Sub-State tournaments cap busy day in Kansas

UPDATE: Friday's State pairings are now up at the KSHSAA site here.

Find complete Sub-State volleyball results at the KSHSAA website here and check out Conor Nicholl's wrap-up below:

Smith Center reaches destination, Linn continues Hall of Fame career

WaKEENEY – Smith Center coach Nick Linn is in his 34th season and carries a career record of 886-325. This fall, Linn has seven seniors, paced by setter Bree Frieling, a four-year starter and returning first team all-state player.

Additionally, the seniors include: Lizzy Pfortmiller, Kendra Maydew, Emma Enochs, Sharon Topel, Maddy Koelsch and libero Jessalyn Kirchhoff. 

SC has two sophomores in the rotation with Ashlyn Long and 6-footer Tallon Rentschler, an honorable mention all-state pick as a freshman. Frieling, Rentschler, Pfortmiller and Maydew are returning starters.

“This is probably been my largest group that has played all the way through,” Linn said. “And we have a couple girls that haven’t played for us, and this year we gave them a role, and they have done a good job in that role.”

On Saturday, Linn and Smith Center exuded smiles and pure joy after winning the Class 2A WaKeeney sub-state at Trego Community High School. Smith Center, the third-place team in 2A last year, beat the host Golden Eagles, 25-18, 25-12, in the championship.

Garden Plain, Alma-Wabaunsee and Colgan were also among the 2A qualifiers. The quartet took the top four spots at state last fall. The state tournament is next Friday and Saturday at Dodge City. Smith Center was part of a wild day of sub-states that saw three traditional powers (4A Bishop Miege, 3A Hesston and 1A Centralia) not reach state.

“They are just a really, really fun group, a hard-working group, and I am just so happy for them, because anything short of what happened today would have been hard to handle in the locker room,” Linn said. “So I think we are going to be ready for the state tournament, I really do. It’s a lot of tough teams in 2A, up and down the lineup.”
Linn noticed some nerves in practice this week, but the players also surprised the coaching staff with a dance at the end of Friday’s practice.

“The ‘Watermelon crawl,’” Frieling said with a smile. “You guys should look it up. It’s pretty cool. It’s just a couple of dances, and then at the end of the practice, we were all just goofing off. Mr. Linn was like, ‘All right, it’s time to get on the line.’ And getting on the line means that we are going to run. So, we had one of our managers go back and play the music, and then we just started. … And that just shows what a great team we are. We always do fun things.”

Smith Center (34-4) was the sub-state’s top seed and was fifth in the final 2A rankings. WaKeeney-Trego finished 24-12.

“That really helps us out because we have such great connections, because we have started out so young together,” Frieling said. “We are very bonded and nothing really gets in between us. We are a good team. We have always played together. We have done little girls’ volleyball, little girls’ basketball. We are always together. We are always friends. We have all the same classes together even, so we spend our whole day together.”

The Lady Red are 16-0 versus Trego since ’07. On Sept. 3, Smith Center required three sets to beat the Golden Eagles, one of three wins versus Trego this fall. SC also took losses to TMP and Phillipsburg earlier in the season. 

Last week, Smith Center won the Mid-Continent League tournament with wins against TMP and Phillipsburg. Frieling said SC was “redeemed” and had a confidence boost from beating TMP, which was ranked No. 8 in 3A. The seniors were 2-8 versus the Monarchs in their careers before the three-set comeback Oct. 19.

“We have improved a lot, but our practices are good everyday,” Linn said.

On Saturday, SC beat Oakley and Hoxie in the first two rounds. Trego, the No. 3 seed, defeated second-seeded Ellinwood (32-5) in the semifinals in a three-set comeback win. 

“Our whole thing was ‘popping their bubble,’” Frieling said of facing WaKeeney. “That’s what we telling each other when we came into our huddle was ‘Pop the bubble.’”
SC trailed WaKeeney, 16-13, in the first set. Then, Smith Center finished on a 12-2 run.

