Class 4 Preview: Districts 7 and 8

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class 4 prepares to kick things off tomorrow with postseason play. Today we take a glance at the teams we expect to be in contention for titles in these two districts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>District 7</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Belton, St. Michael, Notre Dame De Sion, Grandview, Warrensburg, Raytown, Ruskin, Marshall, Raytown South</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Belton and St. Michael will be the final two teams in this district and it should be a good one. Belton has enjoyed a breakthrough season behind the Scherfenberg sisters and [player_tooltip player_id='261314' first='Phoenix' last='Fogel']. They have won 31 contests, including getting wins in their first 19. They have a win over Park Hill South, a Class 5 contender. One of their defeats was to District 6 favorite Webb City. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Michael the Archangel is still hungry after advancing to the final four a year ago. They have a 21-3 record entering the postseason and haven't lost since September 14th. They welcomed the addition of [player_tooltip player_id='219755' first='Epi' last='Salamasina'] and returnee [player_tooltip player_id='396499' first='Kinley' last='Gillihan'] did not have a sophomore slump. One of the keys to this team is the play of libero [player_tooltip player_id='493102' first='Katie' last='Vargo'], who takes over half the court and helps keep the team in system.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams have played tough competition. This is a hard one to pick. It will be at Belton and they will enjoy a home-court advantage. St. Michael has been there before. To get to the next level you have to go through the reigning champion therefore St. Michael is my pick. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>District 8</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kearney, Platte County, St. Pius X, Smithville, Pembroke Hill, Lincoln Prep, Van Horn, Winnetonka, East</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are four teams who if they are playing their best volleyball could walk away as district champions. There are three teams I think have the strongest chances of making that happen. Kearney is 21-11. Don't let their 11 losses distract you as most of them have been to Class 5 teams. [player_tooltip player_id='222062' first='Madison' last='Browning'] will attempt to repeat her all-district earning play from last year to get the Bulldogs over the hump.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Platte County was in a bit of a rebuild this year. They had a tough stretch in mid-September but found themselves in October. They own 18 wins to 11 defeats. They do have a sweep of Kearney on their resume. [player_tooltip player_id='219756' first='Karlee' last='Riggs'] is hovering at around 4 kills per set. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Pius has been hot and cold this year. [player_tooltip player_id='493110' first='Riley' last='Reed'] returned to their lineup recently, which could make a difference defensively. They do have losses to both Kearney and Platte County. We will see if [player_tooltip player_id='485579' first='Mikayla' last='Fox'] and the company have a season-ending run in them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like my statement earlier, the defending champion is the team to beat and until someone knocks off Platte County when it matters that will be my choice. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->