Which Players in Missouri Class 2 Will Lift Their Teams to the Final Four?
Image Credit: Herman Advertiser Courier Big hitters like Kennedy Lane and Caly Otec for St. Pius X (Festus) & Grace Winklemann & Hannah Grosse of Hermann are names you know will be a huge factor Class 2 Sectionals. But who…
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Big hitters like Kennedy Lane and Caly Otec for St. Pius X (Festus) & Grace Winklemann & Hannah Grosse of Hermann are names you know will be a huge factor Class 2 Sectionals. But who are some players who carry the torch for their teams and whom you may not be so familiar? Let us look at some of those players. Sectionals begin November 2 at various sites around the state. Here are the match-ups in Class 2
Woodland (25-4-3) vs. Valle Catholic (25-6-1)
Twin Rivers (11-16-2) vs. St. Pius X (Festus) (20-6-2)
Winners meet for a spot in Final Four
Summit Christian (20-7-3) vs St. Paul Lutheran (18-14-2)
Stover (21-11) vs. East Buchanan (23-11)
Winners meet for a spot in Final Four
Christian (25-9-1) vs. Hermann (29-5)
Maplewood/Richmond Heights (24-2) vs. Fatima (17-5-4)
Winners meet for a spot in Final Four
Strafford (30-3) vs. Diamond (17-13-2)
Licking (28-8) vs. Stockton (24-10-1)
Winners meet for a spot in Final Four
Maddison Altenthal – Middle Blocker, Woodland
Altenthal averages 1.5 blocks per set and has 101 blocks on the year, 89 of which are solo. The senior middle can definitely cause opposing offenses some problems and will make Valle Catholic think twice on Saturday before planning its attack.
Barnes – courtesy Max PrepsKamryn Barnes – Middle Blocker, Licking
If Barnes is not making her presence known offensively, with her 275 kills on the year, she is a force to be reckoned with defensively. The junior middle leads her team and is near the top of the list in Class 2 with 440 digs. In the district final against Liberty, Barnes had 16 kills and 42 digs in the three-set win. She will be someone Stockton will have to account for at all times when the two teams square off on Saturday.
Cassidy Duncan – Libero, Stockton
Stockton takes on Licking in sectionals on Saturday and the match will be one of defense if Duncan has anything to say about it. Licking has three players ranked in the top 10 in the state in digs. Duncan is there, as well with 396 digs in 2019. The senior libero also has 534 serve receptions on the year.
LoidaRachel Loida – Setter, Valle Catholic
Jumping from Class 1 to Class 2 this season might have been a tall task for some teams, but not for Valle Catholic. They have gotten a lot of help from a veteran setter in Loida, who has 552 assists in her senior campaign, good enough for a 7.8 per set average. In addition, the senior has 209 digs, 68 aces and 59 kills.
Belle Monaco – Outside Hitter, Christian
Monaco has really stepped up for Christian in 2019, upping her kills by well over 100 this year. The junior outside is averaging four kills per set. Monaco has 311 kills, 38 blocks, 186 digs and 41 aces on the year. Christian has defending state champion in Hermann on the docket in the first round of sectionals.
Hadyn Russow – Outside Hitter, Diamond
Russow is an excellent all-around player for Diamond. The outside of course shines offensively, hitting .304 on the year while averaging 3.5 kills per set for the Wildcats. But the senior can get it done defensively, too. Russow had double-digit digs in 22 matches this season for Diamond. Her team will need that kind of performance on Saturday against a team with the kind of balanced attack Strafford has.