The team frequently utilizes Twitter to connect with fans. Managed by assistant coach Denyse Kattenberg, the Lady Red Volleyball/Basketball account has regularly used the hashtags #DestinationDodge and #businessasusual with posts.

“The one thing I feel like really helped us is we have been through this so many times this year, and I really believe that,” Linn said. “We have had a really, really tough schedule, and it prepares us for this.”

Rentschler, who led the state in total blocks as a freshman, had a key solo block in the first set for a 21-18 lead. She finished the first set with nine kills. 

“She really carried us in the front row, I thought today,” Linn said. “A great kid. Sometimes you let ego get in the way. That’s not her. There’s not a kid on our team that is self-centered, anything like that. It’s not about them. It’s about the whole team.”

Pfortmiller had three kills in the first set. Smith Center consistently used power or found angles, especially in the back of the court.

“She has hit angle hits all year long around the blocks, and just amazingly she has done it,” Linn said of Pfortmiller. “Tallon just powers it through you.”

The Lady Red had a 7-0 run in the second to break a 5-5 tie. Afterward, Smith Center celebrated on the court, and even briefly lifted Linn into the air.

“They really, really in my mind deserved this outcome today just by the work that they have put in,” Linn said.

Class 6A –Derby with big turnaround, into the state tournament for first time in 17 years

Derby was unranked two weeks ago, and and then vaulted to seventh in the poll. The Panthers advanced to the state tournament for the first time since 2002. Derby defeated Liberal, 25-8, 25-14, in the sub-state title game. Coach Shelby Kraus led the Panthers to state trips in ’01 and ’02. 

Derby features Sydney Nilles, a team captain and Newman basketball commit. Sophomore Tatum Boettjer, a 6-foot-2 outside hitter/blocker has provided a huge season after she transferred from Towanda-Circle. Boettjer has more than 230 kills and 50 blocks.

Other state qualifiers are Garden City (32-3), Washburn Rural (36-5), Blue Valley (28-8), Blue Valley North (25-8), Gardner-Edgerton (26-9), Shawnee Mission Northwest (28-10) and Lawrence Free State (24-11). Garden City’s Reagan Karlin has committed to Creighton. Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick recently picked up his 900th career victory. 

In the last coaches’ poll, Blue Valley was ranked first, with Garden City second, WR third and Blue Valley North fourth. G-E ranked fifth, while Shawnee Mission Northwest is sixth, and Free State is ninth.

Class 5A – Aquinas leads favorites advancing; 5A full of D1 players

Class 5A is likely the state’s best volleyball class with two elite teams and plenty of Division I commits. The favorites qualified, which should have many of the state’s top players facing off against each other.

St. Thomas Aquinas and St. James Academy have both been ranked in the top-25 nationally this year. SJA is the two-time defending champion and moved to state with a 35-2 mark. Aquinas stands at 29-6.  Last year, SJA defeated Aquinas, 26-24, 20-25, 34-32, in the state title. 

SJA’s Anna Feldkamp has committed to Loyola of Chicago, and Thunder libero Ellie Bolton to Creighton. Aquinas’ Caroline Bien has committed to Kansas. Aquinas was No. 24 in the latest USA Today poll.

Other state qualifiers:

Maize South (38-2), Spring Hill (36-2), Lansing (30-4), Bishop Carroll (33-6), Andover (32-6) and Goddard (33-7).  SJA, Spring Hill, Aquinas, Lansing and Maize South are ranked 1-5 in the final poll. Carroll stands eighth and Andover tenth.

Carroll’s Ella Larkin led the Golden Eagles to a victory against rival Kapaun in the final. Larkin has committed to play indoor and beach volleyball at LSU.

