District Preview: Class 4 Districts 5-8

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The postseason has arrived for some teams in Class 4, and today we take a glance at Districts 5-8, which take up the central part of the state heading West. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>District 5:</strong> Marshfield, Jefferson City, Camdenton, Pacific, Capital City, Union, Marshall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All eight teams kick off on the opening day. Top seed Marshfield comes in with 25 wins but is on a two-match losing streak. They do have wins over Jefferson City and Capital City, with a tie against Lebanon. [player_tooltip player_id='725291' first='Quinn' last='Aldridge'] and [player_tooltip player_id='735547' first='Gracelyn' last='Bull'] are key contributors, averaging 2.8 kills per set. Jefferson City has 20 wins of its own, also on a two-match skid, with sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='730130' first='Landrie' last='Vogt'] leading the team in assists. Camdenton and Capital City each boast district wins; Camdenton, another 20-win team, has defeated Capital City but lost to Jefferson City in five sets. Pacific, with 18 wins, is the fourth seed and has only faced Union in the district, sweeping them with [player_tooltip player_id='848355' first='Daisy' last='Wengler'] contributing 10 kills. Expect the first round to go largely chalk, with Marshfield favored to advance based on their season performance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>District 6:</strong> Webb City, Willard, Carl Junction, Bolivar, Hillcrest, Central (Springfield), McDonald County, Parkview, Springfield Catholic</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Day one features Parkview and Springfield Catholic, with the winner set to face Webb City. Webb City enters at 21-11, currently on a four-match losing streak, but their losses came against tough competition. They have wins over each district opponent they faced, including a five-set victory over Willard. [player_tooltip player_id='792185' first='Avery' last='Gardner'] anchors the defense with over six digs per set. Willard, also with 21 wins, has beaten Hillcrest twice. [player_tooltip player_id='839089' first='Taylor' last='Roweton'] posted 21 kills in a loss to Webb City, and their aggressive serving will be key as the tournament progresses. Carl Junction sits just below Willard and has wins over Bolivar and Hillcrest, led by Maddy Huffman and her 4 kills per set. A Webb City vs. Willard finale seems likely, and it could be another intense five-set battle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>District 7:</strong> St. Michael the Archangel, St. Teresa's Academy, Belton, Notre Dame de Sion, Pleasant Hill, Warrensburg, Raytown, Grandview, Raytown South</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This district is wide open, with any of the top five teams capable of winning. The top three seeds have all been playing well recently and are healthy. Notre Dame could repeat last year's Cinderella run. Pleasant Hill is dangerous when clicking, and St. Michael's enters at 26-7, riding a five-match win streak led by setter [player_tooltip player_id='232325' first='Addi' last='MacLean']. They are undefeated against district teams. St. Teresa's has tough losses but boasts wins over Notre Dame and Pleasant Hill, with [player_tooltip player_id='800559' first='Sloane' last='Fende'] digging just under five per set. Belton, overcoming early-season injuries, is led by sisters Bella and [player_tooltip player_id='831489' first='Dreya' last='Scherfenberg'], along with [player_tooltip player_id='261314' first='Phoenix' last='Fogel'] and [player_tooltip player_id='793164' first='Summer' last='Fogel'], holding 26 wins, including victories over Pleasant Hill and Raytown. Sion, a spoiler last year, opens against Pleasant Hill, with [player_tooltip player_id='488383' first='Miley' last='Layton'] having totaled 303 kills during the regular season. This bracket is tough to predict, but a potential semi-final between St. Teresa's and Belton could set up a final against St. Michael's.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>District 8:</strong> Smithville, Pembroke Hill, St. Pius (Kansas City), Kearney, Lincoln College Prep, Winnetonka, Van Horn, East, Northeast</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another tightly contested district, with the top four teams all viable champions. Smithville is the top seed at 22 wins, including victories over Pembroke Hill and Kearney. They are led by junior Jaycee Tyrrell with 237 kills and a .300 hitting percentage. Pembroke Hill (19-6) enters on a five-match win streak as the two seed, with [player_tooltip player_id='524854' first='Elizabeth' last='Weaver'] nearing 400 kills this season. St. Pius, the third seed, also has a win over Smithville. St. Pius is gritty, with setter [player_tooltip player_id='499154' first='Maddy' last='Collignon'] surpassing 1,000 assists and [player_tooltip player_id='485579' first='Mikayla' last='Fox'] poised to capitalize. Kearney has wins over Pius and Winnetonka and tied Pembroke Hill, with [player_tooltip player_id='222062' first='Madison' last='Browning'] a key weapon. The potential 2-vs-3 matchup between Pembroke and Pius, and 1-vs-4 between Smithville and Kearney, could go either way. My early pick is Smithville, but the bracket is fluid.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->