Thunder Over Power Maize South

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. James Academy hosted a round robin tournament on September 6.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I watched the Thunder's three-set win over Maize South.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a look at five athletes from St. James Academy who impressed me this morning.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='446320' first='Madeline' last='Etler']</strong>, 5'6”, DS/L, St. James Academy, '27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The most physical athlete I have seen this season to date is Etler. She is a powerhouse at the net. She is ranked No. 14 overall in the Prep Dig Kansas rankings and has verbally committed to Wofford. She has a long swing and can punish the ball. She recorded nine kills and can power through blocks with her attack. She is agile for her size and added two digs to her match stat line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='518353' first='Mya' last='Lee']</strong>, 6'1”, OH, St. James Academy, '28</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lee is ranked No. 2 overall in the Kansas Class of 2028, and she played like she was gunning for the No. 1 spot in the match against Maize South. She was all over the court and registering a double-double in kills and digs. She finished with a team-high 17 kills, while adding 10 digs and 13 serve receptions. She has an awesome serve, which resulted in five aces during the match. St. James dropped the first set to Maize South, coming off a three-set loss to Olathe Northwest in the day's first match. Lee carried the team on her shoulders, winning the third set by eight points and securing the match in the deciding set.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='445177' first='Abigail' last='May']</strong>, 5'5”, DL/L, St. James Academy, '27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>May is a low-to-the-ground, spunky libero I enjoyed watching. She finished with 11 digs and 10 serve receptions in the win over Maize South. She moves well laterally and is willing to stretch out for the tough dig. She has a strong and accurate serve, which resulted in two aces. She is ranked No. 77 overall in the Kansas Class of 2027.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='884058' first='Ellen' last='Dorsey']</strong>, 5'6”, S, St. James Academy, '28</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dorsey was an athlete I saw play for the first time. She is a leader on the court, both verbally and physically, as she guides the Thunder offense. She recorded 23 assists in the win and added five digs and one ace. I could tell she is the daughter of a coach, as she was vocal at every break in the match. She is a quick setter with plenty of weapons to distribute the ball to.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='800315' first='Brooke' last='Beashore']</strong>, 5'6”, DS/L, St. James Academy, '27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Beashore is as solid as they come as a defensive specialist. She finished the match with nine digs and 13 serve receptions. She is ranked No. 121 overall in the Kansas Class of 2027.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->