Maize South features setter Laurel Jones, a Marquette commit. Lansing has coach Julie Slater, who has more than 900 career victories. Lansing features Caroline Crawford and Karli Schmidt, both KU commits. Lansing has not lost since Crawford returned to the team after she competed with Team USA volleyball at the Girls’ U18 World Championships in Egypt. Lansing middle blocker Amelia Van Der Werff has committed to Middle Tennessee.

Class 4A – Louisburg defeats Miege; eventually advances to state

Arguably the biggest semifinal matchup in the state came in Class 4A when Louisburg faced Bishop Miege in the 7/10 matchup. Last year, Miege defeated Louisburg in the state championship game. Both teams play a highly challenging schedule. Louisburg had an 18-15 record, and Miege was 14-20, though each was ranked in the top-four in the final coaches’ poll. Miege had won three in a row versus Louisburg. However, the Wildcats beat Miege, 25-17, 25-22, and then defeated top-seeded Atchison, 25-13, 25-15.

The other qualifiers are:

Andale (33-2), Independence (33-3), Towanda-Circle (31-6), Holton (28-11), Nickerson (26-12), Eudora (25-14) and Topeka Hayden (25-14). Andale has been ranked first throughout the year, while Indy was fifth in the coaches’ poll. Circle (seventh), Holton (ninth), Nickerson (eighth), Eudora (tenth) and Hayden (second) were all ranked. Nickerson came out of a sub-state that also had No. 6-ranked Chapman. Nickerson beat Chapman, 25-22, 15-25, 25-21, in the final.

Class 3A – Cheney advances out of challenging Haven sub-state; .500 Burlington qualifies

Last season, Silver Lake defeated Burlington for the state title, while Beloit was third and Hesston fourth. The top-three teams are back, though Burlington and Hesston were each involved in slight upsets. 

Silver Lake (29-11) and Beloit (37-3) are again favorites after winning their respective sub-states. SL has seniors Lexi Cobb and Daryn Lamprecht, and Beloit features Shea Larson and its highly efficient offense.

Burlington entered sub-state 15-18, though was part of a wide-open sub-state with no ranked teams. No. 4 seeded Wildcats beat No. 5 Cherryvale (25-12, 25-16) and then beat top-seeded Eureka (25-10, 22-25, 25-18). In the finals, Burlington beat Humboldt, 25-12, 25-22.

The Haven regional was possibly the best in the state with Hesston, Cheney and Wichita Trinity. Hesston was ranked fourth, Trinity Academy second and Cheney tenth. Hesston and Trinity were both 31-6, and Cheney was 28-8 entering Saturday.

Hesston had defeated Cheney this year. Trinity, Hesston, and Cheney had all beaten each other. Cheney defeated Trinity, 25-12, 25-15, in the semifinals. In the championship, the Cardinals defeated Hesston, 25-18, 23-25, 25-17.

The rest of the qualifiers are Frontenac (39-4), Royal Valley (34-6), Phillipsburg (29-10) and Nemaha Central (27-14). Royal Valley, led by Ivy Fink, is ranked No. 1. Frontenac is ranked ninth, while Phillipsburg and Nemaha Central were both not ranked. 

NC defeated Sabetha, 25-17, 24-26, 25-19, in the title. Phillipsburg, with veteran coach Terra Keeten, came out of the Colby regional with an 18-25, 25-21, 25-17 victory. Sabetha was ranked sixth, Scott City ninth.

Class 2A: Garden Plain defeats Sedgwick; Wabaunsee advances

In addition to Smith Center, the highlighted regional was Sterling. Defending champion Garden Plain beat Sedgwick, 25-20, 25-20. Garden Plain is the defending state champion and is 30-9. The Owls handed Sedgwick both of its losses; the Cardinals were 34-0 in all other matches.

Alma-Wabaunsee (36-3) qualified out of its own regional. Wabaunsee is the defending state runner-up to Garden Plain. Wabaunsee allowed 29 points or fewer in all three victories. At Arma-Northeast, Colgan (41-2) had similar dominance.

