Class 1 Quarterfinals Preview: Final Four Bound

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Four quarterfinals separate these teams from a trip to the Final Four. Valle Catholic faces a strong Gideon squad, Winona looks to continue its postseason success, Lesterville looks to keep its Cinderella season alive, and Billings and Rock Port aim to turn their breakthrough seasons into trips to St. Joseph.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Quarterfinal 1:</strong> Gideon 35-2-1 <strong>vs. Valle Catholic 27-9-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gideon defeated North Pemiscot 26-24, 25-9, 25-23 in the sectional round. Valle Catholic upset defending Class 1 champion Bismarck, winning 25-15, 21-25, 25-9, 25-10.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Common opponents:</strong> Gideon lost to Advance 1-3 and swept Oak Ridge and Jefferson. Valle lost to Advance 0-2, then beat Advance 3-1 in the district title match. The Warriors also beat Oak Ridge 3-1 and Jefferson 3-0. <strong>Head-to-head:</strong> No previous meeting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players to watch:</strong> Gideon is led by the Ashabranner-Watkins connection. <strong>Karli Ashabranner</strong> has 374 kills, <strong>Mattie Ashabranner</strong> has 347, and <strong>Layla Watkins</strong> has 310. Libero Jalynn Ford has 593 digs, while <strong>Olivia Watkins</strong> has 916 assists. For Valle, seniors <strong>Lexie Rayoum, Ada Bley</strong> and <strong>Addison Weibrecht</strong> have 426, 305 and 125 kills, respectively. <strong>Hayden Vaeth, Reece Weiler</strong> and <strong>Mara Hoog</strong> have combined for more than 1,035 digs. Weiler and <strong>Payton Naeger</strong> have 957 combined assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction:</strong> Gideon is looking for its third Final Four appearance and first since 2021, when the Bulldogs finished second. Valle is seeking its 11th trip, with three state titles and several other top-four finishes. The Warriors last reached the Final Four in 2021.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Valle has experience against Advance, the team that beat Gideon, but that result came earlier in the season. In the district-title win over Advance, Rayoum had 22 kills, Bley added 12, and Naeger finished with 11. If Gideon wants to advance, it will need more offense from outside its top three hitters. Containing Rayoum, a Murray State commit, will be a major challenge.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Valle sweeps and returns to the Final Four.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Quarterfinal 2:</strong> Lesterville 22-11-4 <strong>vs. Winona 28-8-2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lesterville survived another five-set match, its second in a row, to beat Calvary Lutheran 17-25, 26-24, 22-25, 27-25, 15-8. Winona had a more comfortable sectional, sweeping School of the Ozarks 25-17, 25-18, 25-14.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Common opponents:</strong> Lesterville went 5-7; Winona went 6-0. <strong>Head-to-head:</strong> Winona won 25-20, 25-18, 25-16.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players to watch:</strong> Lesterville is looking to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2020, when the Bearcats finished second. The district title was the program's 10th in the last 17 years. In the earlier meeting with Winona, 2027 <strong>Rylee</strong> <strong>Laughman</strong> had 13 kills and 13 digs. 2030 <strong>Brylee Bishop</strong> added six kills and 19 assists, while 2030 <strong>Luci Skaggs</strong> had four kills and 11 digs. 2029 <strong>Laynee Troutt</strong> had four kills and 11 assists, and 2027 <strong>Izzy Twomey</strong> added four kills. 2029 libero <strong>Leighton Nichols</strong> recorded 19 digs. Lesterville is 16-3-2 in October and 4-1 in five-set matches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year's runner-up, Winona, is seeking its seventh state title and 18th Final Four appearance. 2028 <strong>Sadie Kile</strong> and 2028 <strong>Lauren Martin</strong> are the team's primary hitters. Kile had 17 kills in the earlier meeting, while Martin had nine kills and 16 digs. 2028 <strong>Payton Rodgers</strong> added 15 digs, and 2028 <strong>Bristol Lay</strong> had 31 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction:</strong> Winona has been to the Final Four and won a state title two seasons ago, then finished as runner-up last year. Martin has delivered in big moments, and Kile is a dangerous offensive threat. Lesterville had to fight hard to get through its sectional and will face a confident Winona team playing at home.