2020-2021 Year in Review: Kansas Top 8
What a year it was for volleyball in the state of Kansas! We talked about some of the things that stood out crossing over between Kansas and Missouri last week. One of the exciting things that took place was my…
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Continue ReadingWhat a year it was for volleyball in the state of Kansas! We talked about some of the things that stood out crossing over between Kansas and Missouri last week. One of the exciting things that took place was my participation in coverage of Kansas volleyball. After focusing my attention on Missouri and the “Kansas City/Wichita/Topeka” side of Kansas, I’m excited to increase my coverage heading into the fall high school seasons. With that said, here are my top stories from the high school and club season.
8. KC Power 18-1 Season Cut Short
When the season started, we did not expect to see KC Power 18’s team season come to an end in early April. However, that’s exactly what happened when they didn’t earn a bid at the final qualifier in Kansas City. The last time this team participated in a national tournament they delivered a 3rd place finish in 2019. Entering the 2021 season, the team had great expectations with a roster of ten division one signees. However, they struggled to find consistency throughout the season, and with a tough power league and qualifying season, their dream of finishing their final season in Ohio fell short. They are a team with many great players we look forward to following into their college careers like Sarah Bingham Sarah Bingham 6'3" | MB Shawnee Mission East | 2021 State KS at Illinois and Brooke Stonestreet Brooke Stonestreet 5'10" | OH De Soto | 2021 State KS at Iowa State to name a couple.
7. The Birth of Dynasty Academy and 17s Team Finding Success
We were intrigued about the new Dynasty Academy program being launched within the Dynasty volleyball club. We learned this new program was designed specifically for athletes who have a busy spring with their other sports. Their practice schedule involved a lesser time commitment to allow the soccer, basketball, track athletes, and etc the flexibility to fully participate in their other activities. It proved to be a success as they will return it for a second season in 2021-2022. It was fun to see the success the 17s team enjoyed this season. Just because what looked like a “lesser” program on the surface didn’t mean they didn’t have talent. With players like Madi Corf and Caitlin Bishop Caitlin Bishop 5'8" | S Lansing | 2022 State KS leading the way, this team was the only Kansas 17s team to win their open bid at a qualifying tournament. They put themselves on the map early this season and showed they are a team to watch in 2022.
6. Madison Lilley Does it All
There is so much fun watching a local player wreck things on the national stage. We saw that this spring when Blue Valley West graduate, KC Power alum Madison Lilley lead her Kentucky team to the “2020” NCAA Volleyball National Championship. She was also named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. The awards were not done as she would later be named the SEC Female Athlete of the Year. If you followed her career, she was not short on accolades but to see her shine on the big stage in a pandemic was a treat for all Kansas volleyball fans!
5. Outside Depth
Kansas had some hitters on the pin from 9th grade to 12th grade. The 2021 class saw the departure of Caroline Bien Caroline Bien 6'0" | OH St. Thomas Aquinas | 2021 State KS , Jalyn Stevenson, Olivia Lovett Olivia Lovett 5'11" | OH St. James Academy | 2021 State KS , and Keyana Cruse Keyana Cruse 6'1" | MB Bonner Springs | 2021 State KS . The next classes though are filled with terminal hitters who will keep defenses on their toes. In the 2022 class, Ava Martin Ava Martin 5'10" | S Bishop Miege | 2024 State #77 Nation KS of St. Thomas Aquinas/PVA is among the best in the state and will be taking her talents to Creighton. We can move west to McPherson and find Rhian Swanson Rhian Swanson 6'0" | OH McPherson | 2022 State #191 Nation KS flying through the air preparing to make her transition to Lawrence to play for the Jayhawks. The class of 2023 features recent Kentucky volleyball commit Brooklyn DeLeye Brooklyn DeLeye 6'2" | OH Washburn Rural | 2023 State #30 Nation KS of Topeka and Washburn Rural High School. She is an elite scorer and will hurt you if you aren’t in position. 6’3″ Ava TeStrake Ava TeStrake 6'4" | OH Olathe Northwest | 2023 State #65 Nation KS , who will join Martin in Omaha is a player who immediately catches your eye on the court. The KC Power pin can fill it up. The future is bright as evidenced by the Class of 2024 this year. Skyler Pierce Skyler Pierce 6'3" | OH Olathe Northwest | 2024 State #4 Nation KS (Dynasty/Olathe NW) and Jillian Huckabey ( KC Power /Olathe NW) are both dynamic players and among the top in the country in this class. They will carry the torch for years to come.
4. Mavs KC 16-1 places 3rd at GJNC
We knew this Mavs team was good but didn’t think it would be our local team to come home with the hardware. As Mavs coach Henry Lee said on his social media, “Overlooked, underestimated, and under-seeded all season long even after finishing 5th, 3rd, and 5th at JNQs (Junior National Qualifiers). This team had a chip on their shoulders and delivered when it mattered bringing home a 3rd place trophy after being seeded 33rd. As we highlighted in our wrap-up, they had to take on a Legacy team who just the week prior won the open title at the AAU championships. Setter and the recent University of Arkansas commit Logan Jones was nails all tournament. Elizabeth Goodenow is the truth on the right side. The southpaw has skyrocketed up the updated rankings you should see in the coming weeks.
3. Multiple Kansas Teams Triple Qualifying
One of the hardest things to do during the qualifying season is to earn a bid. Early in the year, it requires a top 3 finish in the Open and USA divisions. As the season progresses, the opportunity to finish 4th or 5th and still “qualify” is an option as trickle-downs come into play. The number of Kansas teams to triple qualify was amazing as not many came from the trickle-down effect. In the 18s, Mavs KC 18-1 tripled by winning Northern Lights and Show Me, while placing third at Red Rock Rave in Las Vegas. Down in the 16s age group, KC Power matched Mavs 18s by winning two qualifiers in that of MEQ and Show Me. They would take home the runner-up prize at Northern Lights. Both KC Power 15-1 and Dynasty 15 Black did the triple in 2021. Dynasty won two qualifiers in Lone Star and Northern Lights. Their other bid came at MEQ where they fail short to KC Power . Power won MEQ and Show Me and finished 5th at Lone Star for their triple.
2. Kansas 15 Teams among best in the Country
Teams around the country will need to keep their eyes on Kansas over the next couple of years. We highlighted both Dynasty and KC Power and the success their teams had in 15s this year. Mavs KC had a great year also that we’ll talk about later. Shockwave out of Wichita had a tremendous year and boasts some of the top players in the state many haven’t heard about! Spoiler alert: You will hear about some of them when the new rankings drop next month led by 6’0″ setter Camdyn Stucky Camdyn Stucky 6'1" | S Maize South | 2024 State #97 Nation KS ! This team finished 3rd in the USA Division and will only get better.
1. Dynasty 15 Black and Mavs KC 15-1 Win National Titles
Your top story has to be not one but two Kansas teams bringing home national titles in the two toughest divisions. I believe Mavs KC played a strong open schedule this year that prepared them for a run through the National Division. They had some battles throughout the four-day stretch but walked away with a 9-2 record. OH Sara Allmon Sara Allmon 6'0" | OH Olathe South | 2024 KS was clutch to close it out. What can we say about Dynasty? They were pretty close to dominant all season if you take away a hiccup here and there. If this team stays together, they will be a force to reckon with for years. We talk about the pins a lot but Ryan McAleer Ryan McAleer 5'5" | DS/L Blue Valley | 2024 State #29 Nation KS is a name you will want to track over the next few years.