-19 and 25-15, and then again two weeks ago, 25-8, 25-15, and 25-16. [player_tooltip player_id='234466' first='Melanie' last='Rice'] and Baylee Stacy did most of the offense in those wins. [player_tooltip player_id='234466' first='Melanie' last='Rice'] is much better than last year and is one of the top kill leaders for Class 1, with 539 on the season—Galena to the finals with the sweep.   Finals: School of the Ozarks vs. Galena   These two met on October 1st, and SofO pulled out the 19-25, 25-19, 19-25, 25-16, and 15-6. [player_tooltip player_id='234466' first='Melanie' last='Rice'] had another solid match with 29 kills and 24 assists from Averi Foster. Watching the game's highlights, Galena's passing plummeted in the 5th set, causing the Patriots to go on several small runs to take the win. This go-around, Melanie Rice and company get the win 3-1 to keep their hopes alive of a return trip to the final four.   District 10   Semifinal 1: Billings 15-9-3 vs. Thomas Jefferson 20-8-2   Billings is looking to make a return to the state playoffs. These two teams have not met this season, but looking at the ten common opponents, Billings went 10-0 against them while TJ went 4-4-2. Neither team provides statistics anywhere I could find.   Semifinal 2: Lockwood 14-17-3 vs. Greenfield 16-17-4   Lockwood is young, playing three freshmen and four sophomores. 2028 [player_tooltip player_id='729434' first='Asa' last='Lasater'] led the team in kills with 417 and 375 digs, while Amaleiya Cerrone, the libero, is the digs leader with 395. Greenfield is young, starting nothing but first- and second-year students. The teams split in a tournament, and Lockwood beat Greenfield two weeks ago at 25-23, 25-22, and 25-19. [player_tooltip player_id='729434' first='Asa' last='Lasater'] finished with 28 kills in the match, and [player_tooltip player_id='732889' first='Reese' last='Whitesell'] had 11. Greenfield only had Kayleigh Back in double-digit kills with 13. I'm taking Lockwood in a 3-1 win to move to the finals.   Final: Billings vs. Lockwood   On September 5th, these two squared off, and Billings walked away with a 28-26, 23-25, 25-19, 23-25, and 15-12 win. In the match, [player_tooltip player_id='729434' first='Asa' last='Lasater'] was the only player for Lockwood to finish with more than five kills, and she finished with 20. Lockwood is playing its best ball now, and the youth have gained valuable experience. I am going with Lockwood in 5.   District 11   Semifinal 1: Jasper 30-1 vs. Northeast Vernon County 15-15-2   We might as well call this district the Jasper Invitational because Jasper is on fire this year. One loss was made to Pittsburg, KS, and the only other set loss was made to Marionville. Jasper is 76-3 in sets played. [player_tooltip player_id='234361' first='Crystal' last='Smith'] is a phenomenal athlete and has 457 kills. But she doesn't get these kills without [player_tooltip player_id='493079' first='Shiloh' last='Storm'] dishing the ball and her 2884 career assists. All common opponents Jasper has swept while NE Vernon County went 3-5. Jasper gets the sweep.   Semifinal 2: Liberal 12-14 vs. Rich Hill 14-8-2   Liberal knocked off Rich Hill 25-10, 25-16, and 25-22 behind 19 digs from Libby Stebbins. Ally Barton uses her power to take Rich Hill in the 3-0 sweep.   Finals: Jasper vs. Liberal   [player_tooltip player_id='234361' first='Crystal' last='Smith'] led Jasper to a 25-16, 25-17, 25-11 sweep of Liberal a week ago, and she will do it again. Jasper sweeps past Liberal into the playoffs.   District 12   Final: Archie 21-8-1 vs. Drexel 21-9-1   This district is already at its finals, and the Whirlwinds are my favorite after taking out Drexel earlier this year, which is 25-18, 25-17, and 25-19. In the win 2027, [player_tooltip player_id='485602' first='Reagan' last='Tenholder'], the southpaw middle, caused havoc on Drexel by finishing with 12 kills. Morgan Mattingley will help by getting some timely kills, and the celebration for Archie will follow.

Most Class 1 teams have already advanced to the semifinal round, and the preview will pick up from that point in the playoffs. Here are my picks for district winners from districts 9-12. I hope you enjoy them.