Bishop LeBlond Tournament Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eight teams will battle out Saturday in the Bishop LeBlond Tournament and since I'll be in the building, let's check out the participants. Seven of the eight teams entered have winning records so we should see some good volleyball on display. Teams are in two pools of four, all teams advance to the playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Gold Pool</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>East Buchanan (19-3-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>East Buch had a ten-game win streak snapped recently by the tournament host but has won two straight since their third loss of the season. They have 19 wins to their credit and are playing good volleyball. Rylin Sherwood is averaging 5 kills per set and hitting over .300 this season. Sophomore setter Kendyl Edwards has been stellar and will likely hit the 1,000 assists mark this season with 738 heading into the weekend. Each Buchanan has two wins over pool partner Cameron this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cameron (11-8-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cameron has faced one team in their pool and suffered a loss at the hands of Savannah. They enter the weekend winning their previous match. Addi McVicker is pacing the offense with 5 kills per set and contributes in many facets of the game. She is also the assists leader with 250. Freshman Amy Barnes shared the setting duties and has been a great addition to this team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Savannah (14-5-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Savannah is a team I've seen live this year and they like most teams are tough to defend when in system. They defeated Maryville on Thursday in straight sets. [player_tooltip player_id='737606' first='Trinaty' last='Fansher'] is the top attacker, putting down over 3 kills per set. Senior libero Vivian Barton has been a dependable defender with 4.4 digs per set. The two-setter system has been effective for Savannah with seniors Sara Younkin and Maddy Weis being good distributors. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Northland Christian (11-6-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I saw Northland Christian recently and they are a team that has enough key players to make a run in this tournament. They will enter on the heels of two straight defeats, the most recent being a four-set loss to another team in this tournament, Lone Jack. [player_tooltip player_id='735254' first='Molly' last='Day'] leads the team in kills and digs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Purple Pool</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bishop LeBlond (14-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LeBlond will enter their tournament winners of 5 straight, the last being a five-set throwdown with Benton. This was only the third time this year they went extra sets. [player_tooltip player_id='232218' first='Rilyn' last='Conard'] and Ella Frazee lead the way offensively for the Eagles. Freshman Emily Croz has stepped in to join the 6-2 system and has 221 assists. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lafayette (3-13-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lafayette comes in on a 10-match slide after starting the season 3-3. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lone Jack (15-4)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lone Jack enters with a two-match winning streak after defeating Northland Chrisitan in four last night. I've seen them live and they are a small but aggressive team at the net. They don't have a numbered roster or stats listed. In a recent match though I was impressed by the setting and decision-making of #9. They have faced one team in this pool, Oak Grove who they lost to in a five-setter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Oak Grove (14-2-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oak Grove enters the tournament with only two defeats on their schedule. The Panthers are getting good play out of freshman [player_tooltip player_id='556998' first='Paisley' last='Hudson'] who is averaging 3.4 kills per set and hitting at a .345 clip. She's also leading the way in the dig category. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->