Players to Watch in the 2019 Springfield Classic
Much like the St. Louis Tournament of Champions, the 2019 Springfield Classic has no shortage of talent. The match-ups in pool play will see some great volleyball on September 21. The group of middles and outsides are some of the…
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Continue ReadingMuch like the St. Louis Tournament of Champions, the 2019 Springfield Classic has no shortage of talent. The match-ups in pool play will see some great volleyball on September 21. The group of middles and outsides are some of the best in Missouri. Let’s start with some of the amazing hitters & blockers that will be on display at Kickapoo and Glendale High School.
Pool A
Fayetteville (AR)
Kickapoo (Springfield, MO)
Carl Junction
Bentonville West (AR)
Oak Park
Pool B
Nixa
Glendale
Olathe East (KS)
Rogers (AR)
Southside (AR)
Outsides
Kenzie Hines – Nixa
Once an avid basketball player, Hines has signed on to play volleyball at Rockhurst University. She was second on the team in 2018 in kills with 182 and is a huge threat behind the service line where she led the Lady Eagles with 29 aces in the 2018 campaign. She already has 7 aces in five matches this season and looks to lead Nixa to a Class 4 State Tournament appearance, which the team hasn’t done since 2010.
Salma Lewis – Carl Junction
Salma Lewis – photo courtesy Maxpreps.comThe junior captain led Carl Junction to a Class 4 State Sectionals birth in 2018, where the Lady Bulldogs came up just short against a tough Blue Springs South squad. The 2018 Class 4 All-State Selection is hitting .260 on the year thus far but is also a threat from the service line, averaging an ace per game.
Tayte Kozlowski, Lauren Forbes – Kickapoo
This 1-2 duo on the outside is a huge threat to any team in the field on Saturday. Kazlowski comes off being a Class 4 All-State selection in 2018. The Drury University signee led her team in 2018 in both kills and assists with 262 and 259, respectively and is off to a strong start in her senior campaign, averaging 4.6 kills per set. Her teammate Lauren Forbes recently signed with Mizzou and is also off to a great 2019 season. The junior hit .833 in the opening game of the season – a win against Republic — and has helped the Lady Chiefs amass an 8-2 record in 2019.
Isabelle Winters – Glendale
The 2018 all-conference selection leads a Glendale squad with a lot to prove in the Springfield Classic. The team has a new coach and Winters is the leading returner in serve receives with 309, kills and dig.
Middles
Jordan Collard, Taylor Golmen – Nixa
Collard – photo courtesy Christian County HeadlinerCollard, Hines and Taylor Golmen and a dynamic group for the Eagles and the Central Methodist recruit has a high volleyball IQ. She led the Lady Eagles in blocks in 2018 with 31 and was third in digs with 207. In the win against rival Kickapoo on Tuesday, Collard had seven kills, but also came up big with three aces at some crucial points in the match. Golmen had a breakout game against Lebanon on September 12, where she had ten kills. She also had three blocks against Bentonville on September 13. The junior plays her club ball at Thr33 and is looking to make some noise for Nixa in the middle this season.
Arianna Walter – Fayetteville
The Fayetteville senior is averaging .8 blocks per set and has 107 kills so far in 2019 in just 13 games. Fayetteville enters the tournament at 11-2 on the year. The 6’0” Ozark Juniors Club team member really came on in the latter half of her junior year, where she averaged nearly six kills a match.
Come back Friday where we will showcase the Defensive Specialists/Liberos, as well as the Setters to watch at the Springfield Classic!