My Way to Early Top 5 for Class 4

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Michael 22-4</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Guardians will be tough again this year and will look to avenge the district loss from this year. 2027 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='396499' first='Kinley' last='Gillihan']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='732904' first='Jordan' last='Redd']</strong> return to head the offense, while super setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='232325' first='Addi' last='MacLean']</strong> looks to add to her 2731 career assists. <strong>Grace Lowery</strong> returns on the left pin, and [player_tooltip player_id='446327' first='Molly' last='Bokenkroger'] should don the jersey in a different color. All the missing pieces will be in place come next season. The Guardians were upset in districts, so the work put in during the off-season will be crucial for a return to the final four.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Plains 27-12</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Plains lost to Farmington in the district championship. They return most of the offense and quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='217597' first='Lucy' last='Hafer']</strong>, along with her 1080 assists. Back for the offense are 2026 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='459767' first='Mylea' last='Adams']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='709436' first='Ella' last='Orr']</strong>, 2027 <strong>Ashlyn Tinsley</strong>, and 2028 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='676737' first='Violet' last='Hafer']</strong>, who combined for 783 kills. The Zizzers must replace a libero, and the teams must kill leaders if they want to get past districts. Returning seven of the top nine players from this season will definitely help.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Belton 33-4-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Pirates return a trio of big bangers in 2026: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='222056' first='Bella' last='Scherfenberg'], [player_tooltip player_id='261314' first='Phoenix' last='Fogel']</strong>, and 2028 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='729502' first='Dreya' last='Scherfenberg']</strong>, who combined for 1147 of the team's 1445 kills. These three are some of Class 4 best players. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='774871' first='Lydia' last='Krabiel']</strong> could be in charge of the offense next season instead of doing split duty. The key for Belton will be libero replacement and if they can add another banger to the already tough mix of attackers. Belton was upset in districts and should be out for revenge.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Marshfield 31-6-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two teams in the state's SWMO area should battle it out for a trip to the final four. Marshfield is one of those teams. They return a solid 2026 class headlined by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='725291' first='Quinn' last='Aldridge']</strong>. Quinn finished the season with 564 assists and 366 kills to lead the team. 2026 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='735547' first='Gracelyn' last='Bull'], Tilly Greenfield, Afton Houston</strong>, and <strong>Kinleigh Mings</strong> will return to their positions. As a team, they are returning 1290 of the team's 1295 kills but lost a big-time defender. If they can get a replacement at libero, Marshfield could make a trip to the final four for the first time since 1998.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Webb City 28-9-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cardinals lost to runner-up Jefferson City in the quarterfinals and have one of the best middles in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='236997' first='Jaeli' last='Rutledge']</strong>. The 6'1” middle finished the year with 443 kills, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='222067' first='Savannah' last='Crane']</strong> was the leading distributor, ending the year with 887 assists. <strong>Avery Gardener</strong> will again patrol the backcourt, and the play of two 2027 players, <strong>Jaylee Van Becelaere</strong> and <strong>Adalyn Maxwell</strong>, will help Webb City be one of the top SWMO teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->