Class 3A State Coverage: Twelve Pool A Standouts

I scouted two matches of Pool A play of the Class 3A State Tournament in Hutchinson.   They were the third and fourth matches of the schedule.   Those two matches were a won by No. 4 Seed Trinity Academy over No. 8 Seed Hesston in two sets. Followed by a highly competitive and thrilling four-point win by No. Seed Silver Lake over No. 5 Seed Ellsworth.   Silver Lake and Trinity Academy advanced to Saturday's Class 3A semifinal Silver Lake finished with a record of 3-0 after defeating the Knights in the final game of the afternoon.   Silver Lake will face Hoisington, while Trinity Academy plays Holton. Both matches have scheduled start times of 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 1.   Here is a look at 12 athletes who stood out during the competition.   [player_tooltip player_id='845699' first='Karys' last='Deiter'], 5'7”, OH, Silver Lake, '28   In what I will call the match of the day in Pool A Silver Lake avoided an upset from No. 5 Seed Ellsworth. Deiter played an all-around solid game in the 25-23, 31-29 win over the Bearcats. She finished the match with 12 digs, 10 serve receptions, and three kills. She is ranked No. 36 overall in the Kansas Class of 2028 rankings. Deiter's chunk-filled stat line prior to the tournament included 276 kills, 211 digs, and 260 serve receptions.   [player_tooltip player_id='459041' first='Jaiden' last='Wise'], 5'8”, OH, Silver Lake, '26   Wise had a couple of clutch kills in the highly competitive second set against Ellsworth. The senior hitter recorded seven kills, seven digs, and five serve receptions in the win. She is ranked No 156 overall. She entered the tournament as the Eagles' leader in kills with 367.   [player_tooltip player_id='809394' first='Jaylie' last='Whitehead'], 5'5”, DS/L, Silver Lake, '27   Whithead was a defensive standout for the Eagles. She was peppered all match long by the Bearcats. She stood her ground tallying 10 digs and seven serve receptions. She is ranked No. 104 in the Kansas Class of 2027. She entered the tournament with a team-high 464 digs.   [player_tooltip player_id='828161' first='Audrey' last='Smith'], 6'3”, MB, Trinity Academy, '26   Smith is a tall talent with a big reach. She finished with six kills in a two-set win over Hesston that I scouted. She is ranked No. 137 overall and has verbally committed to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, a Division II program. Smith was the Knights' leader in both kills and blocks heading into the tournament. In 75 sets played, she recorded 256 kills and 61 blocks.   [player_tooltip player_id='349234' first='Ava' last='Deutsch'], 5'7”, DS/L, Trinity Academy, '26   The senior libero was a first-pass expert in the Knights win over the Swathers. She finished the match with 16 serve receptions and 14 digs. Deutsch is ranked No. 108 overall. Deutsch by far and away was Trinity's leading digger during the regular season with 453 digs in 75 sets. “Far And Away” is an underrated Tom Cruise movie by the way!   [player_tooltip player_id='355655' first='Jordyn' last='Whitfield'], 5'9”, OH, Trinity Academy, '26   The Knights got a solid and clutch effort from Whitfield. She recorded six kills, seven serve receptions, and three digs in the squad's second match of the day. Whitfield is ranked No. 88 overall and is verbally committed to Missouri Southern. She entered the tournament with totals of 171 digs and 131 kills.   [player_tooltip player_id='809497' first='Alexis' last='Moore'], 5'10”, MB, Ellsworth, '26   I was really impressed with Moore's athleticism, and the Bearcats are a different team when she in not in rotation. She finished the match against Silver Lake with seven kills. Moore is ranked No. 65 overall and is verbally committed to Oklahoma Christian. Moore entered the tournament with 287 kills and 53 blocks.   [player_tooltip player_id='809618' first='Elyse' last='Haxton'], 5'7”, OH, Ellsworth, '26   Haxton was the surprise of the day for me. She is an unranked talent that I had not seen play. She is super athletic and is the team's emotional leader. Her stat line against Silver Lake included 17 digs, five kills, nine serve receptions, two blocks and one ace. She entered the season with more than 1,000-career kills and 266 kills in 84 sets played. She has an offer from Sterling College to play collegiate volleyball.   Kelly Rodriguez, 5'9”, DS/L, Ellsworth, '26   Rodriguez is an unranked athlete I can see providing quality depth for a NAIA program. She has a quiet platform and makes consistent first passes. She has quiet feet and plays with grit. She does not get rattled during long rallies. She finished the match against Silver Lake with 10 serve receptions and eight digs.   [player_tooltip player_id='883482' first='Kylie' last='Warden'], 5'9”, OH/DS, Hesston, '28   Warden was my favorite prospect on a gritty Hesston squad. She is a six-rotation talent who recorded 11 digs, 12 serve receptions, three kills, one block, and one ace against Trinity Academy. She is ranked No. 212 overall. Warden during the regular season registered 246 kills, 322 digs, and 473 serve receptions.   [player_tooltip player_id='883481' first='Maci' last='Rhodes'], 5'10”, RS, Hesston, '28   The lefty Rhode is a young prospect I really enjoyed watching. She is already tough as nails and can become an elite prospect by speeding up her game just a tick. She had six kills in the loss to Trinity and she steps up her game in high pressure situations. She is currently ranked No. 194 overall in the Kansas Class of 2028, but she can expect to advance up those rankings when they are next updated.   Cecelia Williams, 5'10”, MB/RS, Hesston, '26   Williams has elite jumping skills and the strength to drive through blocks. She finished with three kills and two blocks in Hesston's second match of the day. She had 160 kills entering the tournament.

I scouted two matches of Pool A play of the Class 3A State Tournament in Hutchinson.