CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW – WEEKEND
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
A lot of the ranked teams in this week’s MHPR Class 1A volleyball poll have this weekend off, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be some good match-ups on tap. The weekend includes the first Springfield Longhorn Stampede, a two-day event that features several teams from the Southeast corner of the state.
FRIDAY
#1 MCCLAVE (2-2) VS 2A #2 SEDGWICK COUNTY (4-0)
McClave is seeing its first action in just over a week, as the Lady Cards defeated Wiley in three last Thursday. Their return to competition has them hosting one of the top teams in 2A, with Sedgwick County coming in undefeated. It’s been even longer since the Lady Cougars last played, but only by a couple of days. They swept Weldon Valley last Tuesday behind 10 kills from Piper Buettenback. Natalie Lanckriet registered a team-high 11 digs. This will be the first meeting between McClave and Sedgwick County in the MaxPreps era,
#3 SARGENT (0-0) AT SPRINGFIELD LONGHORN STAMPEDE
Sargent finally joins the party, playing its first matches of the season. The Lady Farmers will play Springfield, Holly, and South Baca. The event also includes Walsh and Kim/Branson. The tournament continues on Saturday, but Sargent will not be involved.
#6 HI-PLAINS (1-0) AT OTIS (5-2)
Hi-Plains came out of the gates hot, sweeping 2A Burlington 25-12/10/19 on Tuesday in its season-opener. Addison Richards had more points won on serve than Burlington did as a team. Otis bounced back from a four-set loss to #7 Caliche last Friday to sweep #8 Fleming on Tuesday. Kensley Packer put down 14 kills in that win, and Hattie Price added 20 assists. Otis has won 28 of 29 against Hi-Plains in the MaxPreps era, including a five-set victory last year. The lone win by the Lady Patriots was in a sweep two years ago.
#9 PRAIRIE (2-2) VS FLAGLER (4-2)
Prairie evened its record with a sweep of Kimball, NE on Thursday night. The Lady Mustangs took the opener 25-16 and got stronger as the match went on. They won the second 25-11 and closed out the sweep with a 25-9 third. Flagler made it three straight wins with a sweep of Lone Star on the road on Thursday. This is a rematch of last year’s regional contest that Prairie won in three. Rylie Berry had 10 kills for Flagler in that match, while Hannah Kugler and Macie Jaeger tallied 11 and 10, respectively for Prairie.
#10 PLATEAU VALLEY (3-0) VS 2A CAPROCK ACADEMY (2-2)
Plateau Valley plays the first of two Western Slope matches on Friday, with the Cowgirls looking to maintain a share of the league lead. They have swept their first three opponents, including 2A Telluride last weekend. Vivian Arthur racked up a dozen kills in that contest, and Siena Fino led with 14 digs. Caprock Academy is coming off a four-set loss to Rangely last Saturday. The Lady Eagles had five players with double digit digs, led by Anna Caldwell with 17. Plateau Valley has won 21 of the last 23 in the series, including a five-set victory last year.
SATURDAY
#1 SIMLA (4-1) AT 2A #6 MERINO (4-1)
After dropping its opener, Simla has beaten its last four opponents in sweeps. The latest came on Tuesday against Calhan. The Lady Cubs will put that streak on the line when they travel to Merino, who is coming off a four-set loss to 2A #1 Wiggins on Tuesday. Merino has won all six previous meetings with Simla in the MaxPreps era, four in sweeps. That includes last year’s 3-0 win for the Lady Rams.
#2 MCCLAVE AT IDALIA (3-3)
Following their big match on Friday, the Lady Cardinals will travel to Idalia on Saturday to meet up with the Lady Wolves, who won two matches on Thursday. Idalia beat Cheyenne Wells 2-1, and then St. Francis, KS (no scores available) in the second leg of the triangular. McClave has won two of the last three, and four of six overall.
#3 SARGENT AT PRIMERO (0-0)
Primero opens its season on Friday at home against Manzanola, and follows that up with a tough match-up against Sargent. For the Lady Farmers, it will be their fourth match in about 24 hours. Sargent and Primero have only played twice, with the Lady Farmers winning in a sweep two years ago, and taking last year’s contest in four.
#4 GRANADA (3-0) AT 2A BURLINGTON (3-1)
After losing the opening set of the season to Caliche, Granada has won nine straight sets. The Lady Bobcats have been off since sweeping Springfield last Thursday. Camryn Coleman put away 14 kills, an tied Emri Marquez for the team lead with 12 digs. Kinsley Williams racked up 23 assists. Burlington bounced back from its first loss of the year to Hi-Plains on Tuesday by sweeping Bethune on Thursday. Granada and Burlington have not played in the MaxPreps era.
#7 CALICHE (4-3) VS #8 FLEMING (0-4)
Caliche saw its two-match winning streak snapped on Tuesday by 2A Holyoke in five. The Lady Buffs had just beaten Holyoke in four a couple days earlier. The fifth set on Tuesday went 24-22. Faye Lueck (16) and Alexis Breidenbach (13) combined for 29 kills in the loss. Hayden Walker recorded 30 digs. The start of the season has not gone well for Fleming, who has won just one set in four matches. The Lady Wildcats were swept by Otis on Tuesday. Caliche beat Fleming last Saturday at the NJC Spectacular in four sets. Breidenbach and Lueck combined for 25 kills, while Fleming has not reported any stats.
#10 PLATEAU VALLEY AT 2A MEEKER (5-1)
Meeker lost its first match of the season, and has won five straight since. The most recent was a sweep of North Park last Saturday. Ruth LeBlanc had 11 kills in that contest, and Gracee Gardner collected 24 assists. Plateau Valley broke a nine-match losing streak in the series with a four-set win last year, but Meeker is 23-4 in the MaxPreps era.
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