Spectrum St. James Volleyball Slam Preview

<p>We are excited for the high school season to kick off this weekend in Kansas and Missouri with the annual volleyball slam taking place at St. James Academy. After a year off, everyone is excited to get this party started again in 2021. There are many intriguing matchups, including some cross-border battles. Many of the top players from previous years are off to college, but there will be tons of top talent in the gym for this event. </p> <p><strong>Shawnee Mission East vs Gardner Edgerton</strong></p> <p>Both of these teams lost major weapons in [player_tooltip player_id="105483" first="Sarah" last="Bingham"] (Illinois) for East and [player_tooltip player_id="105481" first="Kendra" last="Wait"] (Creighton) for Gardner Edgerton.  The next Bingham in line, Rachel along with fellow junior [player_tooltip player_id="119812" first="Zoe" last="McDonald"] will look to fill the offensive void. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="123174" first="Ella" last="Bunde"] is back to anchor the defense. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="105644" first="Jaylyne" last="Bell"] and her 275 kills from last season return for Gardner. Also, look for junior [player_tooltip player_id="105683" first="Gracen" last="Mealman"] to contribute at the net. </p> <p><em>Prediction: Gardner Edgerton</em></p> <p><strong>Mill Valley vs Blue Valley</strong></p> <p>This should be a good early-season test for both teams as they look to find their identity in 2021. Mill Valley returns the arms to be competitive this season. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="150198" first="Brylee" last="Peterson"] and Junor [player_tooltip player_id="152176" first="Madeline" last="Schnepf"] return close to 450 kills from last fall. [player_tooltip player_id="120027" first="Sidney" last="Kacsir"] is the top returnee in the dig department. On the other side of the net, Blue Valley will look for some players to step up this fall. The only returning player to get 100 kills was junior [player_tooltip player_id="152162" first="Connelly" last="Kilgore"]. They do have some quality back in ball control with [player_tooltip player_id="105674" first="Tori" last="Hamilton"] and Kate Peterson</p> <p><em>Prediction: Mill Valley</em></p> <p><strong>Olathe East vs Blue Valley Northwest</strong></p> <p>Sophomore Chloe Tyrell had an impressive freshman year for Olathe East. Ball control should be no issue for Blue Valley Northwest, returning three players tallying more than 100 digs last year. They will be surrounding recent Texas A&amp;M commit Alayna Pearson. Ellison Gracik is the only player back to register more than 100 kills, with 119. </p> <p><em>Prediction: Blue Valley Northwest</em></p> <p><strong>Lee’s Summit West vs Blue Valley North</strong></p> <p>We talked about Lee’s Summit West this week when highlighting the Suburban Gold Conference. [player_tooltip player_id="41813" first="Sydney" last="Handel"] is among one of the top pins in the city and will look to team with setter [player_tooltip player_id="41816" first="Lacey" last="Higgins"] throughout the match. For the Mustangs, [player_tooltip player_id="105633" first="Jasmine" last="Dulan"] is back after a close to 300 kill season last fall. [player_tooltip player_id="119693" first="Janelle" last="Green"] should be primed to take over the setting duties full-time in her sophomore year. </p> <p><em>Prediction: Lee’s Summit West</em></p> <p><strong>St. Teresa’s Academy vs Blue Valley West</strong></p> <p>St. Teresa’s graduated their top scorer but Junior [player_tooltip player_id="101697" first="Reagan" last="Fox"] looks ready to take the next step after a strong club season. When healthy, she’s a premier pin. Setter [player_tooltip player_id="123468" first="Brynne" last="McGhie"] is back to lead the offense. Blue Valley West will enter the contest with a couple of capable scorers in [player_tooltip player_id="120071" first="Taylor" last="Stockman"] and [player_tooltip player_id="120079" first="Brooke" last="Leiker"]. </p> <p><em>Prediction: Blue Valley West</em></p> <p><strong>Liberty North vs Washburn Rural</strong></p> <p>This may be my top match of the day and what a match to start the year. The defending Missouri Class 5 State Champions against one of the Kansas 6A final four teams. On one side of the net, you have Auburn commit RS [player_tooltip player_id="41825" first="Isabel" last="Zimmerman"]. On the left pin for Washburn Kentucky pledge [player_tooltip player_id="120008" first="Brooklyn" last="DeLeye"]. Depending on rotations, they should face off on occasion. Both teams feature talented setters in [player_tooltip player_id="41799" first="Addison" last="Beagle"] and [player_tooltip player_id="119699" first="Zoe" last="Canfield"]. </p> <p><em>Prediction: Liberty North</em></p> <p><strong>St. Thomas Aquinas vs Lansing</strong></p> <p>This is another elite match-up to start the fall season. St. Thomas Aquinas graduated 1st Team All-American [player_tooltip player_id="105482" first="Caroline" last="Bien"] but [player_tooltip player_id="119689" first="Ava" last="Martin"] is back. The Creighton commit is an exciting player to match. RS [player_tooltip player_id="150076" first="Betsey" last="Goodenow"] had a tremendous club year. Lansing has made the state tournament a habit and looks to return again this November. Setter [player_tooltip player_id="123106" first="Caitlin" last="Bishop"] seems like she’s been there forever but is back for her last go around. All of their scoring is back from last year with the focus being on senior [player_tooltip player_id="120076" first="Olivia" last="Mae Van Der Werff"].</p> <p><em>Prediction: Lansing</em></p> <p><strong>Olathe Northwest vs St. James Academy</strong></p> <p>Another fun match to end the evening. We talked about Olathe Northwest earlier in the top of 6A piece. They are loaded at the net. The key will be who fills the void at setter. Whoever opens with the job will have resources in [player_tooltip player_id="119707" first="Skyler" last="Pierce"], [player_tooltip player_id="119724" first="Jillian" last="Huckabey"], and company. St. James lost some valuable players in the Lovett twins but return setters, [player_tooltip player_id="124023" first="Lauren" last="Wheeler"] and [player_tooltip player_id="119694" first="Mya" last="Bolton"]. They will look to feed [player_tooltip player_id="119718" first="Ava" last="Spachek"] and [player_tooltip player_id="150200" first="Rachel" last="Ziesman"]. </p> <p><em>Prediction: Olathe Northwest</em></p>