KC Metro Power 8: Week 2

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These are a couple of days late, as I attempted to get these done on Monday, but nonetheless, here we go. A few teams made some noise over the last week, including a couple of new faces entering the rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">1. Lee's Summit West (9-2): LW: 1</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Titans took a couple of defeats over the weekend to defending state champion Lafayette and Jackson. Those losses aren't enough for me to move them from the top spot in the KC metro. West has already shown it can compete with some of the best teams around, and the early-season schedule should continue to provide plenty of opportunities to test this group. Senior middle [player_tooltip player_id='733125' first='Hallie' last='Ganga'] is hitting .351 on the season thus far and continues to be an important piece of the Titans' attack.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">2. Lee's Summit North (3-0): LW: 2</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Similar to West, North suffered their first losses of the year outside of the Kansas City area, so I won't punish them for traveling to play some top competition. I still have them as the second-best team early in the season in the metro. The Broncos have plenty of pieces to like, and [player_tooltip player_id='485632' first='Leighton' last='Benne'] is doing a good job of running the offense and keeping this group moving. I will get my first live look at North when they take on Oak Park, so I'm looking forward to seeing how they look in person.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">3. Oak Grove (11-0): LW: 3</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oak Grove is still perfect and continues to take care of business early in the season. The Eagles haven't had the toughest schedule to this point, but that is about to change. They should get their first big test of the season at the Mo-Kan tournament this weekend, where they will start off in Pool 4 and see one of the top teams in Kansas in Blue Valley West. How Oak Grove handles that challenge should tell us a little more about where this team stands.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">4. St. Pius (13-1): LW: 4</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pius suffered their first defeat, but it came against one of the top Kansas teams in St. Thomas Aquinas. The Warriors also picked up a couple of what I deem impressive wins over North Kansas City and Smithville, showing they can handle quality competition as well. [player_tooltip player_id='485579' first='Mikayla' last='Fox'] eclipsed the 1,000-kill mark last week, another milestone for one of the metro's established offensive threats. Pius continues to look like a team capable of making some noise as the season progresses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">5. Belton (7-1): LW: 8</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Belton picked up a couple more wins to jump to 7-1 on the season and made one of the biggest moves in this week's rankings. The Pirates have quietly put together a strong start and are starting to get more attention in the metro conversation. They see a talented Platte County team later this week, along with newly ranked Odessa. Those two matches should give us a much better idea of just how high Belton can climb.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">6. Odessa (7-1): LW: NR</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Odessa enters the rankings with a 7-1 record. Their lone defeat is to ranked St. Pius, and outside of that, the Bulldogs have done a good job taking care of business. They have a showdown with ranked Belton this week, which should be an exciting contest and a chance for Odessa to make an immediate statement in the rankings. Freshmen [player_tooltip player_id='1039500' first='Harper' last='Ray'] and Sophia Makings have been instrumental in the early success, with their offensive output leading the team. Having that kind of production from two freshmen makes this group particularly interesting to watch moving forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">7. Smithville (8-2): LW: 7</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smithville took one loss to fourth-ranked Pius last week, but the Warriors remain firmly in the [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] 8. They have already shown they can compete with quality teams, and there is still plenty of volleyball left to figure out where this group ultimately lands. [player_tooltip player_id='544730' first='Emily' last='Hart'] is off to a fast start offensively for the green and white and has been one of the players helping drive their early success. Smithville will battle it out this coming weekend in tournament play, giving them another opportunity to add a quality win to the résumé.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">8. Center (12-1-2): LW: NR</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's welcome the Yellowjackets to the party. Center comes in at 12-1-2 after winning the Van Horn tournament last weekend and has put together enough early results to earn a spot in the rankings. There is some talent on this roster, and Margot Vanriette and Amelia Westring have formed a strong combination for the Yellowjackets. Center is another team I'm interested in seeing against stronger competition as the season moves along. For now, the record and tournament success make them deserving of a spot in the [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] 8.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->