Class 5 State Championship Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Semifinal 1:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lafayette Lancers 30-5</strong> vs. Liberty Blue Jays 28-6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>How they got here:</strong> Lafayette thumped Jackson in the quarterfinals 25-12, 25-8, and 25-15. Liberty had to fight for their quarterfinal win over Lee's Summit West, taking a 22-25, 26-24, 28-26, 25-21 win to advance to the final four.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Players:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lafayette:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='207267' first='Kira' last='Dufner'] – 2025 – 6'2” – Middle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>137 kills and 109 blocks</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='207268' first='Mackie' last='Mueller'] – 2025 – 6'0” – Middle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>148 kills and 74 blocks</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='223117' first='Addyson' last='“Addy” Wiese'] – 2026 – 5'8” – Libero</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>394 digs</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Liberty:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='542173' first='Katelyn' last='Spengler'] – 2026 – 5'10” – Outside</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>231 kills and 215 digs</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='261289' first='Ella' last='Anderson'] – 2026 – 5'1” – Libero</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>420 digs</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gillian Mcclintock – 2026 – 5'10” – Middle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>102 kills and 64 blocks</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Common Opponents:</strong> Blue Springs, Eureka, Lee's Summit North, Lee's Summit West, Park Hill South</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams have won against all teams, but Liberty also lost against Park Hill South.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Previous Meeting</strong>: No</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction:</strong> I watched Lafayette completely stomp Jackson and watched them play during the Rockwood Tournament. At first, I wasn't sure anyone was going to beat them. They started the year 16-0 with a win over National [program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] St. James Academy, KS. Then, in early October, Lafayette lost a 2-3 game to St. Dominic and a sweep at the hands of Parkway West. Now that playoffs have started, the Lancers are playing their best ball of the season and looking to win their ninth state title in 14 years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Liberty has been stuck in the same district as Liberty North and won its first district title after finishing third in the state in 2019. Liberty has been a force since I lived in Kansas City over 15 years ago. They are an extremely well-coached team, and the coach gets the best out of her players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The one part of this match that I think will predict the outcome is the play of the middle. Lafayette's middles played great in the quarterfinals, and you can cheat to the big bombers on the pins, or you will get burned. Both teams have D1 players hitting on the pins. You won't stop either of those players, but you have to be able to keep them to their season averages. If things get out of control for the big bombers, it could mean a quick and easy defeat. Overall, I think Lafayette is the better team at this point, and that's based on me watching them in person compared to Liberty. Lafayette wins this one 3-1 to keep the three-peat dream alive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Semifinal 2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Francis Howell Vikings 28-7 vs. <strong>Ozark Tigers 37-3</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>How they got here: </strong>Ozarks knocked off surprise quarterfinalist Blue Springs South 25-19, 25-19, and 25-21. Howell knocked off another surprise quarterfinals in Westminster Christian 25-18, 25-19, 22-25, 25-12.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Players:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ozark:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208388' first='Macy' last='Humble'] – 2025 – 5'7” – Libero</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>351 digs</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='219783' first='Skylar' last='Hilton'] – 2025 – 6'2” – Middle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>398 kills and 81 blocks</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='635413' first='Aubrey' last='Browning'] – 2026 – 5'8” – Outside</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>231 kills and 127 digs</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Francis Howell:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='153928' first='Morgan' last='Christine Dumm'] – 2025 – 5'9” – Setter</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>651 assists</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mia Wilson – 2025 – 5'8” – Setter</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>345 assists and 114 digs</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Elise Pfeiffer – 2026 – Middle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>75 kills and 85 blocks</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Common Opponents: </strong>Blue Springs, Eureka, Francis Howell Central, Lee's Summit North, Lutheran St Charles, Timberland</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ozark went 6-0, while Howell lost to Blue Springs 1-2.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Previous Meeting:</strong> No</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction:</strong> Howell has three outstanding players, [player_tooltip player_id='170047' first='Danielle' last='Moore'], Avery&nbsp; Helms, and Morgan Dumm, but to win a state title in Class 5, you need more than that. If Danielle is off, which is rare, that could spell doom for the Vikings. But if she's on, she will need a couple of role players to step up and make some big plays. Part of that will fall on the left-pin attackers in Emma Perrington and Jocie Nepute. These two must terminate at a higher rate now that they've reached the final four. If they do, it could mean another chance at the title after falling short last year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ozark would be tough this year, but I didn't think they would be this good. Two of the three losses have come from the town of Liberty, as both Liberty and Liberty North beat Ozark this year. The only other loss was to Mater Dei, IL, one of the top teams in Illinois. Ozark has excellent heights on their outsides, which could help slow down the big bombing opposite for Howell. Ozark has stronger middles and outsides than Howell.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>This will be one of my favorite matchups, and I will take Ozark in 5 to advance to the finals.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->