CLASS 1A DIVISION II
 
AT WHITE AUDITORIUM, EMPORIA
 

ARGONIA
 
Coach: Emily Coleman
 
Record: 38-6 (No. 4 seed)
 
Pool-play matches: vs. Wheatland-Grinnell (5: 31-9), 10 a.m.; vs. Linn (8: 23-17), 12 p.m.; vs. Hanover (1: 37-1), 3 p.m.
 
Sub-state results: beat Caldwell, 25-20, 25-18; beat Attica, 23-25, 25-16, 25-23.
 
Key Players: Autumn Coleman, jr., OH; Tori Morrison, jr., MH; Lakelyn Love, sr., MH; Kara Jones, jr., S; Lindsay Coleman, fr., OH.
 
Worth noting: After a decade absence, Argonia is back at state for the second straight year. … Argonia finished second in 2012, third in 2013 and fourth in 1996 but went 1-2 in pool play last year. … After losing twice to Attica during regular season, Raiders knocked the Bulldgos off in the sub-state finals to clinch state berth. … Two other losses came to 1A I qualifier Flinthills. … Raiders won Norwich and Dexter tournaments and took second at the Central-Burden and South Central Border League tournaments. … Jones has 682 assists this season and went over 2,000 career assists in mid-October. … Autumn Coleman has team-high 353 kills and also leads team in digs with 367 and aces with 70. … Morrison has 294 kills, 343 digs and 36 blocks. … Lindsay Coleman has 262 kills, 317 digs and 60 aces. … Love has 41 blocks and reached 500 career kills this season.
 

 
HANOVER
 
Coach: Melissa Holle
 
Record: 37-1 (No. 1 seed)
 
Pool-play matches: vs. Linn (8: 23-17), 11 a.m.; vs. Wheatland-Grinnell (5: 31-9), 1 p.m.; vs. Argonia (38-6), 3 p.m.
 
Sub-state results: beat Centre, 25-12, 25-10; beat Axtell, 25-21, 25-21.
 
Key Players: Anna Jueneman, sr., OH; Drew Bruna, so., MH; Katie Holle, jr., S; Ally Scheele, jr., L; Gracie Bruna, so., OH.
 
Worth noting: Hanover has finished top three at the 1A Division II state tournament each of the last four seasons, taking second to Lebo the past two years after winning back-to-back titles in 2020 and 2021. … The Wildcats also have a state title in 1979 and runner-up finish in 2016 among six total state appearances. … Hanover won the Twin Valley League regular-season title, going 12-0 in league play and then added the league tournament title as well. … Wildcats also won the Clifton-Clyde and Axtell Invitationals and were second at the Republic County Invitational, suffering its only loss of the season in the finals to 3A qualifier Beloit. … Jueneman is lone holdover from the 2021 championship team and has 260 kills and 471 digs this season. … Drew Bruna leads team with 296 kills and also has 73 blocks. … Holle has 804 assists and 308 digs. … Scheele has 598 digs. … Gracie Bruna has 164 kills and 336 digs.
 

 
INGALLS
 
Coach: Randy Rockhold
 
Record: 35-3 (No. 3 seed)
 
Pool-play matches: vs. Victoria (6: 26-14), 10 a.m.; vs. Otis-Bison (7: 25-14), 12 p.m.; vs. Lebo (2: 39-3), 3 p.m.
 
Sub-state results: beat Dighton, 26-24, 25-19; beat Cheylin, 25-18, 25-21.
 
Key Players: Olivia Stein, jr., OH; Jill Schmeeckle, so., MB; Remy Tate, sr., S; Kristy Teichroeb, sr., RS; Jennasey Stoudemire, so., MH; Leah Steinmetz, fr., OH; Abbie Reist, sr., L; Kaylee Birkholz, sr., U.
 
