League Preview: Central Kansas League Deep With Talent

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Central Kansas League will always be near and dear to me, although it has changed a bunch since I attended Smoky Valley High School.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Back in the 1990s, the rivalry in that league was between Hesston and Smoky Valley football.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As I look back on days of old, I thought it was appropriate to feature some of the ranked league member athletes in the senior class of 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='446364' first='Katharine' last='Engel']</strong>, 5'8”, OH/DS, Halstead, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Halstead's Engel is ranked No. 40 overall by Prep Dig Kansas. She finished her junior season with 393 kills and 302 digs for the defending Class 3A State Champion Dragons. &nbsp;She has the opportunity to reach the 1,000-career benchmark in both kills and digs heading into her senior campaign.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='561070' first='Daynica' last='Euwer']</strong>, 5'7”, S/DS, Halstead, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fellow Dragon, Euwer is ranked No. 60 overall in the Kansas Class of 2026. She is expected to rake over the reigns as Halstead's starting setter, although she could share setting duties. She recorded 85 assists and 191 digs as a junior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489349' first='Kingzley' last='Ratzlaff']</strong>, 5'11”, S/OH, Hillsboro, '26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ratzlaff is ranked No. 66 overall by Prep Dig Kansas. The Trojan senior is a versatile athlete who can play multiple positions and can be leaned on to play six rotations. Her junior season stat line included 429 kills, 135 assists, and 226 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='730721' first='Ceeley' last='Friesen']</strong>, 5'6”, S, Smoky Valley, '26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friesen is ranked No. 77 by Prep Dig Kansas. She took care of the setting duties for the Vikings last season and is expected to be the starting setter once again as a senior. She finished with 769 assists in 94 sets played last fall. She also contributed to 211 digs during her junior season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='809713' first='Kelsi' last='Maier']</strong>, 5'10”, MB, Hoisington, '26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cardinals were not league members back in my day, but they will be a team to reckon with this season. Maier is ranked No. 105 overall in the Kansas Class of 2026. She was second on the team in kills as a junior with 211 in 99 sets. &nbsp;She also recorded 60 blocks as a junior, which was the second-highest total on the team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523698' first='Mayzie' last='Warden']</strong>, 5'2”, DS/L, Haven, &nbsp;'26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Haven's Warden is ranked No. 128 overall by Prep Dig Kansas. She led the Wildcats in digs last season with 456. She is also a solid softball prospect. She hit .494 with 44 hits, 45 runs scored, and 30 RBI last spring.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='809898' first='Trista' last='Spitler']</strong>, 5'10”, OH/MB, Smoky Valley, '26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smoky Valley's Spitler is ranked No. 191 overall in the Kansas Class of 2026. She finished second for the Vikings last season in kills. She registered 213 kills in 94 sets.&nbsp; She was also second on the team in blocks, recording 32.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='830088' first='Avery' last='Brawner']</strong>, 5'6”, OH, Haven '26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brawner is ranked No. 203 by Prep Dig Kansas. She recorded 158 kills in 86 sets for the Wildcats last season. She is a six-rotation athlete who also registered 400 serve receptions, 219 digs, and 49 blocks during her junior season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='800326' first='Callie' last='Yoder']</strong>, 5'3”, DS/L, '26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yoder is ranked No. 217 overall in the Kansas Class of 2026. She has posted back-to-back seasons with 300-plus digs. She finished with 336 during her junior campaign, and can reach 1,000-career digs with 305 digs as a senior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='809964' first='Lauryn' last='Vogt']</strong>, 5'9”, MB/OH, Hillsboro, '26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vogt is ranked No. 255 overall by Prep Dig Kansas. She is an experienced hitter for the Trojans. She recorded 378 kills and 29 blocks as a junior. She is 436 kills away from reaching 1,000 kills for her career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->