5A State Preview: 2025, Is This The Year?

When the eight teams from Class 5A meet on October 30 in Salina for the State Tournament, there will be one giant question to answer.   Can any of the four teams from the West region bring home a state title for the first time since 2001?   Bishop Carroll is the last team west of Topeka to win a Class 5A state title.   The Golden Eagles, Maize South, Great Bend, and Kapaun Mt. Carmel are the western region teams hoping to end the Eastern Kansas Dominance.   St. James Academy, St. Thomas Aquinas, Lansing, and Blue Valley Southwest will try to carry on the winning streak for East Side!   Here is a look at 12 athletes whose skills will be on display tomorrow in Salina.   The 5A Tournament will be played on October 30, with the semifinals and finals to be played on November 1.   While I won't be in Salina this season, the Class 5A Tournament, arguably, will be the best one to watch this week. Any of the eight teams could get hot and run away with the championship hardware in this bracket.   I can't say the same about the other six tournaments.    Popp and the Mavericks enter the tournament as the No. 2 Seed. They own a record of 35-4. All four of their losses have come against teams that have qualified for the State Tournament. Popp is the primary setter for Maize South. She has dished out 745 assists in 79 sets played this season. She already has over 1,500 assists in her high school career. She is ranked No. 6 overall by Prep Dig Kansas in the Class of 2027 rankings. The Maverick setter has verbally committed to Wichita State University.     Illian is second in kills for the Mavericks this season. She has registered 232 kills in 77 sets played during her sophomore season. That trails junior Bella Cook, who has a team-high 263 kills for Maize South. Illian is ranked No. 5 overall in the Kansas Class of 2028 and is a six-rotation athlete who has also recorded 174 digs, which is the third-highest total on the team. The Mavericks will open their tournament at 11:00 a.m. on Court B against Wichita-area rival Kapuan Mt. Carmel.     The Great Bend Panthers are the farthest western team in the Class 5A field. They also had one of the toughest roads to get to the tournament, having to beat Andover Central to seal their bid. Behr is a sparkplug setter who is verbally committed to Washburn University. She has filled up her junior season stat line with 745 assists, 280 digs, and 132 kills in 82 sets played. Great Bend owns a record of 27-9 and will be the No. 6 seed. The Panthers played a much more difficult schedule in 2025 in preparation for the tournament. Six of their nine losses have come against state-qualifying teams, including three against Class 6A programs.     If Behr is the peanut butter for the Panthers, then Minton is the jelly! She leads all Panthers in kills heading into the tournament. She has tallied 254 kills and 57 blocks for Great Bend in 81 sets played. I was scheduled to scout the Panthers against Junction City this fall, but had to cancel my trip. While I have not seen Minton play this season, every report I have received about her is that she is playing faster and with more confidence this season compared to her freshman campaign. Great Bend will open tournament play on court B at 10:00 a.m. against the No. 3 Seed Blue Valley Southwest. Great Bend will be the underdog in this bracket, but don't be surprised if they advance to Saturday's action.     DeGroot in the Golden Eagles are the No. 1 Seed in the Class 5A Tournament. She is a six-rotation athlete who leads the team in kills. She has collected 259 kills, 246 serve receptions, 141 digs, and 19 blocks in 83 sets played. She is ranked No. 32 overall in the Kansas Class of 2027. Bishop Carroll (37-1) had a schedule that was all over the place this season. The Golden Eagles have nine quality wins over state tournament teams. The only loss came to No. 2 Seed Maize South, but they collected 19 wins against some really poor clubs. They will be playing in what I believe is the toughest four-team pool being played this week. They open against the No. 8 Seed St. James Academy at 11:00 am on Court A.     