The Panthers, the fourth-place team at state in ’18, permitted no more than 27 points in each of their three wins. Spearville (35-2) was the heavy favorite at Elkhart and qualified for state, though needed three sets to beat Pratt-Skyline in the semifinals. 

The Lancers held off Medicine Lodge (25-19, 25-23) in the sub-state title. Spearville is the defending 1A runner-up. The Lancers qualified for state for the sixth time in nine years under ninth-year coach Syble Thompson.

Top-seeded Belle Plaine prevailed out of the competitive Leon-Bluestem regional. BP held off Hillsboro, 26-24, 23-25, 25-20, in the championship match and improved to 34-6.
Host Jefferson County North advanced out of the parity-laden JCN sub-state with a 25-15, 25-18 championship win versus top-seeded Jackson Heights. The No. 2-seeded Chargers are 32-8.

Class 1A – Upset: Host Centralia falls in Centralia sub-state No. 2

Two-time defending state champion Centralia lost in the sub-state championship game to Clifton-Clyde, 25-19, 25-16, in one of the state’s biggest upsets. 

Legendary coach Kimbrook Tennal retired after the Panthers won their 15th all-time volleyball title last fall. Centralia was the No. 2 seed and ranked second in the state behind Rural Vista. Clifton-Clyde was not in the top-10 but played a brutal schedule that included losses to Valley Heights, Smith Center, Thayer Central (Neb.) and Centralia during the regular season.

In the semifinals, C-C beat Beloit/St. John’s-Tipton, 25-13, 20-25, 25-20. BSJT was ranked ninth. Clifton-Clyde lost to Centralia three times previously this year, all by 2-0 scores, on Sept. 3, Sept. 24, and Oct. 1. This marked the first time the Eagles had even won a set versus Centralia since 2012. C-C was 0-16 versus Centralia since ’09, according to MaxPreps archives.

Centralia Sub-state No. 1 – No. 1-ranked Rural Vista improved to 38-4 with a 25-21, 15-25, 25-15 victory versus Frankfort. This is the first time RV volleyball has qualified since Hope and White City started its co-operative agreement.

Greensburg-Kiowa County No. 1 – Second-seeded Minneola (32-8) defeated Little River, 20-25, 25-22, 25-18, to advance to state for the first time in school history. Little River was ranked sixth in the coaches’ poll, and Minneola was not in the top-10. In the semifinals, LR beat Attica, 26-24, 25-15. Attica was ranked seventh in the coaches’ poll. Minneola has eight more wins than last year.

Greensburg-Kiowa County No. 2 – Cunningham has played very well down the stretch and qualified for state with a 25-21, 22-25, 25-17 win versus South Gray. The Wildcats are 35-6. Cunningham opened 10-5 and has not lost since Oct. 5. The Wildcats moved from eighth to fourth in the last coaches’ poll.

Ransom-Western Plains No. 1- In a finals matchup of traditional powers - though neither was ranked in the final coaches’ poll – Central Plains defeated Wheatland-Grinnell, 25-16, 25-12. CP is 29-11.

Ransom-Western Plains No. 2 – After a tough sub-state championship loss to Wheatland-Grinnell in ’18, Victoria ended a long state drought with a 25-19, 25-22 victory versus Sharon Springs in the title game. Victoria was seeded eighth, but pulled a victory against top-seeded Golden Plains (25-22, 25-17). In the final, the Knights beat Wallace County, 25-19, 25-22. Victoria is 23-13 and reached state for the first time since 1991.

Rosalia-Flinthills No. 1 – Top-seeded Chetopa (38-5) defeated Udall, 25-16, 25-18, in the final. Chetopa was ranked eighth in 1A.

Rosalia-Flinthills No. 2 – Second-seeded Olpe (31-10) beat No. 1 seed Argonia, 25-16, 25-18 to advance to state. Olpe was not ranked.