Class 3A State Tournament Has One Certainty

One thing is for certain in the Class 3A State Tournament, there will be a new champion.   This year's tournament includes just two teams returning to the tournament from last season's field.   Defending champion Heritage Christian Academy's roster was gutted from graduation and did not qualify for the tournament.   Beloit and Neodesha are the two teams returning to the tournament from a year ago, and Beloit is on a mission after a soul-crushing Day One exit last season to a tie-break situation.   Here is a look at the eight teams and eight prospects who will compete in the afternoon session in Hutchinson on Friday, November 1.   I will be in Salina for the Class 6A and 5A tournaments on Friday, but I plan on being in Hutchinson on Saturday.   Pool One: No. 1) Halstead (38-2), No. 4) Beloit, (37-4), No. 5) Nemaha Central (39-5), No. 8) Royal Valley (32-10).   [player_tooltip player_id='173401' first='Dalaina' last='Schutte'], 5'9”, S, Halstead, ‘25   Halstead has a dangerous offense and Schutte is the setter that runs it. She has registered 786 assists for the Dragons.  Schutte is ranked No. 50 overall in the class of 2025 and has verbally committed to play for the Bethel Threshers. Halstead is the No. 1 Seed in the tournament and will open Pool One action against Royal Valley in a match scheduled to begin at 4:30. Halstead has two wins over Hoisington, but has not played any of the other teams in the field.   [player_tooltip player_id='515151' first='Zoey' last='Sudbeck'], 5'7”, OH, Nemaha Central, ‘25   Nemaha Central is a team that is battle-tested and will be a tough out. Sudbeck is currently ranked No. 71 overall by Prep Dig. Sudbeck leads the Thunder in blocks with 71 and she has recorded 263 kills. The Thunder are the No. 5 seed and will face No. 4 Seed Beloit to open the tournament at 3:30. Nemaha Central lost to Beloit in an October match-up, but has a solid resume. The Thunder have nine wins against state tournament-qualifying teams across the board.   [player_tooltip player_id='553835' first='Brecken' last='Boudreaux'], 5'8”, MB, Beloit, ‘26 (Pictured Above)   Beloit is loaded with talent and my favorite to win the whole shebang. However, if they don't win the state title the Trojans' window will be far from closed. One of the young talents on this squad is Boudreaux. She is listed as a middle in our rankings, but she can play any position at the collegiate level. She is a six-rotation prospect who has collected 274 kills and 177 digs for Beloit. Boudreaux is ranked No. 14 overall in the class of 2026. Beloit has a record of 3-3 against state-qualifying teams.   [player_tooltip player_id='523408' first='Samantha' last='Klotz'], 5'9”, OH, Royal Valley, ‘25   Klotz is currently ranked No. 20 overall in the Kansas Class of 2025 and has verbally committed to Central Missouri. She has recorded 315 kills and 204 digs for the Panthers. Royal Valley is the No. 8 Seed overall. Royal Valley punched their ticket to the state tournament with a Sub State win over Silver Lake. Royal Valley has a 1-6 record against state tournament squads and will be the longshot to win this pool.   Pool Two: No.2) Neodesha (38-3), No. 3) Hoisington (37-4), No. 6) Girard (33.8), No. 7) Frontenac (33-9).   [player_tooltip player_id='493370' first='Prayer' last='Roebuck'], 5'10”, RS, Neodesha, ‘25   Roebuck recently verbally committed to William Jewell. She is ranked No. 59 overall. She leads the Blue Streaks in kills with 469. Roebuck has recorded 301 assists and 63 aces. The Blue Streaks are No. 2 Seed overall, but their resume is very soft. Neodesha has a record of 1-2 against teams in this field, so we'll have to see if they can step up against the elite teams in their pool.   [player_tooltip player_id='483894' first='Sofia' last='Simic'], 6'0”, OH, Hoisington, ‘27   Simic is a stat monster for the Cardinals. She leads the team with 611 kills and 155 aces. She is currently ranked No. 8 in the Kansas Class of 2027. Hoisington is the No. 3 Seed overall and will begin its tournament against No. 6 Seed Girard in a 3:30 match. Hoisington should be on upset alert as they have just one game against a state tournament team and that was a loss to Class 2A Ellinwood.   [player_tooltip player_id='697322' first='Graci' last='Murphy'], 5'4”, S, Girard, ‘25   Murphy runs the Trojans offense and Girard is one of three Southeast Kansas teams looking to bring home state hardware. Murphy has dished out more assists than Detroit dishes out square pizza. She has racked up 980 assists and is ranked No. 85 overall in the class of 2025. Girard is 4-1 against teams in this tournament field.   [player_tooltip player_id='515570' first='Audrina' last='Shay'], 5'6”, DS/L, Frontenac, ‘25   Shay is the defensive glue for the Raiders. She is currenlty ranked No. 183 overall and to my knowledge is uncommitted. She has recorded 566 digs and 689 serve receptions. Frontenac is the No. 7 seed in the tournament and will begin Pool Two play against Frontenac at 4:30. I don't have a real feel for who is coming out of this pool, but I suspect that the winner of this pool will be playing for third place. How is that for bulletin board material for the four Pool Two teams?

One thing is for certain in the Class 3A State Tournament, there will be a new champion.