Worth noting: Ingalls making second state appearance in three years, the only state berths for the program. … Rockhold coached program from 1987-96 before becoming an administrator, but returned three years ago while still serving as the school’s superintendent. … Bulldogs went 0-3 in pool play in 2022. … Bulldogs were SPIAA League regular-season champions and beat 1A I qualifier South Gray twice during the season. … Bulldogs also won tourney titles at Hodgeman County and Moscow. … Only losses came to South Gray, and Spearville (twice). … Bulldogs set school record with 35-3 record and Rockhold got his 300^th career win this season. … Stein is one of top hitters in the state and has 636 kills this season, giving her 1,896 in her career. … Her 56% hitting percentage ranks No. 2 nationally on programs that report stats to MaxPreps. … She also has 424 digs, 64 aces and 29 blocks. … Tate had 864 assists and 34 aces before suffering a season-ending knee injury in regional championship match. … She went over 2,000 career assists this season. … Schmeeckle moved from middle blocker to setter to fill Tate’s void during sub-state. … She has 228 kills and 54 blocks and has averaged 34 assists per match since changing positions. … Stoudemire has 102 kills, 164 digs and 40 blocks. … Steinmetz has 205 digs.
 

 
LEBO
 
Coach: Gina Peek
 
Record: 39-3 (No. 2 seed)
 
Pool-play matches: vs. Otis-Bison (7: 25-14), 11 a.m.; vs. Victoria (6: 26-14), 1 p.m.; vs. Ingalls (3: 35-3), 3 p.m.
 
Sub-state results: beat Southern Coffey County, 25-8, 25-11; beat Marais des Cygnes Valley, 25-15, 25-15.
 
Key Players: MH; Saige Hadley, sr., OH; Abi Jones, sr., S; Siara Crouch, sr., OH.
 
Worth noting: Wolves are two-time defending 1A Division II state champions, beating Hanover 25-20. 25-10 in last year’s title match to finish off a 40-3 season. … Wolves also beat Hanover for 2022 state title after finishing as state runner-up the previous two seasons, taking second to Central Plains in Class 1A Division I in 2020 and then to Hanover in 1A Division II in 2021. … Wolves also had runner-up finishes in 1994 and 2009 and have 10 state appearances since 1994. … Wolves are 84-4 over the past two seasons. … Lebo won Lyon County League regular-season title, its ninth straight season with a share or outright league title. … Wolves also won tourney titles at Lyndon and Scott City and finished second at Erie Invitational to 3A qualifier Girard. … Other losses came to Marais des Cygnes Valley in league tourney finals and Herington in second match of season. … Hadley was last year’s Division II player of the year. … Hadley and Jones have been All-State Tournament picks the past two years. … Hadley has 527 kills this season as well as 397 digs, 59 aces and 35 blocks. … Jones has 811 assists, 253 digs and 55 aces. … Crouch has 290 kills, 384 digs and 52 aces.
 

 
LINN
 
Coach: Amy Bott
 
Record: 23-17 (No. 8 seed)
 
Pool-play matches: vs. Hanover (1: 37-1), 11 a.m.; vs. Argonia (4: 38-6), 12 p.m.; vs. Wheatland-Grinnell (5: 31-9), 2 p.m.
 
Sub-state results: beat Elyria Christian, 25-18, 25-23; beat Beloit-St. John’s, 25-20, 25-12.
 
Key Players: Gretchen Bott, so., S; Marcela Huerta, sr., MH; Izzy Rogge, so., MH; Morgan Wurtz, sr., OH; Baileigh Peters, so., OH; Ella Oehmke, jr., RS; Geni Turk, so., L.
 
Worth noting: Bulldogs making first state appearance since 2020 and 10^th overall in program history. … Four of those previous trips ended with top-four finishes. … Bulk of this year’s losses came in ultra-tough Twin Valley League, which produced six state qualifiers. … Bulldogs took sixth at league tournament and top tourney finish was fourth at Sabetha. … Linn knocked out last year’s fourth-place finisher Beloit-St. John’s in sub-state finals. … Bott has 486 assists, 177 kills and 64 aces, leading team in all three categories. … Peters has 162 kills and 307 digs, while Huerta and Wurtz each have 113 kills. … Rogge has 41 blocks. … Turk has 332 digs and Peters has 307 and Wurtz 286. … Bulk of team are sophomores with just two seniors in starting rotation.
 

