Class 4 Districts 7-8 Previews

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 4 District 7 Preview:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Teresa's Academy enters as the top seed, but this bracket has several teams capable of making a run. Belton is the No. 2 seed, Pleasant Hill sits at No. 3, and the Harrisonville–Warrensburg quarterfinal could produce a tough semifinal opponent for whoever advances. Before any of that, Raytown South and Marshall will settle a play-in match for the right to face the top seed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Teresa's Academy vs. Raytown South/Marshall winner</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Teresa's Academy will have the advantage of scouting its opponent in the play-in before they meet. The Stars have played a demanding schedule all season, which should leave them well prepared for as many as three tough matches on the way to a district title. [player_tooltip player_id='729533' first='Eleanor' last='Reisch'] is the go-to attacker on the outside, while [player_tooltip player_id='800559' first='Sloane' last='Fende'] anchors the back row.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Harrisonville vs. Warrensburg</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whoever wins this one could make life uncomfortable for the higher seeds. Harrisonville has several players in good form: [player_tooltip player_id='729479' first='London' last='Wooten'] leads the team in kills and digs, and setter Chloe Wooten has 310 assists running the offense. Warrensburg counters with [player_tooltip player_id='485607' first='Delaney' last='Fleeman'] and her 385 kills and [player_tooltip player_id='835660' first='Mallory' last='Smith'], who has 329 digs. With strong back-row players on both sides, serve-receive could decide this match, and the team that passes better will likely control the rallies.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Belton vs. Raytown</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Belton enters as the No. 2 seed with a clear offensive leader in [player_tooltip player_id='831489' first='Dreya' last='Scherfenberg'], who is averaging 4.5 kills per set with 384 total kills and 72 service aces. Setter [player_tooltip player_id='835267' first='Maddie' last='Asaeli'] has recorded 717 assists, giving Belton a reliable distributor to keep the offense moving. Raytown will need to slow Scherfenberg and put pressure on Belton's serve-receive if it hopes to pull off the upset.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pleasant Hill vs. Grandview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pleasant Hill is the No. 3 seed, and its defensive numbers point to a team that makes opponents earn every point. [player_tooltip player_id='507591' first='Addison' last='Brazzle'] leads the team with 337 digs, averaging 5 per set. Grandview will need to find ways to put the ball away against that kind of defensive presence. The Bulldogs come in with some momentum after a win over Winnetonka last week, a match delayed 40 minutes when both teams had to head to the storm shelter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction: Belton over St. Teresa's Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is the district where I could see the top seed being seriously challenged. The two teams met on October 3, with the Stars winning 2-1. Reisch had 13 kills in that match and will need another big night, while Scherfenberg was held to a .069 hitting percentage. I don't expect her to have another outing like that. Belton in four.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 4 District 8 Preview:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smithville is the No. 1 seed and enters the district tournament at 23-7-1, one of the stronger Class 4 teams in the Kansas City area. Benton and Kearney are the other teams to watch. On opening night, Smithville will host two matches, its own and Kearney vs. Winnetonka, while Van Horn will host its match against Lincoln College Prep as well as Benton vs. Northeast.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Smithville vs. East (Kansas City)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smithville opens against No. 8 seed East. The Warriors have a balanced attack led by the duo of [player_tooltip player_id='568866' first='Jaycee' last='Tyrrell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='544730' first='Emily' last='Hart'], giving them multiple ways to score and making them a difficult out in this tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lincoln College Prep vs. Van Horn</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 4-vs.-5 matchup is one of the more interesting opening-round games. Van Horn will have home court, but the Falcons have only six wins and have dropped 16 straight. Lincoln College Prep has 17 wins on the season and has already swept Van Horn this year, led by kill leaders Jasmine Floyd and Nevaeh Coleman.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Benton vs. Northeast (Kansas City)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 2 seed Benton will look to take care of business in its opener against Northeast. [player_tooltip player_id='833188' first='Jenna' last='Cox'] leads the team in kills, and the Brittingham twins have been a welcome addition this fall as freshmen. Maggie Brittingham has added 229 kills, while [player_tooltip player_id='1052081' first='Blakely' last='Brittingham'] has 440 assists, second on the team in Benton's 6-2 system.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kearney vs. Winnetonka</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 3 seed Kearney has already beaten Winnetonka twice this season. A pair of sophomores, [player_tooltip player_id='909854' first='Makayla' last='Tester'] and Madeleine Mallonee, lead the Bulldogs' attack, and Kearney will be looking to make it three for three.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction: None</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'll be officiating matches in this district, so I'm sitting this prediction out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->