MO-KAN Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top annual tournaments in Kansas City is this weekend, with the MO-KAN tournament hosted by Lee's Summit West. This tournament will feature some of the top teams on both sides of the state line, and it starts with some loaded pools to begin play. Here's what we got!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Navy Pool: Maize South, Lee's Summit North, St. Teresa's, and Blue Valley North</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wichita-based Maize South will travel north with a 12-1 record. The lone loss came against perennial state contender St. James. The Mavericks will participate in a tri with Washburn Rural and St. Thomas Aquinas a couple of days before this tournament kicks off, so they should enter the weekend battle-tested. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='532772' first='Sage' last='Illian'] is off to a strong start, averaging close to four kills per set.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lee's Summit North is my No. 2-ranked team in the latest KC Metro [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] 8. The Broncos have suffered a couple of losses to teams from the east side of the state, but they have plenty of offensive fire[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']. The trio of [player_tooltip player_id='834151' first='Kenzie' last='Huhman'], Nyhah Rinard, and [player_tooltip player_id='888986' first='Aleah' last='Ulberg'] are all averaging more than two kills per set. They defend well and do a good job of staying in system, which gives them multiple offensive options to work with.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Teresa's is 3-3 as of the writing of this article. They have what I would consider no bad losses, especially when you consider that their three losses came against Miege, Aquinas, and Blue Valley West. Playing that level of competition early should serve them well entering this weekend. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='729533' first='Eleanor' last='Reisch'] is off to a fantastic start, putting down just under five kills per set. If she can continue that production, the Stars have a legitimate offensive weapon to lean on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rounding out the pool will be the Mustangs of Blue Valley North. They enter the weekend coming off a much-needed win over Shawnee Mission East after a tough stretch. [player_tooltip player_id='534823' first='Kennedy' last='Duson'] is pacing the Mustangs offensively with 43 kills on the season. Blue Valley North will need to carry some of that momentum into the weekend against three teams that have already shown they can compete at a high level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Blue Pool: Eureka, Lee's Summit West, Blue Valley Southwest, Park Hill South</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eureka enters the weekend at 10-1 and has been one of the better teams in the St. Louis area early in the season. The Wildcats have already picked up wins over St. Dominic, Fort Zumwalt West, Oakville, St. Francis Borgia, and Lee's Summit North. [player_tooltip player_id='544677' first='Caroline' last='Tenholder'] and [player_tooltip player_id='808178' first='Elise' last='Parker'] lead the offensive attack, but this is a team that has shown it can score in bunches and defend well enough to make this pool interesting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lee's Summit West is my top team in the Kansas City area on the Missouri side and currently sits at 8-2. The Titans have already picked up wins over Liberty North, Lee's Summit and St. Michael the Archangel, with their two losses coming against Lafayette and Jackson. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='446328' first='Tori' last='Massengill'] leads the team at 3.4 kills per set, while junior [player_tooltip player_id='729510' first='Andi' last='Gardner'] is averaging 5.0 digs per set. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='733125' first='Hallie' last='Ganga'] has been especially efficient offensively, hitting .351 while also leading the Titans with 25 total blocks. This is a team that can hurt you in multiple ways and should be a difficult matchup for anyone in this pool.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blue Valley Southwest comes into the tournament with a 6-5 record. That doesn't mean the Timberwolves should be overlooked. They have split against a good Lansing team and battled Blue Valley West recently. They will get a couple more matches prior to the tournament versus Olathe West and Manhattan. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='911506' first='Sophia' last='Morris'] has taken over the setting duties this year and has dished out 285 assists. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Park Hill South will enter with a 3-7 record, but the record doesn't tell the entire story. The Panthers have already played a challenging schedule, including Saint Thomas Aquinas, Shawnee Heights, Park Hill, Staley and Liberty. They also own a 3-2 victory over Raymore-Peculiar and a 2-0 win over Grain Valley. They were on a four-match losing streak, but with a win on Tuesday and one tonight could enter as winners of two in a row. They are a young team figuring it out. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Silver Pool: St. Thomas Aquinas, Blue Valley, Liberty North, Grain Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Thomas Aquinas enters as the highest-ranked team in the field and has done little to change that perception early in the season. The Saints are 10-1 and ranked No. 1 in Kansas Class 5A and No. 1 in the Kansas City rankings on MaxPreps. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='561986' first='Morgan' last='Hampton'] is putting together a tremendous start, averaging 3.7 kills per set while hitting .406. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='483934' first='Presley' last='Kreter'] has also been a force at the net with 20 total blocks, while senior Grace Nelson is averaging 3.8 digs per set. Aquinas has already picked up a win over ranked Lafayette and Jackson and could enter the weekend winners of twelve in a row if they get by Washburn Rural and Maize South.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blue Valley has the unenviable task of seeing Aquinas in this pool, but this is still a team with plenty of experience playing at a high level. They have been part of a very competitive Eastern Kansas schedule, and the opportunity to see three quality opponents in one day should be valuable as the season moves along. With the pool containing teams from both sides of the state line, Blue Valley will get an opportunity to test itself against some different styles of play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Liberty North enters at 5-4 and has already shown it can compete with quality opponents. The Eagles picked up a 3-2 win over Blue Springs and have also faced Lee's Summit West and Blue Springs South. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='583726' first='Addison' last='Webb'] leads the team with 2.7 kills per set, while senior Avery Barclay is hitting .265 and has 25 total blocks. On the defensive side, senior [player_tooltip player_id='1017243' first='Kloe' last='Russell'] is averaging an impressive 6.1 digs per set. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grain Valley comes in at 2-7, but the Eagles have been tested. They pushed Oak Grove to five sets and also took Odessa to five before falling in both matches. Their schedule has included Park Hill South, Blue Springs and Platte County, so there hasn't been much of a soft landing early in the year. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='485631' first='Piper' last='Jackson'] leads Grain Valley with 2.0 kills per set and 22 total blocks, while junior [player_tooltip player_id='798732' first='Shellby' last='Overturf'] is averaging 3.2 digs per set. If Grain Valley can find some offensive consistency, it has the defensive pieces to make this pool interesting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>White Pool: Blue Valley West, Oak Grove, Olathe Northwest, Blue Springs South</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blue Valley West comes into the weekend with a 6-1 record and is currently ranked No. 2 in Kansas Class 6A and No. 3 in the Kansas City rankings on MaxPreps. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='829274' first='Aliyah' last='Harris'] is putting together a strong start, averaging 3.8 kills per set, while sister [player_tooltip player_id='518345' first='Nyah' last='Harris'] has been extremely efficient from the setter position, hitting .537. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='480396' first='Peyton' last='Kubik'] is back from her Team USA adventures, averaging 4.0 kills per set, and junior [player_tooltip player_id='807962' first='Jensen' last='Kubik'] leads the team in serving aces. The Jaguars had a tough loss to Lee's Summit West to start the season and haven't lost since. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oak Grove is one of the hottest teams in Missouri right now. The Panthers have opened the season 11-0 and are ranked No. 2 in Missouri Class 3 and high in my KC Metro [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] 8. Oak Grove has been taking care of business, including a 3-0 victory over Fort Osage and a pair of wins over Savannah. Regardless of the outcome this weekend, this is the test needed to make a run for a state title that fell just out of their reach a season ago. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Olathe Northwest enters at 5-5 as of the publication of this article. The Ravens have won three straight at one point during the season and most recently picked up a 3-1 victory over Gardner-Edgerton. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='644733' first='Rosalee' last='Johnson'] leads the offense at 3.4 kills per set, while junior [player_tooltip player_id='562061' first='Amaya' last='Jimenez'] is averaging 4.4 digs per set. Junior Riley MacRorie has 18 total blocks, and the Ravens have shown they can generate points from the service line as well. This feels like a team capable of making things uncomfortable for everyone in the pool.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blue Springs South has already played one of the more challenging schedules in the field and comes in at 9-11. The Jaguars have faced Eureka, Incarnate Word Academy, Kirkwood, Jackson, Park Hill, Raymore-Peculiar and Liberty North, so there won't be much mystery about the level of competition they'll see this weekend. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='694190' first='Avery' last='Henson'] is pacing the offense with 3.4 kills per set, while junior [player_tooltip player_id='742595' first='Ensley' last='Fisher'] is averaging 3.3 digs per set. Henson also leads the team with 19 total blocks. The Jaguars have been inconsistent, but the amount of high-level competition they've seen could pay dividends in a tournament setting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->