Class 4 Quarterfinal Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Only one minor surprise emerged from the district round. Notre Dame De Sion won two big matches to get to the quarterfinal round. The other matches went as expected. Can Notre Dame keep it going?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Platte County vs. Notre Dame De Sion</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Platte County will host and have been in this position numerous times. In a rebuilding year, they found their stride along the way to gain the confidence needed to make a deep postseason run. With the leadership of [player_tooltip player_id='219756' first='Karlee' last='Riggs'] and [player_tooltip player_id='219757' first='Ava' last='Moffitt'] and the athleticism of freshman [player_tooltip player_id='729456' first='Miah' last='Omoike'], the team found a recipe for success in navigating a challenging schedule this year. They enter this match as winners of seven of their last eight matches. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Notre Dame De Sion is the team that keeps on winning. They weren't on our radar as a team who would emerge from a district that included Belton and St. Michael's, but they are here and that's why you take the court. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='292716' first='Addison' last='Mcneive'] has been stellar defensively with 327 digs on the year. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='737547' first='Ava' last='Lynn'] has been their leader in kills and blocks and will hope to slow down the offense of Platte County.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Notre Dame upset Belton in the district finals while Platte County lost to Belton twice this year. Though Sion is riding a hot hand right now, experience matters and some of the players who advanced to state last year are still on the Pirates roster so we expect them to move on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jefferson City vs. Webb City</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The same quarterfinal match from a year ago. An epic five-set throwdown where Jefferson City emerged and went on to a third-place finish. The Jays enter as winners of five straight and will be led into battle by the attacking duo of [player_tooltip player_id='477954' first='Nola' last='Borgmeyer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='475325' first='Leah' last='Heisler']. Both players are on the plus side of 240 kills on the year. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='477951' first='Madilynn' last='Mitchell'] has dished over 800 assists this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams have similar records with Webb City having just one more win and loss. They enjoyed a thirteen-game win streak from the middle of September into October. They survived a five-set battle in the semifinals of district before winning the final in four. The star on their side of the net is junior [player_tooltip player_id='236997' first='Jaeli' last='Rutledge']. She will be the key to any success as she's tallied 428 kills on the year. They will need production from Mia Lenker. [player_tooltip player_id='222067' first='Savannah' last='Crane'] is a crafty setter and will look to keep the front-line block honest and not key in on Rutledge.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These two teams have found equal success in common opponents going 7-3 (Webb) and 8-2 respectively. This could be either an instant classic or a three-set sweep. I like Jefferson City to win the rematch and advance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->