 
OTIS-BISON
 
Coach: Janelle Maier
 
Record: 25-14 (No. 7 seed)
 
Pool-play matches: vs. Lebo (2: 39-3), 11 a.m.; vs. Ingalls (3: 35-3), 12 p.m.; vs. Victoria (6: 26-14), 2 p.m.
 
Sub-state results: beat Hodgeman County, 25-20, 25-12; beat Bucklin, 25-15, 25-20.
 
Key Players: Destiny Mitchell, sr., OH; Zoey Schwindt, sr., OH; Emm Bahr, jr., S/H; Grace Smith, jr., L; Lily Schwindt, so., MH; Allie Smith, fr., MH; Bri Croisant, sr., S/H.
 
Worth noting: Cougars back at state for first time since 2020. … Maier led team to third-place finish in 2016, a runner-up showing in 2017 and state appearance in 2018. … Otis-Bison won 2A state championship in 1986 and took second in 1A in 1990, sandwiched by thirds in 1989 and 1991. … Mitchell has 273 kills and 181 digs and also qualified for state in cross country for the fourth straight year. … Zoey Schwindt moved from middle to outside hitter and has 167 kills. … Bahr has 304 assists and Croisant has 259. … Grace Smith leads team in serve receive and digs (185). … Cougars overcame loss of senior hitter Kaylee Ficken to early-season ankle injury.
 

 
VICTORIA
 
Coach: Sarah Nuss
 
Record: 26-14 (No. 6 seed)
 
Pool-play matches: vs. Ingalls (3: 35-3), 10 a.m.; vs. Lebo (2: 39-3), 1 p.m.; vs. Otis-Bison (7: 25-14), 2 p.m.
 
Sub-state results: beat Minneola, 25-16, 25-11; beat Western Plains, 25-15, 25-11.
 
Key Players: Myah Younger, jr., OH/MB/DS; Grace Younger, fr., S/OH.
 
Worth noting: Knights making fourth state appearance in Nuss’ nine years as head coach, including a three-year run from 2019-21 in Class 1A Division I. … Victoria finished fourth in 2021, its best state finish in program history. … Knights won the Otis-Bison/La Cross Invitational this season. … More than half of 14 losses came to ranked teams, including four state qualifiers – Ellinwood (three times), St. John (twice), Wheatland-Grinnell and Otis-Bison. … Myah Younger is team leader in kills with 262 and digs with 280. … Younger sister Grace is assists leader with 362 and aces leader with 54 and is second in digs with 245. … Nuss won her 200^th match in sub-state semifinals.
 

 
WHEATLAND-GRINNELL
 
Coach: Shannon Foster
 
Record: 31-9 (No. 5 seed)
 
Pool-play matches: vs. Argonia (4: 38-6), 10 a.m.; vs. Hanover (1: 37-1), 1 p.m.; vs. Linn (8: 23-17), 2 p.m.
 
Sub-state results: beat Golden Plains, 25-13, 25-22; beat Wallace County, 25-15, 25-19.
 
Key Players: Jocelyn Perez, sr., MB; Emily Heier, sr., S; Aliviah Ball, so., MB; Natalie Bixenman, so., OH; Abigail Cheney, sr., L.
 
Worth noting: Thunderhawks making fifth straight trip to state tournament and 13^th since 2008. … Lone title came in 2015, but Thunderhawks took second in 2007, 2010 and 2016 and third in 2012 and 2017. … Thunderhawks haven’t made it out of pool play the past three years. … Thunderhawks were undefeated Western Kansas Liberty League champions this season. … None of nine losses were to a 1A program with eight coming against 3A schools and the other to 2A Hoxie in the second match of the season. … Ball is the team leader in kills with 278, hitting percentage at .345 and blocks with 50. … Heier has 849 assists this season and went over 1,500 for her career, sitting at 1,723. … Bixenman has 248 kills and Perez has 219 kills and 49 blocks. … Cheney has the most serve receptions on the team and a 2.02 passing average. … Foster has 378-129 mark in 12 years, leading program to 10 of its state appearances.