Three Teams Across the State Line to Watch This Fall

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we shift gears from club to high school, it's time for me to begin thinking about my KC Metro [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] 15. The Kansas City Metro is deep in talent year in and year out, and that won't change this fall as we embark on another competitive high school season. We are a month away from my initial preseason poll, but here are six teams, three in Kansas and three in Missouri, that you will find in those early rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Kansas</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Blue Valley Southwest</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='472938' first='Hailie' last='Vaughn'], [player_tooltip player_id='222097' first='Taylor' last='Stanley'], [player_tooltip player_id='222092' first='Willow' last='Weninger'], [player_tooltip player_id='489645' first='Sofia' last='Ricci'], [player_tooltip player_id='523631' first='Catlin' last='Shao'], and Evelyn Igbenenor are all back and all playing at the next level after their prep careers. There is enough scoring to go around. Who will pick up the slack in ball control with the departure of a couple of solid senior leaders?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Olathe West</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's talk about them early because they can't sneak up on anyone like they did a year ago when they racked up over 30 wins. They graduated a couple of key pieces but return just shy of 600 kills between [player_tooltip player_id='222099' first='Ella' last='Stowell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='240984' first='Cami' last='Sher']. If a third player can enter the chat, they have enough arms to have another solid year. [player_tooltip player_id='355651' first='Neely' last='Leathers'] is back in the setter position and is among the best in the city. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Thomas Aquinas</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='222090' first='Alayna' last='Vaeth'] is back to lead the Saints offense. They did lose their top scorer from a year ago, but return enough arms in [player_tooltip player_id='222089' first='Grace' last='Martin'], [player_tooltip player_id='561986' first='Morgan' last='Hampton'], [player_tooltip player_id='698057' first='Kate' last='Wells'], and [player_tooltip player_id='562379' first='Chloe' last='Seals'] to give teams headaches. [player_tooltip player_id='355649' first='Gabi' last='Poeschl'] is a dependable defender who returns. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Missouri</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Michael</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong trio returns at the net, led by [player_tooltip player_id='396499' first='Kinley' last='Gillihan'], who will be kicking off her junior campaign. Besides her, you can bet on [player_tooltip player_id='732904' first='Jordan' last='Redd'] and [player_tooltip player_id='542207' first='Grace' last='Lowry'] eclipsing their kill total from a year ago; both had more than 220. They did lose some defense, but can still count on setter [player_tooltip player_id='232325' first='Addi' last='MacLean'] to be as good as she's been the last three years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Belton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over 1,000 kills return between the trio of [player_tooltip player_id='222056' first='Bella' last='Scherfenberg'], [player_tooltip player_id='729502' first='Dreya' last='Scherfenberg'], and [player_tooltip player_id='261314' first='Phoenix' last='Fogel']. Lydia Kraibel was one of the two setters running the offense last year and will be back for her senior year. Belton won their first 19 matches a season ago and will look to repeat a hot start in 2025. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Park Hill</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Park Hill will return a strong nucleus that includes its top three scorers from a year ago, all of whom tallied over 170 kills. [player_tooltip player_id='666872' first='Payton' last='Osegueda'] will only be a sophomore and led the trio with 215. [player_tooltip player_id='222072' first='Brooke' last='Brown'] and [player_tooltip player_id='357577' first='Addyson' last='Staples'] return to anchor the defense, and both setters from their 6-2 systems are back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->