Power League Prospects: Topeka Saints 14-1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I ventured out for the first time this club season and headed to Lawrence to watch 14U Power League Pre-Qualifier action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I watched three matches before returning to Topeka to celebrate the holiday and watch some football.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The third match that I watched featured the Topeka Saints 14-1 squad playing their first match of the day in Pool Play action against THR33 14-1.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Profiles will be made for several athletes in the Class of 2029 this club season, and I plan on releasing the first Prep Dig Kansas Class of 2029 rankings later this winter or spring.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stay tuned this evening and tomorrow for more club coverage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='736414' first='Alivia' last='Dowty']</strong>, 5'6”, S/RS, Seaman</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dowty perhaps impressed me more than any other athlete this morning. She can do a little of everything on the court and is versatile. She was tied for the team lead with 12 digs. Dowty can set and made several big defensive plays to keep the Saints in the match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='736418' first='Gabby' last='Stack']</strong>, 5'4”, DS/L, Washburn Rural</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stack played libero for the Saints and finished the match tied with Dowty in digs with 12. She led the Saints in serve receptions. She plays taller than 5-foot-4 so I am not sure how accurate that height is. She is a steaky player who had one rally with three separate digs, but then also back-to-back receiving errors during the contest. I like her play and thing she has a bright future. One area she can improve on is on-court communication, but that can be said for the whole squad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='736412' first='Adelaide' last='Boedeker']</strong>, 5'11”, MB, Lawrence</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A 5-foot-11 eighth grader will always stand out. Boedeker has a big frame and a nice reach. She played front-row-only for the Saints. She finished the match with two blocks and two kills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='736413' first='Clare' last='Chisham']</strong>, 5'8”, OH, Hayden</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chisham is an elevator. She played primarily on the front row. I liked her approach and her energy. She had two kills, one dig, and one serve reception. This was the first time I have seen her play and she made a gritty first impression.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='736657' first='Kamryn' last='Smith']</strong>, 5'6”, RS, Washburn Rural</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Of all the players I saw on Saturday, Smith is the one I would have stayed to watch play a second match. The left-hander hitter has a sneaky serve and an explosive approach. I am guessing I did not see what will be her best match this season. She had one block, one kill, two digs, and a serve reception in the Saints two-set loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->