Class 5 Quarterfinal Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The teams I expected to win did, except for one district. Blue Spring South emerged from their district, but it's not entirely surprising.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Liberty vs. Lee's Summit West</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year, it was Liberty North and Lee's Summit West. By knocking off a team north of the river, Lee's Summit West will make it consecutive years of trying to advance to the final four. Both teams have been ranked in my KC Metro [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] Rankings for most of the season. On one side of the net, [player_tooltip player_id='153930' first='Abigail' last='Mullen'] is not just one of the top players in the city or state, but the country. The USC commit is the focal point of the scouting report for most teams but she isn't alone. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='219760' first='Megan' last='Bishton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='542173' first='Katelyn' last='Spengler'] have provided a good balance offensively. [player_tooltip player_id='261289' first='Ella' last='Anderson'] has been strong in the backcourt racking up 408 digs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Across the net, Lee's Summit West has played one of the stronger schedules in the state, battling teams on both sides of the state line. Since a brutal schedule in an early October tournament, they have won seven straight matches leading into this battle. [player_tooltip player_id='493090' first='Kamryn' last='McDonald'] leads the wave offensively but is joined by sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='446328' first='Tori' last='Massengill'] with 234 kills. The Titans run a two-setter system with [player_tooltip player_id='219779' first='Delaney' last='Rhoden'] and [player_tooltip player_id='729549' first='Jaelyn' last='Jordan'] sharing the duties.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Among common opponents, The Bluejays are 9-1 while Lee's Summit West sits 12-3. Both teams had to fill some holes in their lineups this season and they have shined. This is a match that could easily go five sets but I like Liberty to get it done in four.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Blue Springs South vs. Ozark</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>South emerged from the district that was wide-open from my standpoint. There is no night off playing in the Suburban conference so the losses were never a concern for the Jaguars. It was the consistency in their play that could be questioned heading into the postseason. They started the season losing eight of their first nine matches. They would go on to win three in a row before losing three in a row then it became alternating winning and losing streaks for most of the season. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='219770' first='Jaelynn' last='Tunley'] has been the top kill performer with 376 on the season. She is also the digs leader. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ozark enters with 36 wins on the year. They enjoyed a 17-match win streak during the season and come in winning eight in a row. [player_tooltip player_id='219778' first='Tara' last='Venable'] and [player_tooltip player_id='219783' first='Skylar' last='Hilton'] are two players I've highlighted this year as they are double-double machines. [player_tooltip player_id='237807' first='Reece' last='Cook'] has over 1200 assists this year and does a good job of sharing the wealth. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These teams have quite a few common opponents. Ozark had little problem with those teams, going 7-2 with those losses coming to Liberty North and quarterfinal participant Liberty. On the other hand, the Jaguars went 5-7. Ozark should get the win in this one and earn a trip to Cape.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->