While last year’s 17-15 record might not jump off at the page as an immediate indictor for Marais des Cygnes Valley’s breakout 2024 volleyball season, Trojan coach Melissa Criqui said the proof wasn’t necessarily in the final numbers.
 
“Last year, we didn’t start out that well,” Criqui said. “But we really improved as the season went along.”
 
Nothing spoke louder to that improvement than the Trojans’ showing in the Lyon County League. After finishing sixth out of eight teams in the regular-season standings, MdCV jumped up to a third-place finish at the league tournament at the end of the season.
 
“They’re just a group that competes,” Criqui said. They work hard whether it’s in practice, over the summer, in basketball, in softball. They just compete and they fight hard.”
 
The late-season surge didn’t result in a volleyball state berth last fall, but the momentum continued into basketball where the Trojans did indeed make it to the Class 1A Division II state tournament, ending a 20-year state drought. The carryover has continued this fall with the Trojans enjoying its best season in two decades.
 
MdCV captured the title at the Hartford Invitational on Sept. 21 and is currently on a nine-match winning streak to push its season record to 19-6. That includes a 3-0 start in league play.
 
The title at Hartford was the first tourney crown of any kind for the program since 2003, which is also the last time the Trojans qualified for the state tournament.
 
After losing just two seniors off last year’s team, MdCV returned a strong core of underclassmen led by a junior class that features top returning hitters Gracen Stahl and Colbie Cormode and setter Akyra Traver. The hole left by the loss of last year’s leading hitter, Olivia Lacey, has more than be filled by freshman Emily Criqui (Melissa’s daughter), whose 215 kills are more than double the next Trojan.
 
But there is plenty of balance to complement her with Stahl, Cormode, Traver and lone senior Izzy Staggs – a transfer a year ago who could only play JV in 2023 – all having at least 52 kills. Stahl, Cormode and Steggs all have at least 19 blocks and Traver has shared setting duties with junior Kadence Masenthin, each with at least 163 assists.
 
“They just fit well together and have played a lot of ball together,” Criqui said. “Last year, we were still trying to figure out positions and what worked for us and we made some adjustments and it’s paid off.”
 
The group also is no stranger to experiencing success on the volleyball court. MdCV’s junior, sophomore and freshmen classes all were part of league championship teams at the junior high level.
 
“It’s been an ongoing progression of success,” Criqui said. “They know what it feels like to win and they want to keep doing it. 
 
MdCV began this season with runner-up finishes at the Burlingame and Lyndon Invitationals, which in itself was exciting enough for the Trojan players. They lost twice to Lyndon at Burlingame and then fell twice to league rival Lebo at Lyndon.
 
At Hartford, the Trojans were able to bounce back from a pool-play opening three-set loss to Chase County and topped the Bulldogs in the finals 25-20, 25-23.
 
“It’s been a minute,” Criqui said of the drought-ending Hartford title. “Even getting second in the two tournaments was pretty exciting for them, but they were itching for a first. That was our goal and it was a mental battle coming out and losing in three to Chase County to start the day. I told them after the game, ‘We’re going to see them again, so let’s get over it.’
 
“It was our third straight weekend with a tournament and so the girls we used to spending 12 hours on the court and they knew how to battle through being tired and coming out on top.”
 
MdCV already has shown improvement this season. After falling twice to Lyndon on the first weekend of the season, the Trojans dominated the Tigers 25-11, 25-16 last week.
 
Criqui hopes her team can give Lebo a better fight for the league title with three losses to the Wolves all in straight sets. But thanks to the new sub-state breakdown of Class 1A into four quadrants where the Trojans can control their destiny in regards to their postseason opponents, she and the Trojans are excited about the possibilities.
 
“We can’t be content and we have to keep getting better because we’re going to see better teams if we’re wanting to get out of sub-state,” Criqui said. “We’ve got an opportunity and we’re excited about the format. These girls got a taste of state in basketball last year and they want that in volleyball too.”
 

 
OTHER VOLLEYBALL STANDOUTS

• Addison Budke moved to No. 3 on the state’s all-time career kills list after she went over 2,000 in her career at the Republic County Invitational. Budke had 41 kills at the tourney and then added 61 in seeps of Sacred Heart and Southeast of Saline and a win over Clay Center (28 in that match) to give her 2,063 on her career, putting her only behind Hutchinson Central Christian’s Jamie Patrick (2,635) and Washburn Rural’s Brooklyn DeLeye (2,090). Behind Budke’s milestone, Beloit captured the title at Republic County, going 5-0 ion the day and beating Hanover 25-15, 25-16 in the finals.

