Missouri Storylines for 2nd Half
We are just over the halfway point in the season and October will be an important month for teams looking to earn a trip to the playoffs. Teams have had time to figure out lineups and many are in their…
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Continue ReadingWe are just over the halfway point in the season and October will be an important month for teams looking to earn a trip to the playoffs. Teams have had time to figure out lineups and many are in their second go-around in conference play. Here are some of the storylines of interest heading into October.
Who will it be? Liberty or Liberty North
The two teams have faced off once this season with Liberty North getting the first victory. On paper, these teams are pretty equally matched. Talent on the left pins in Madi Corf Madi Corf 5'11" | OH Liberty High School | 2022 MO and Carlie Cisneros Carlie Cisneros 6'0" | OH Liberty North | 2024 State #7 Nation MO . Elite right sides in Abigail Mullen Abigail Mullen 6'3" | RS Liberty | 2025 State #3 Nation MO and Isabel Zimmerman Isabel Zimmerman 6'2" | RS Liberty North | 2022 State #30 Nation MO . Let’s add in outstanding setter play with Addison Beagle Addison Beagle 5'9" | S Liberty North | 2022 State MO and Ashley Mullen Ashley Mullen 5'10" | S Liberty | 2023 State #9 Nation MO . And of course dynamic defenders and quiet but important play from the middles. If North wins the second battle, they should win the conference title. If the Blue Jays return the favor, our guess is they will tie. It’s a two-team race in our opinion. That won’t be the end of the story. Class 5 District 15 at Liberty North will be for ultimate bragging rights and we have little doubt they will be in the championship.
Can Eureka run the table?
Going into tonight’s showdown with Marquette, Eureka entered 21-0. They are a balanced team offensively outside the 200 plus kills of Madison Scheer Madison Scheer 6'1" | OH Eureka | 2022 State #107 Nation MO . Abby Holt Abby Holt 5'10" | DS/L Eureka | 2023 State MO , Mia Berg Mia Berg 6'1" | OH Eureka | 2023 State MO , and Rylie Cepicky Rylie Cepicky 6'0" | OH Eureka | 2024 State MO all have over 100 kills. Olivia Hasbrook Olivia Hasbrook 5'9" | DS/L Eureka | 2024 State #56 Nation MO , who was lights out this past club season is leading the team in digs. Juliette Myrick Juliette Myrick 5'11" | S Eureka | 2023 State #100 Nation MO and Caroline Keithley have been a solid tandem spreading the ball around. Do they have enough in the tank to get through the season without a blemish? Or will it be beneficial for them to suffer a loss prior to districts? Only time will tell and we will come back to this conversation soon.
October 14th
We asked if Eureka can run the table…October 14th will be a test and a date we have circled on our calendar. They will battle Lafayette, who as of this report sits 21-2. As with Eureka, Lafayette is loaded with talent, both veterans and with youth. Four players have at least 137 kills, Juniors Layne Witherspoon Layne Witherspoon 6'0" | MB Lafayette | 2023 State MO , Jordyn Lochmann Jordyn Lochmann 6'0" | OH Lafayette | 2023 State MO , Caitlyn Little Caitlyn Little 5'10" | OH Lafayette | 2023 State MO , and Sophmore Allison Risley Allison Risley 5'11" | OH Lafayette | 2024 State #187 Nation MO . Sophomore Alyssa Nelson Alyssa Nelson 5'8" | S Wildwood | 2024 State MO has over 600 assists…yes you read that correctly, 600! This battle is a must-see and I will actually make the journey east to see it live.
Class 3 Blair Oaks shining
We’ve had some of the smaller schools catch our eyes this season and Blair Oaks is one of them. Winners of 9 in a row, they should keep that streak going before facing some stiff competition down the stretch with Helias and Rock Bridge. Sophomore Autumn Bax Autumn Bax 5'11" | RS Blair Oaks | 2024 State #188 Nation MO has been as good as advertised. She leads the team with 162 kills at a .380 hitting percentage. Senior Kennedy Flanner has been another point-getter adding 119 kills of her own and add in just under 100 kills. Payton Mitchell Payton Mitchell 5'6" | DS/L Blair Oaks | 2022 State MO , who had a strong summer kept that momentum going into the fall with 255 digs and 245 receptions. Senior setter Madi Rissmiller has averaged 8 assists per set.
Uncommitted players making decisions, many uncommitted players available
We have seen many commitments recently for the class of 2022. Coaches, there are much more available. We have been attempting to retweet those from my personal account (@prep_q_). Players, keep posting your highlights, and be sure to add uncommitted somewhere in the tweet to get our attention.
Will all the matches be played?
I saw a tweet from Platte County today stating their match for tonight against Grandview was canceled due to a shortage of officials. As a writer and an official, this was disheartening but I was aware this was the possibility. There is a major official shortage! As I shared on Twitter in connection with that post, “all the people who sit in the bleachers yelling “double” and “lift”, this is your opportunity to show you know what you are talking about! It’s not too bad and actually a ton of fun. Let’s hope we don’t see too many more of these unfortunate situations moving forward.