CLASS 5A
 
AT TONY’S PIZZA EVENTS CENTER, SALINA



 
ANDOVER CENTRAL
 
Coach: Kayla Weidert
 
Record: 33-7 (No. 4 seed)
 
Pool-play matches: vs. Hutchinson (5: 30-7), 3:30 p.m.; vs. Bishop Carroll (8: 28-9), 5:30 p.m.; vs. St. Thomas Aquinas (1: 35-3), 8:30 p.m.
 
Key Players: Allie Paulsen, sr., MB; Maddi Amekporfor, sr., OH; Hayden Snodgrass, jr., S; Jordyn Washington, so., MH; Willow Deckinger, jr., L.
 
Worth noting: Jaguars making first trip to state since 2016 when they finished fourth in Class 4A. … Last appearance at 5A state tourney was in 2014. … State appearance is fifth overall for program, which went undefeated in the Ark Valley Chisholm Trail Division II this season. … Jaguars are only team this season to take a set off 4A unbeaten Andale. … Jaguars won Arkansas City Invitational. … Snodgrass has 583 assists despite missing first eight matches of season with a broken foot and was named to the AVCA Phenom list for Fall 2022. … She also has 30 aces and 120 digs. … Amekporfor leads team with 268 kills, just ahead of Paulsen’s 263. … Both players recorded their 500^th career kills this season. … Paulsen leads team in blocks with 73 and has 214 digs while Amekporfor has 206 digs. … Washington has 172 kills. … Deckinger leads team in digs with 289 and aces with 63.
 


 
BISHOP CARROLL
 
Coach: Tammy Long
 
Record: 28-9 (No. 8 seed)
 
Pool-play matches: vs. St. Thomas Aquinas (1: 35-3), 4:30 p.m.; vs. Andover Central (4: 33-7), 5:30 p.m.; vs. Hutchinson (5: 30-7), 7:30 p.m.
 
Key Players: Grace Long, sr., S; Emma Stallbaumer, sr., MH; Lillie Gorges, sr., RS/S; Ally Larkin, sr., RS/OH; Avery McCorry, fr., MH; Mariah Farber, sr., OH; Brea Martin, fr., OH; Lacey Wise, sr., L; Olivia Nicoli, so., OH; Ally Orth, fr., RS.
 
Worth noting: Carroll is fixture at state tournament with 19 appearances in the last 21 years. … Golden Eagles were third in 2020, but didn’t make it out of pool play last year. … Carroll finished runner-up in Greater Wichita Athletic League to 6A qualifier Wichita Northwest and split matches with the Grizzlies this season. … Three other losses came to state-qualifying teams – 6A Washburn Rural and Blue Valley West and 5A Seaman. … Golden Eagles’ last state title came in 2001 and Carroll also won three straight from 1996-1998 and have eight championships overall. ... Carroll won McPherson Tournament and were third at Emporia behind 6A No. 1 Washburn Rural and fellow 5A qualifier Seaman.
 


 
HUTCHINSON
 
Coach: Maria Aikins
 
Record: 30-7 (No. 5 seed)
 
Pool-play matches: vs. Andover Central (4: 33-7), 3:30 p.m.; vs. St. Thomas Aquinas (1: 35-3), 6:30 p.m.; vs. Bishop Carroll (8: 28-9), 7:30 p.m.
 
Key Players: Maliyah Johnson, sr., OH; Mya Thompson, sr., OPP; Josie McLean, sr., S; Rachel Tomac, jr., MH; Grace Marciano, jr., DS; Aliyah Green, so., MH; Grace Posch, so., L; Rebecca Lewton, sr., OH.
 
Worth noting: Salthawks have posted consecutive 30-win seasons and are making second straight trip to state and fourth overall. … Hutchinson won Great Bend and Maize Tournaments and was runner-up in the Ark Valley Chisholm Trail Division I to fellow 5A qualifier Maize South. … Johnson was AVCTL I MVP last year and leads Salthawks in kills (320) and aces (50). … The four-year starter recorded her 1,000^th career kill at sub-state. … Thompson has 258 kills, while Green has 144 and Tomac 139. … McLean is impact transfer from Nickerson and has 771 assists this year and went over 2,000 assists for her career. … Posch has 268 digs and Johnson has 251. … Green leads team in blocks with 53. … Salthawks three wins away from matching last year’s total, which was most since 1999.


