Class 5 Districts 7-8 Previews

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">District 7</h2>   <p>Class 5 District 7 features several familiar Kansas City-area programs looking to make a postseason run, with Lee's Summit North earning the top seed. St. Michael the Archangel is the No. 2 seed and enters the postseason playing some of its best volleyball of the season, winning 17 of its last 18 matches. The lone loss came against Kansas-based Bishop Miege.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">No. 1 Lee's Summit North vs. No. 8 Truman</h3>   <p>Lee's Summit North opens district play as the top seed against Truman, carrying a 30-4 record into the postseason. The Broncos will look to take care of business in the opening round and move one step closer to a championship opportunity. Truman faces a difficult challenge against the top team in the bracket.</p>   <p>Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1023491' first='Tinsley' last='Bahr'] has delivered some good play for the Broncos lately, giving Lee's Summit North another young player to watch as it begins its postseason run.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">No. 4 Blue Springs vs. No. 5 Grain Valley</h3>   <p>This matchup brings together two programs separated by just one seed. Blue Springs enters as the fourth seed, but Grain Valley will have an opportunity to challenge that position and make a run into the semifinals.</p>   <p>The teams met earlier this season, with Blue Springs earning a 2-0 tournament win in early September. The winner will likely face Lee's Summit North in the semifinals.</p>   <p>Blue Springs has a difference-maker in [player_tooltip player_id='543378' first='Olivia' last='Maciel'], who is averaging more than four kills per set. Grain Valley will counter with [player_tooltip player_id='843535' first='Lucy' last='King'] as it looks to pull off the upset.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">No. 2 St. Michael the Archangel vs. No. 7 William Chrisman</h3>   <p>St. Michael the Archangel begins its postseason as the second seed against William Chrisman. As mentioned above, the Guardians are one of the hottest teams in the area and appear to have found their stride at the right time.</p>   <p>Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1040814' first='Charleigh' last='Williams'] had big shoes to fill entering the season, but she has shown she is a player to watch for years to come. Williams is approaching 1,000 assists for the season, an impressive milestone for a freshman helping lead a team with championship aspirations.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">No. 3 Blue Springs South vs. No. 6 Fort Osage</h3>   <p>Blue Springs South enters as the third seed and will face Fort Osage in the final quarterfinal matchup. In my opinion, South is a dangerous team entering the postseason. The Jaguars challenged themselves throughout the season, so their record might not tell the whole story.</p>   <p>They made a statement at Mo-Kan by knocking off then-undefeated Oak Grove. South also opened the season against Fort Osage, earning a straight-set victory. Now, the Jaguars will look to repeat that performance and advance.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='694190' first='Avery' last='Henson'] recently became the program's single-season kills record holder, giving South a proven offensive weapon as it looks to make a postseason run.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Road to the Championship</h3>   <p>I'm going chalk through the quarterfinals and semifinals, with the top four seeds advancing out of the opening round and the top two seeds meeting in the championship.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Championship Prediction: St. Michael the Archangel</h3>   <p>Not long ago, I said Lee's Summit North and Lee's Summit West would have relatively easy roads to the quarterfinals. At the time, I hadn't accounted for St. Michael the Archangel being in Class 5.</p>   <p>Both Lee's Summit North and St. Michael have strong setters, but when making my pick, I'm looking at which team has the player capable of putting the team on her back when it matters most. For me, that's [player_tooltip player_id='732904' first='Jordan' last='Redd'].</p>   <p>The Guardians are playing their best volleyball at the right time, and I'm taking St. Michael the Archangel to win the district.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">District 8</h2>   <p>Class 5 District 8 features a nine-team field with several familiar Northland programs looking to finish the season with a district championship. Park Hill claims the top seed, followed by Platte County at No. 2 and Liberty at No. 3. Liberty North and Park Hill South round out the top five, setting up a bracket with several potential postseason tests.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">No. 8 Oak Park vs. No. 9 Central (St. Joseph)</h3>   <p>Oak Park and Central will open the tournament with an opportunity to earn a matchup against top-seeded Park Hill. The winner faces a significant challenge in the next round, but advancing out of the opening match is the first step toward making a postseason run.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">No. 1 Park Hill vs. Oak Park/Central Winner</h3>   <p>Park Hill earns the top seed and will open against the winner of the play-in match. The Trojans will look to take advantage of their position and move into the semifinals.</p>   <p>The Trojans are led by [player_tooltip player_id='666872' first='Payton' last='Osegueda'] and [player_tooltip player_id='778363' first='Nikyah' last='Chappell'] offensively and boast a 12-7 record. </p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">No. 4 Liberty North vs. No. 5 Park Hill South</h3>   <p>This could be one of the more intriguing quarterfinal matchups in the district. Liberty North and Park Hill South are separated by just one seed, setting up an opportunity for either program to advance into the semifinals.</p>   <p>I saw these teams play a couple of weeks ago, when Park Hill South earned the sweep. Liberty North enters the postseason having gone 2-3 in its last five matches. Before a difficult stretch out East, Park Hill South had put together wins over Lee's Summit North, Park Hill, North Kansas City, and Oak Park.</p>   <p>Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1053153' first='Mira' last='Butler'] has been a bright spot for the Eagles.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">No. 2 Platte County vs. No. 7 North Kansas City</h3>   <p>Platte County enters as the second seed and will face North Kansas City in the quarterfinals. </p>   <p>Platte County has won 10 straight matches, and [player_tooltip player_id='828322' first='Miah' last='Omoike'] has probably earned my comeback player of the year honors this fall. The Pirates have momentum heading into district play, but North Kansas City will be looking to change that.</p>   <p>These teams have met twice this season, with one tournament match ending in a tie and Platte County winning the other meeting. North Kansas City will need a big performance from [player_tooltip player_id='830841' first='Camryn' last='Minatee'].</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">No. 3 Liberty vs. No. 6 Staley</h3>   <p>Liberty and Staley round out the quarterfinal matchups. Liberty enters with the higher seed, but Staley will look to make the most of its postseason opportunity.</p>   <p>The teams met earlier this month, with Liberty escaping with a 2-1 victory. That result suggests Staley has the ability to make this a competitive matchup, even with the seed difference.</p>   <p>Myah Jones has been pacing the Staley defense in digs, while Rockhurst commit [player_tooltip player_id='472890' first='Jaden' last='Monroe'] has put together a strong final high school season. Staley will need both sides of its game clicking to challenge Liberty.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Picks</h3>   <p>No picks for me in this district due to me officiating matches at some point in this district. </p>   <p></p>