Class 4A State Preview: Pool One's Waters Are Hazardous

On paper, the Class 4A State Tournament is built for an exciting day.   Pool One in this tournament represents the "deep end", while Pool Two is Rock Creek's to lose.   I won't be in Hutchinson for the first day of competition on Friday, November, 1, but I am currenlty planning on making it to Hutch on Saturday to scout the semifinal and championship rounds.   Here is a preview of the 4A State Tournament featuring one athlete from each of the eight teams.   Pool One: No. 1) Clay Center (36-3), No. 4) Hayden (29-10), No. 5) Holton (29-11),  No. 8) Bishop Miege (18-18).   [player_tooltip player_id='483890' first='Lily' last='Edwards'], 5'10, OH, Clay Center, ‘27   Edwards is a top-notch prospect currently ranked No. 5 overall in the Kansas Class of 2027. She is among the team leaders in digs and kills with 286 and 289. On paper Pool One looks a way tougher than Pool Two. All four of the teams in this pool could come out as champions. The Tigers' resume is impressive as they are 6-0 against teams in this tournament. The three matches in the loss column for Clay Center came against state tournament-qualified teams in Class 3A and 2A.   [player_tooltip player_id='513606' first='Hailey' last='Schmidtlein'], 6'0, MB/OH, Hayden, ‘28 (Pictured Above)   The question surrounding the Wildcats is, can a team dominated by freshman talent win it all? Schmidtlein is one of several young talents carrying this club. She is the No. 1 ranked athlete in the Kansas Class of 2028. She has recorded 367 kills to lead Hayden's attack. She has been featured plenty of times already by Prep Dig and can jump out of a gym. Hayden is the No. 4 Seed in the tournament and will open up play against No. 5 Seed Holton at 8:30 on Court A. The Wildcats have faced tough competition this season with 10 matches against state tournament teams mostly from the Class 6A and 5A ranks. They do have a win against Bishop Miege and those two could very well be playing for an appearance on Saturday during their 10:30 scheduled match.   [player_tooltip player_id='515147' first='Elizabeth' last='Schuster'], 6'0”, MB, Holton, ‘25   Schuster is currenlty ranked No. 90 overall by Prep Dig Kansas. She provides veteran leadership for the Wildcats and a solid attacking option to partner with [player_tooltip player_id='480408' first='Tinley' last='Wilson']. Schuster has registered 266 kills and a team-high 74 blocks. Holton is a highly competitive team not at all helped by their schedule. Holton is 2-1 against teams in the field with two wins over Concordia and a loss to Rock Creek. They had multiple losses to smaller schools with elite programs and are short on key victories to hang their hats on. In a perfect scenario, they will upset one squad and sneak into the semifinals. Worst case scenario they go 0-3 on Day One and then will have a quiet bus ride back to Holton.   [player_tooltip player_id='173376' first='Lauren' last='Lopez'], 5'10”, OH, Bishop Miege, ‘25   Lopez is currently ranked No. 11 overall in the Kansas Class of 2025. She has verbally committed to play for Rockhurst University after high school. She leads the Stags in both digs and kills. Lopez has recorded 256 kills in 87 sets. The Stags are always a difficult team to handicap. The Stags always have a record around .500 heading into state and then win the whole thing. The defending state champ has nine losses against state-qualified teams including one to Hayden. The Stags are the No. 8 Seed and open the tournament against Clay Center at 8:30 on Court A. They could go 3-0 or 0-3 in Pool Play.   Pool Two: No. 2) Rock Creek (34-4), No. 3) Clearwater (33-4), No. 6) Concordia (23-14), No. 7) McPherson (24-15).   [player_tooltip player_id='219714' first='Ayla' last='Klingenberg'], 6'0”, OH, Rock Creek, ‘25   Klingenberg is a beast. She leads the Mustangs in kills and blocks with 403 and 60. Rock Creek is the No. 2 Seed in this tournament and in my opinion, has a less difficult path to the championship game than Clay Center. Rock Creek opens the tournament against McPherson at 9:30. They Clearwater in the final match of Pool Play and that match very well could determine who wins the Pool. Rock Creek has played three matches against teams in this field with a win over Holton and two losses to Clay Center.   [player_tooltip player_id='489658' first='Justine' last='Berlin'], 5'11”, MB, Clearwater, ‘26   Berlin is currently ranked No. 142 overall by Prep Dig. She has collected 98 kills and 32 blocks. The Indians are a veteran team and I feel like their experience will play a large factor in this tournament. Clearwater opens the tournament against Concordia at 8:30. The Indians are 0-2 against teams in this tournament with losses to Clay Center and McPherson.   [player_tooltip player_id='731072' first='Kynlee' last='Hamel'], 6'0”, OH, Concordia, ‘26   The Panthers are the wild card team in this group. I went to the Concordia tournament but they played in a different pool than the one I scouted. Hamel leads them in kills with 283 and is a solid defensive talent with more than 200 digs and serve receptions. Concordia is the No. 6 seed in the tournament and opens up competition against Clearwater at 8:30. The Panthers are 0-6 this season against teams in the tournament field.   [player_tooltip player_id='489345' first='Brooke' last='Doile'], 5'9”, MB, McPherson, ‘26   McPherson is cast as Cinderella in this tournament. I saw McPherson play over the summer and they were banged up and had athletes missing for club events in other sports. This is an athletic team made up of multi-sport athletes committed to playing other sports in college. Doile has a long frame and a nice serve. She is currently ranked No. 118 by Prep Dig. The Bullpups upset No. 3 Seed Andale in the West Sub State.  McPherson's resume is fairly soft as they played just one team in this field, but it was a win over Clearwater.

On paper, the Class 4A State Tournament is built for an exciting day.