 
 
LANSING
 
Coach: Jason and Kim Jones
 
Record: 26-8 (No. 7 seed)
 
Pool-play matches: vs. St. James Academy (2: 33-3), 4:30 p.m.; vs. Maize South (3: 31-5), 5:30 p.m.; vs. Seaman (6: 30-8), 7:30 p.m.
 
Key Players: Skylar Weaver, sr., OH; Anna Laincz, jr., OH; Taelyn Jones, sr., DS/L; Jessi Ritchhart, sr., DS/L; Ashlynn Jaccard, jr., MH; Tabor Scanlon, jr., S; Virginia Van Der Werff, jr., MH.
 
Worth noting: Lions captured first Class 5A state championship last season, beating St. James Academy 25-20, 25-22 in championship match to cap 38-1 season. … Graduation claimed five starters and head coach Lindsay Zych left in March to take Bishop Miege job. … Jason Jones is Lansing’s boys basketball coach and is co-head coaching volleyball with wife, Kim, who has coached at a handful of prior stops. … Trip to state is ninth straight for the program and 24^th overall with Lions finishing in top four each of the past five seasons with a runner-up finish in 2020 and thirds in 2017, 2018 and 2019. … Weaver and Jones are lone returning starters from state title squad. … Weaver has 227 kills and 228 digs. … Laincz leads team with 345 kills and has 197 digs and 32 aces. … Ritchhart leads team with 263 dig and Jones has 197. … Scanlon has 774 assists, 209 digs and team-high 45 aces. … Jaccard and Van Der Werff both missed last season with ACL injuries, but have anchored middle with 195 and 88 kills, respectively. … Van Der Werff has team-high 48 blocks. … Lions finished runner-up in United Kansas Conference to fellow 5A qualifier Seaman. … Four of eight losses came to state-qualifying teams.
 


 
MAIZE SOUTH
 
Coach: Alexis Head
 
Record: 31-5 (No. 3 seed)
 
Pool-play matches: vs. Seaman (6: 30-8), 3:30 p.m.; vs. Lansing (7: 26-8), 5:30 p.m.; vs. St. James Academy (2: 33-3), 8:30 p.m.
 
Key Players: Camdyn Stucky, jr., S; Gracie Morrow, jr., OH; Jillian Gregory, so., OH; Avery Lowe, sr., MB; Carly Koster, jr., MH.
 
Worth noting: Trip to state is fifth straight for the Mavericks and first under Alexis Head, who previously coached at Wichita East. … Mavericks’ best finish is a fourth in 2020. … Mavericks have won the Ark Valley Chisholm Trail Division I title the past four years, going 11-1 in league play this season. … Mavericks also won the Ottawa Tournament. … Two losses came to fellow 5A qualifiers Seaman and Bishop Carroll at Emporia Tournament late in the season and another came to 5A qualifier Hutchinson for the lone league loss. … Only other losses came to 6A Olathe West, which was the No. 1 East seed before getting knocked off in sub-state. … Mavericks have great size with five six-footers in starting rotation. … Morrow leads team with 307 kills and also has 197 digs and 33 blocks. … Stucky is transfer from Wichita Northwest who is committed to Tennessee and has 740 assists, 114 kills, 34 blocks, 47 aces and 139 digs. … Gregory has 296 kills. … Lowe has 65 blocks and Koster has 54 blocks.
 


 
SEAMAN
 
Coach: Tatiana Dowling
 
Record: 30-8 (No. 6 seed)
 
Pool-play matches: vs. Maize South (3: 31-5), 3:30 p.m.; vs. St. James Academy (2: 33-3), 6:30 p.m.; vs. Lansing (7: 26-8), 7:30 p.m.
 
