Kansas 3A State Preview

<p>Unfortunately with working on all things volleyball in Kansas and Missouri some classes were missed on substate previews. So I will start our state previews with the classes we missed. I'm going to say since I was a perfect 24 for 24 on my picks in classes 4-6, I would have picked all 8 of these teams to make it to state! In all seriousness, I would have been eight of eight. Let's take a look at the teams vying for a state title in Hutchinson!</p> <p><strong>The top seed will be Eureka at 36-1</strong> After an absence from state tournaments, they are not only back but suffered one loss this season to Circle. Since that loss, they have racked off eight straight victories. Junior Maggie Miller leads the offensive output with 253 kills. Sophomore Ashley Singahateh has chipped in with 170 kills to be a strong second option. The defensive standout has been Gracie Walden. The senior floor leader has 425 digs. London Hilton has done a fabulous job of running the offense in her final season, dishing out 435 assists for just over 8 per set. </p> <p><strong>Second seed Cheney sports a record of 37-2</strong>. They suffered their first defeat of the year in their fourth game, then didn't lose again until match 25. Since the last defeat, they have won 10 straight going into the state tournament. They have a balanced offensive attack with four players over 100 kills led by Olivia Albers's 217. The Cardinals are aggressive behind the service line, evidenced by their 224 aces on the year. As a unit, the team has combined for over 1500 digs. Senior Korri Lies has 331 of them. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="105672" first="Brooklyn" last="Wewe"] has been a steady distributor of the ball with over 554 assists in her final run for a state title. </p> <p>We've talked about <strong>third seed Heritage Christian</strong> a few times due to their inclusion in our Kansas City Power Rankings. We've declared they are our pick to win Class 3A and that hasn't changed. Entering the tournament with a 35-2, those two L's come against some of the top large teams in the state. And at the same time, they beat some of the top larger schools in the state.  Even though Heritage moves up to 3A, their resume is impressive. They will go as far as [player_tooltip player_id="119708" first="Rachel" last="Van Gorp"] and [player_tooltip player_id="119704" first="Cy" last="Rae Campbell"] take them offensively. 545 kills combined, they are some of the top young talent in the state.  The lone upperclassman, Jessa Rose paces the teams defense numbers with 221 digs. Maci Hazel in her first year as the starting setter has 747 assists in her junior season. </p> <p><strong>The Riverton Rams earned the fourth seed with a record of 38-3</strong>. They were a perfect 14-0 at home. They have three different win streaks of at least nine games. [player_tooltip player_id="120032" first="Jacy" last="Thomasson"] has been a monster this season. The junior pin has 536 kills, 213 digs, and 64 total blocks. Sophomores [player_tooltip player_id="119803" first="Elizabeth" last="Wells"] and Aliva Parker have 150 and 141 kills respectfully.  Another sophomore, Kayla Greer has sparked the teams defense with 281 digs. Morgan Compton has kept the offense flowing dishing out 833 assists in 91 sets this fall. </p> <p><strong>Smoky Valley as the five seed</strong> is a dangerous opponent for some teams. At 37-3, they are an experienced team with big game experience. They enter state with an 18 game winning streak.  Senior [player_tooltip player_id="105655" first="Abby" last="Rose"], the 3A Player of the Year last fall hopes to have a storybook ending to her career with a state title. Rose is averaging just over 4 klls per set on the year. Fellow senior Madi Tolle has been steady adding 243 kills. One of the top sophomores in the state, [player_tooltip player_id="152836" first="Hope" last="Duncan"] found the floor 239 times.  Adrian Hazelwood's decision making from the setter position has been stellar this year. </p> <p><strong>The sixth seed will be the Goodland Cowgirls and their 37-3 record</strong> heading into their pool play action. They had a strong showing in an early October tournament with their sole loss coming at the hands of Hutchinson.  They are a young but experienced team with one senior seeing major court time. Lehman has found her hitters for 862 assists and hitters she does have. Junior Olivia Junior [player_tooltip player_id="120041" first="Talexa" last="Weeter"] leads the offensive efforts with 326 kills. Sophomore Jaxi Mitchek has added 243 kills.. Not far behind is junior [player_tooltip player_id="122213" first="Lindsey" last="Cure"] with 234 of her own. This is another team who puts pressure on their opponents behind the service line with 296 aces on the year. </p> <p><strong>Nemaha Central will enter state with a 36-6 and earn the seventh seed.</strong>  – The Thunder had to knock off last year's state champion to earn their ticket to the dance. They challenged themselves in some tournament play and can make a run in this tournament. Addi Holthaus will do her part at the net. The junior has 301 kills and 43 blocks. Speaking of blocks, senior Anna Bartkoski and freshman Reagan Gerety have combined for 133 blocks. The team plays solid defense with just under 2000 digs on the season. </p> <p><strong>Our final team in the tournament is Beloit, the eigth seed with a 32-7 record</strong>. The Trojans closed the year on a 13 game winning streak. Freshman Addi Budke has made a namer for herself in her debut season. How about 595 kills out the gate with more to come? She's not the only younger denting the floor when you add the 434 kills of sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="119714" first="Mylie" last="Brown"].  Will the stage be too big for them? We will find out. [player_tooltip player_id="123101" first="Trinity" last="McMillan"] has been lights out in her last run for Beloit. She has been all over the back court with 555 digs. Senior setters Makenzie Travis and Kimberly Nicols have been a great tandem in the 6-2 combining for over 1,000 assists. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Predictions</strong></span></p> <p>Pool 1: Eureka, Riveton, Smoke Valley, Beloit</p> <p>Pool 2: Cheney, Heritage Christian, Goodland, Nemaha Central</p> <p>Advancing to Playoffs: We like Eureka and Smoke Valley from Pool 1. Cheney and Heritage Christian from Pool 2.</p> <p>Eureka over Cheney. Heritage over Smoke Valley</p> <p>We can't pivot on our prediction. HCA wins 3A state title. </p>