Kapuan Mt. Carmel enters the tournament with the top-ranked freshman by Prep Dig. Livermore is having a solid season for the Crusaders, who will be playing for revenge after a disappointing exit from the tournament last season. Livermore is second on the team in kills behind senior [player_tooltip player_id='828315' first='Mason' last='Palace']. She has collected 269 kills in 82 sets played. Kapaun also features one of the top setters in Kansas, [player_tooltip player_id='489769' first='McCoy' last='Phister']. The Crusaders, 27-10, will be the No. 7 seed and will open their tournament against the No. 2 Seed, Maize South, at 11:00 on Court B. Kapuan has a record of 2-6 against state tournament-qualifying teams.     So I should not play favorites, but two teams I will be pulling hard to see do well this week are the Great Bend Panthers and the Lansing Lions. They are the two underdogs in this field, and both are easy to root for. Sands is the backbone of a young Lions Pride. She is a six rotation defender who can beat teams with her blasts from the back row. She leads the team in kills (307), digs (250), and serve receptions (312). She plays with the energy of a six-week-old puppy, but protects her teammates like a proud Mamma Bear. She is ranked No. 9 overall and verbally committed to Missouri State University.     Andrews is Lansing's young setter who really benefits from playing with Sands. She is way more reserved as a player, but can be a silent assassin on the court. She has handed out 603 assists to date this season, after recording 704 assists as a freshman. She will need to step up big and distribute the ball well for the Lions to roar on Saturday. Lansing owns a record of 25-9 and will be the No. 5 Seed in Salina. The Lions open their tournament at 10:00 a.m. against the No. 4 Seed St. Thomas Aquinas. The Lions are 2-1 against state tournament-qualifying teams.     There will be plenty of special athletes in the 5A field, but one to watch closely is Lee. She is the No.1-ranked athlete in Prep Dig Kansas' Class of 2028 rankings. She has recorded 356 kills for the Thunder in 85 sets played. She is one of the most explosive attackers I have scouted this season. She can play six rotations, and her chunky stat sheet includes 209 digs, 389 serve receptions, and 33 blocks. The Thunder at 26-10 might well be the most dangerous No. 8 seed this week, along with Bishop Miege, the No. 8 Seed in Class 4A. St. James has an interesting resume that includes a win over Maize South, but an overall record of 6-7 against state tournament-qualifying teams.     Lee brings the lightning for St. James Academy, while Etler provides the Thunder. She will be one of the strongest and most physically skilled athletes on the court this week. She is ranked No. 14 overall and has verbally committed to Worfford. Etler is second on the team in kills with 332 in 86 sets played. She leads the Thunder in blocks with 53. St. James will open the tournament with an early test against the No. 1 Seed Bishop Carroll at 10:00 a.m. on Court A. Whichever team comes off the bus the most awake could set the tone for the entire day in this match.     Stanley is ranked No. 2 overall in the Kansas Class of 2026 and has verbally committed to playing for the Kansas Jayhawks. She leads the Timberwolves in kills with 271 in 76 sets. The Timberwolves have a balanced hitting lineup with three players with more than 200 kills this season. [player_tooltip player_id='222092' first='Willow' last='Weninger'] has 241 kills, while Hallie Vaughn has recorded 236. Blue Valley West 33-4 are the No. 3 Seed. They open the tournament against Great Bend at 10:00 a.m. on Court B. Blue Valley West is 6-4 against state tournament-qualifying teams.     Rounding out the field of eight is St. Thomas Aquinas. The Saints are 28-5 and the No. 4 Seed in the tournament. Martin leads the team with 325 kills this season in 77 sets played. She is poised to reach 1,000 career kills during the tournament with a solid showing. She enters the tournament needing 29 kills to reach the career benchmark. She is ranked No. 4 overall by Prep Dig and is verbally committed to Arizona State University. The Saints will open tournament play against No. 5 Seed Lansing on Court A at 10:00 a.m. St. Thomas has one of the best records against teams in the state tournaments with an 8-2 record.

When the eight teams from Class 5A meet on October 30 in Salina for the State Tournament, there will be one giant question to answer.