Key Players: Laynee Brown, sr., L; Brooklyn Gormley, jr., MH; Taylin Stallbaumer, jr., S/RS; Maegan Mills, so., OH; Reagan McGivern, so., MH
 
Worth noting: Vikings finished fourth at state last year, falling to Lansing in semifinals and St. Thomas Aquinas in third-place match. … Trip was third straight under Dowling, who is 160-71 in 6 seasons as coach. … Seaman went undefeated in first season in United Kansas Conference, including win over fellow 5A qualifier Lansing. … Vikings also won home tournament and were runner-up to Washburn Rural at Emporia Invitational. … Two of Vikings’ losses came to Rural and three other losses came to state qualifiers, including 5A foes Aquinas and St. James Academy. … Vikings battled injuries throughout the season with Stallbaumer missing first month and a half and losing sophomore Ava Esser to knee injury. … Mills leads team with 344 kills and Gormley has 238 and McGivern 154. … Gormley has 53 blocks and McGivern 52. … Campbell Charbot leads team with 463 assists while Stallbaumer has 284.
 


 
ST. JAMES ACADEMY
 
Coach: Nancy Dorsey
 
Record: 33-3 (No. 2 seed)
 
Pool-play matches: vs. Lansing (7: 26-8), 4:30 p.m.; vs. Seaman (6: 30-8), 6:30 p.m.; vs. Maize South (3: 31-5), 8:30 p.m.
 
Key Players: Ava Spachek, jr., LS; Reese Messer, so., S; Heidi Devers, jr., DS; Julia Headley, jr., MB; Mya Bolton, jr., DS; Kate McKnight, sr., LS/MB; Ella Goodwin, jr., LS; Kate Blaesing, jr., DS; Lauren Brown, sr., DS; Leah Robinson, fr., LS.
 
Worth noting: Since opening in 2007, St. James has reached the state finals every year but twice – its first season in 2007 and in 2020 when the Thunder fell in the quarterfinals to St. Thomas Aquinas in a revamped bracket. … Thunder have won nine state titles under Dorsey and finished second five times, including last year to Lansing. … Thunder’s lone losses this year have come to fellow 5A qualifier Aquinas (twice) and Lafayette-Wildwood (Mo.). … Thunder finished second to Aquinas in Eastern Kansas League. … St. James won tourney titles at Olathe South, SM Northwest and Olathe Northwest. … Headley leads balanced offense with 226 kills while McKinght has 192, Goodwin 168 and Spachek 167. … Messer has 700 assists and 113 kills. … Bolton has 356 digs and four others have more than 130. … Six players have at least 20 aces led by Brown’s 50.
 


 
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
 
Coach: Sarah Ikenberry
 
Record: 35-3 (No. 1 seed)
 
Pool-play matches: vs. Bishop Carroll (8: 28-9), 4:30 p.m.; vs. Hutchinson (5: 30-7), 6:30 p.m.; vs. Andover Central (4: 33-7), 8:30 p.m.
 
Key Players: Betsy Goodenow, sr., RS/OH; Reagan Anderson, sr., L; Alea Goolsby, so., OH; Tatum Grimes, jr., MH; Kesley Schenck, jr., S/RS.
 
Worth noting: After capturing state championships in 2019 and 2020, Saints finished third at state last year, falling in semifinals to rival St. James Academy. … Aquinas has seven state titles overall as well as numerous runner-up and top-four finishes. … Saints were champions of ultra-tough Eastern Kansas League that produced six state qualifiers, going undefeated in league play. … Two of three losses came to Class 6A No. 1 seed Washburn Rural and the other to Missouri power Liberty North. … Saints won the Mo/Kan Invitational and Skutt Catholic (Neb.) Invitational, tourneys against out-of-state competition. … Goodenow leads team in kills with 322, hitting at a .349 clip. … Goolsby has 289 kills and Grimes has 195. … Schenck is heart of team and has 639 assists this year and more than 1,700 in her career. … Grimes has 91 blocks. … Anderson leads Saints with 288 digs and Schenck has 198.