 

• Silver Lake claimed the crown at the Rossville Invitational, going 5-0 and beating Rossville in the title match. Kylie Hanni had 126 assists on the day while Ella Bolan had 54 kills and Jaiden Wise had 31 kills. Jaylie Whitehead had 57 digs and Alana Brewster had 11 blocks and 27 kills.
• Seaman went 6-0 on the day and took the title at its home tournament. Maegan Mills was named the tourney MVP.
• Nemaha Central claimed the championship at the Wamego Invitational.
• Goessel won the Olpe Round-Robin Tournament for the second straight year, going 5-0 to move to 19-2 on the season.
• Sacred Heart’s Skyler Douglas surpassed 500 serve receives in late September.
• St. Marys pulled off a sweep of No. 9 Rossville on Sept. 19, taking 25-18, 25-18 and 21-25, 25-19, 25-21 wins. Hayden Heim had 35 kills, 12 digs and 8 blocks on the night while Isabel Hurla had 46 assists and 14 digs. On the season, Heim has 204 kills and 94 blocks and Hurla has 312 assists.
• Waverly’s Josie Romig made the all-tournament team at the Humboldt Invitational after having 36 kills and 18 digs on the day. During two pool play matches, Romig hit at .667 and .565 efficiency.
• Horton’s Carly Hutfles has 222 kills, 41 aces and 35 blocks this season.

 
 
CROSS COUNTRY STANDOUTS

• After breaking the state record the previous week, Seaman’s Ryin Miller made another big statement by taking the title in the Gold Division race at the Rim Rock Classic in Lawrence last weekend. Miller finished in 17:14.1 to beat Salina Central’s Kaytlie Shultz by 3.3 seconds while defending Class 5A champion Katelyn Rupe of Central was third in 17:20.3.
• Wabaunsee’s Payton Wurtz broke the course record at the Chargers’ home meet by 40 seconds with a time of 19:15, which matches the school record she set earlier this year.
• Hayden’s Elliot Wrench broke the Wildcats’ girls school record, finishing in 19:50. That broke the record of 20:01 set last year by teammate Sofia Harper. Wildcat boy Connor Baldwin broke 17 minutes for the first time in his career.
• Even in losing top runner Peyton Parker to a minor injury during the race, Wamego’s boys were able to still come away with the team title at the Clay Center Invitational by two points over Chapman. Isaac Ibendahl finished second to Chapman standout Drew Elliott. Wamego’s boys then placed second as a team in the Crimson race at the Rim Rock Classic. Parker came back and took fifth.
• In placing 16^th for the Wamego girls, Shayne Pittenger-Reed broke the school record with her time of 20:27.1, breaking the old mark by a half second set last year by Elsie Rickstrew.
• Osage City’s girls won the team title at the Northern Heights Karr Classic, placing four in the top 20. Emory Speece and Jaiton Bosse went 2-3 to lead the way.
• St. Marys boys won the team title at the Royal Valley Invitational with Benny Jones capturing the individual title in 18:25.06 and leading three Bears in the top five.
• Connor Burkdoll and Cody Hammond went 1-2 to lead Central Heights to the boys’ team title at the Wellsville Invitational. All six Viking boys were in the top 11 with Owen and Stetson Miller finishing 4-5. Burkdoll came back to take runner-up in the boys Blue Division at the Rim Rock Invitational to lead the Vikings to the team title. Burkdoll was seventh.

 

• Ellsworth sophomore Molly Ehrlich picked up the first victory of her career at the St. John Invitational, leading the Bearcats to a third-place team finish, one point behind Ellinwood. Ehrlich’s winning time of 21:18 was a personal best. She then broke the school record at the Southeast of Saline Invitational last week, taking fourth in 20:42. Teammate Wesley Rathbun ran a personal best in the boys race in 18:50.
• Hiawatha sophomore Pauly Rockey is off to a strong start with finishes of third, first, second and 17^th in her first four meets, the latter coming aat Rim Rock.
• After taking runner-up at the Nemaha Central Invitational, Axtell’s Gavin Shaughnessy took 37^th at the Rim Rock Classic.