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This matchup comes down to defense and postseason experience. <strong>Winona wins in straight sets to advance.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Quarterfinal 3: Billings 32-3-1 vs.</strong> Liberal 24-7-2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Billings escaped Lockwood in a five-set thriller, winning 26-24, 30-28, 21-25, 21-25, 16-14. Liberal kept its hopes of a return trip to the Final Four alive with a 25-10, 11-25, 25-19, 25-18 win over Concordia.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Common opponents:</strong> Billings went 4-0; Liberal went 3-1. Liberal lost to Osceola, whom Billings beat 2-0. <strong>Head-to-head:</strong> No previous meeting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players to watch:</strong> Billings' 2027 <strong>Alexa Garbee</strong> does a little bit of everything, with 596 kills, 425 assists, and 311 digs. 2028 <strong>Ava Rhoads</strong> has 291 kills and 509 assists. 2030 <strong>Ashlynn Johnson</strong> has 158 kills, and 2030 <strong>Ayrabella Blakemore</strong> has 317 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Liberal is looking for its third Final Four appearance. The Bulldogs finished fourth last year and placed third in 2011. 2027 <strong>Ally Barton</strong> leads the team with 404 kills and has 339 digs. 2027 <strong>Sadie Meadows</strong> has 445 assists and 222 digs; 2028 <strong>Braylen Frieden</strong> has 368 digs; 2030 <strong>Rolli Wolf</strong> has 320 assists; and 2027 <strong>Tegan Dyer</strong> has 191 kills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction:</strong> Billings has been hot all season and relies heavily on Garbee, who contributes as a hitter, defender, and setter. She can make an impact in nearly every phase of the game. Liberal also has a standout hitter in Barton, but the Bulldogs bring players with Final Four experience who can support her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Garbee will be central to Billings' chances, and the Wildcats have the momentum to return to state for the first time since 2019. <strong>Billings wins 3-1.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Quarterfinal 4:</strong> Osceola 26-6-2 <strong>vs. Rock Port 34-4-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Osceola kept its season alive with a five-set win over Sacred Heart, 25-16, 24-26, 18-25, 25-22, 15-10. Rock Port got revenge on Northland Christian, which eliminated the Blue Jays on their way to a third-place finish last year. Rock Port won 25-22, 25-15, 22-25, 25-7.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Common opponents:</strong> None. <strong>Head-to-head:</strong> No previous meeting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players to watch:</strong> Osceola is seeking the program's 10th Final Four appearance and first since 2013. The Indians have three leading hitters: 2028 <strong>Leah Crowder</strong> has 226 kills, 410 assists, and 265 digs; 2028 <strong>Taryn Wood</strong> has 224 kills; and 2030 <strong>Josie Belisle</strong> has 222. 2027 <strong>Pammi Limiac</strong> has 360 digs, 2027 <strong>Brynn Belisle</strong> has 268, and 2030 Grace Peery has 205 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rock Port is aiming for its second Final Four appearance in school history. The Blue Jays have plenty of talent from the 2028 and 2029 classes, led by 2028 <strong>Braylyn Wood</strong> with 333 kills and 370 digs. 2029 <strong>Stevie Gaines</strong> has 452 assists, 210 kills, and 273 digs. 2029 <strong>Leah Meyerkorth</strong> has 273 digs, and <strong>Kinley Lair</strong> has 267 kills and 64 blocks. 2027 libero <strong>Tatum Vogler</strong> has 132 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction:</strong> Both teams have enough talent to make a serious run, and both are looking to bounce back after being eliminated in last year's state playoffs. Rock Port has been tough all season, avenged its district loss to Mound City, and hasn't lost in October.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Blue Jays have momentum and a balanced group of contributors. <strong>Rock Port wins an exciting matchup 3-1.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->