OVERLAND PARK — The taste of just missing a state title still lingers with Blue Valley West. 

The Jaguars fell 2-1 to Mill Valley in the Class 6A championship match last November as Mill Valley went on to win its second straight state crown. Those feelings of loss are still prevalent, and it has fueled them all throughout the offseason. 

“I think coming up short has motivated us to not be complacent even if we’ve had success at the start of this season,” Blue Valley West coach Jessica Horstick said. “We know our end goal and we know that we have a big target on our back. We have to keep reaching to be better every single day so that by the end of the season, we are performing at our highest level yet.” 

Blue Valley West is certainly performing at a high level right now and it is just a couple weeks into the season. The Jaguars faced three ranked teams to begin their 2025 schedule and have won all three.  

It started on Aug. 30 when the Jaguars (No. 2 in Class 6A) squared off with Blue Valley Southwest (No. 2 in 5A) in the St. James Slam, and came away with a 25-23 and 25-20 win. 

On Sept. 2, Blue Valley West hosted Olathe West (No. 3 in 6A) and the Jaguars took care of business in the 25-17, 25-23 and 27-25 victory. The Jaguars overcame a 20-15 deficit in both the second and third sets to get the sweep. 

Blue Valley West then followed it up with a 25-15, 25-18, 25-19 win over Olathe North (No. 8 in 6A), to begin the season with three straight victories. 

“Going in we knew that first week and a half or so would be challenging, but we also knew these girls had it in them to perform at a high level from the start,” Horstick said. “We have really been pushing having fun with this group as much as we can. They are high level athletes that we know will bring the will to win every match, so we want to make sure we are still enjoying the ride while it’s happening.” 
 

Junior Peyton Kubik has been key to the run for Blue Valley West. Kubik, a University of Pittsburgh commit, plays all six rotations and currently leads the team with 33 kills, seven blocks and 25 digs. Sophomore Jensen Kubik is the second on the team with 28 kills and also has 18 digs.  

The Jaguars run a two-setter offense with Nyah Harris leading the way 46 assists and junior Sasha Cromer has 27. Another sophomore, Aliyah Harris, has had a nice start from behind the service line with 11 aces. Senior Alyssa Young is one of the team’s top defenders in the back row with 20 digs. 

“We also are really focused on serve and pass,” Horstick said. “We know that when we get in those high-level matches, serving and passing makes the difference most of the time, so if you come to one of our practices, you’ll see us spending a lot of time on those two skills.  

“Having success early has been great, but we are always thinking about October in the back of our minds. Even if the result isn’t necessarily what we want right now, how can we get better before October is here? How can we improve every point? We love getting wins, but we know there is always room to improve and that the target on our back gets bigger and bigger with every win we get. We can’t stop getting better, because everyone else is getting better, too.” 

 

PAOLA OFF TO FAST START IN FRONTIER LEAGUE 

It didn’t take long for Paola to make a little program history as the Panthers got their season started with a bang. 

For the first time since 2014, the Panthers defeated Spring Hill — the defending Frontier League champion — 25-14, 20-25, 25-16 and 26-24 to begin their league schedule by beating one of the favorites going into the season. Paola ended their season in 2024 in a 22-13 record and a loss to Topeka-Hayden in the sub-state finals.

Ellie Trachsel led the Panthers from behind the service line with five aces. Kinzley Meinig paced the team with 15 kills, while Trachsel and Berkley Meinig had seven each. Trachsel contributed all-around for the Panthers as she also had 24 digs and Caylee Crawford had 20. Kamryn Winterscheid and Vanessa Haas had 18 and 15 assists, respectively. 

"Our seniors decided ‘win from within’ as the motto for the season, and I think they are showing that on the court and on the bench every game,” Paola coach Marie Palmer said. “The girls have been doing some mental training and resetting at practice. They have been working on not letting one mistake spiral into more.  I like to think that their ‘resets’ have allowed for them to bounce back.”  

Paola followed that up with a 25-11, 25-21 and 25-10 win over Leavenworth, before getting another league win — this time on the road at Tonganoxie on Sept 9. The Panthers downed the Chieftains in a 5-set battle, 25-15, 31-29, 24-26, 23-25 and 15-11 victory to begin league play with a 2-0 record. 

Then on Sept. 11, the Panthers hosted Wellsville and came away with a 25-23, 23-25, 25-17 and 25-15 win to move to 4-0 on the season. In the match, Crawford made a little history for herself as she recorded her 500th career dig. 
 

“The girls are like one big family,” Palmer said. “Everyone supports each other, no matter who’s on the court, and it shows in the energy they bring. It wasn’t just one person carrying us, it was everyone stepping up and making plays.” 

OTHER VOLLEYBALL STANDOUTS 

• Eudora sophomore Braydee Miller is off to a fast start to her 2025 season as she set a new personal best record for kills in a match. Miller registered 31 kills in a 5-set loss to De Soto on Sept. 4. 
   

  

• Frontenac setter Ellie Bloom made some personal history of her own last weekend as she recorded her 1,000th career assist at the Nevada (Mo.) Tournament.  

• De Soto is off to a perfect start to its season as the Wildcats won their first six matches under new coach Justina Smith. They opened their season with a triangular sweep over Pleasant Hill (Mo.) and Lawrence High, before outlasting Eudora for a 3-2 win on Sept. 4. Since that time, they have earned sweeps over Ottawa, Heritage Christian and Tonganoxie. Senior middle blocker Chloe Kmiecik leads the team with 46 kills and 15 blocks, while sophomore Maci McDowell has 41. Freshman Isabel Galmarini leads the Wildcat defense with 46 digs. Setters Kylie Groves and Peyton Gab have 65 and 62 assists, respectively.