Louisburg senior Haley Cain blocks an Olathe North shot at the net Saturday during the Louisburg Invitational. Cain and the Lady Cats finished second overall.

It certainly did end the way it
wanted, but the Louisburg volleyball team took a lot of positives Saturday following
the Louisburg Invitational.

The Lady Cats may have finished
second, but they picked up several wins along with the way and advanced to the championship
match where they squared off with Basehor-Linwood. Louisburg fell to the
Bobcats in two sets, but it was a step forward for the team this season.

“I thought we played pretty well throughout
the entire tournament,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “It’s always a
positive when you are playing in the championship, and even better when it’s
our home tournament. Overall, we had
fewer ups and downs throughout the tournament. We did hit a couple slumps, but
we were quicker to respond than we had been in the past.”

Louisburg opened the tournament strong as it went 3-0 in pool
play and it got started with a 25-14 and 25-16 win over Shawnee Mission West
and then downed Olathe North, 25-16 and 25-21. The Lady Cats finished it off
with an easy win over Heritage Christian, 25-4 and 25-7.

Once they got to the semifinals, the Lady Cats came up against their first challenge of the tournament against Shawnee Mission East. Louisburg found itself down 17-11 in the first set, but rallied to back to win 25-22 and 25-18.

Junior Carleigh Pritchard registered three
kills in the comeback, while senior Haley Cain recorded an ace and served
several points in a row for the Lady Cats in the first set. Tied at 19-all, senior
Riley Kallevig served an ace, Pritchard and senior Liz Jacobs recorded a kill and
sophomore setter Davis Guetterman tipped the ball over the East defense for a point
and a 23-20 lead.

“I was very happy to see how the team
responded and rallied back to win the first set,” Compliment said. “We were
down big and the team really stepped up and played to win rather than not to
win. It was a good match. “

Against Basehor-Linwood in the championship, Louisburg held an 8-5 lead early in the first set after a kill and block from Pritchard and an ace from Kallevig. Basehor eventually went on a run and took a 17-14 lead.

Jacobs recorded a kill to cut the Basehor lead to 20-19, but the Bobcats went on a 5-1 run to end the match and take the first set 25-20.

It was much of the same in the second
set.

Louisburg (12-8) jumped out to a 6-0 lead
after a kill and block from Cain, a block from junior Alyse Moore and an ace
from sophomore Rinny McMullen. Basehor then went on a 11-1 run to take an 11-7
lead.

The Lady Cats didn’t back down and
rallied to tie the match at 21-all after an ace from sophomore Chase Kallevig
and a kill from Riley Kallevig. Another Moore block kept the Louisburg
advantage at 22-21, but Basehor went on a mini 4-1 run to close the match out
at 25-23.

“Basehor is always a tough a team that we
typically see often throughout the season,” Compliment said. “It’s tough to
lose to them, but they are a talented team. I think we had opportunities where
we could have pushed a little harder and possibly won, but I still think the
team played well. A couple plays here or there could have changed the outcome.
We’ll see them again Saturday in Ottawa and hopefully it’ll be different
outcome.”

Jacobs led Louisburg at the net with five
kills against Basehor and senior Erin Lemke finished with four. Moore added a
team-high four blocks at the net, while Pritchard and Cain added three each.

McMullen and Guetterman both recorded
seven assists in the win, while McMullen led the team with 10 digs and senior
libero Reilly Ratliff-Becher added seven.

Against Shawnee Mission East, Pritchard
led the Lady Cat attack with seven kills, while Jacobs and Lemke added six and
five, respectively. McMullen registered three aces and 11 assists in the win,
while Chase Kallevig led the Lady Cats with seven digs.

Guetterman added a team-high 12 assists
in the semifinal win and McMullen finished with 11 of her own.

It was McMullen’s serving that was a big positive
for the Lady Cats on Saturday as she finished the five-match tournament with 16
aces. McMullen also served 16 consecutive points in the first set of the Lady
Cats’ win over Heritage Christian.

“Rinny’s always been a tough server,”
Compliment said. “She leads the team in aces and we definitely score a lot of
points while we’re in that rotation. It was fun to see her serve so well, and the
team responds to the energy those serves and plays bring.”

Louisburg returns to action tonight when
it hosts Baldwin in a Frontier League dual. The Lady Cats will then turnaround
on Thursday and travel to Tonganoxie.

Louisburg rolls Fort Scott, Girard

Before its home tournament, Louisburg traveled to Fort Scott on Thursday for triangular with Girard and left with a pair of easy victories.

Louisburg downed Fort Scott 25-16 and 25-14, and then followed it up with a 25-8 and 25-21 win over Girard.

Against Fort Scott, junior Carleigh
Pritchard led Louisburg with eight kills on the night and senior Riley Kallevig
added five. Seniors Haley Cain and Liz Jacobs both finished with four.

Serving was also strong for the Lady Cats
as they tallied eight aces in the match, including two from Cain, Kallevig and
sophomore Davis Guetterman. Senior libero Reilly Ratliff-Becher added a
team-high six digs and sophomore Chase Kallevig had five.

Sophomore setters Rinny McMullen and
Guetterman also had big nights as they tallied 13 and 12 assists, respectively.

It was a balanced attack against Girard
as Cain and Riley Kallevig each four kills in the win, while Jacobs, Pritchard
and junior Alyse Moore each had three.

McMullen had a team-high three aces, while Cain and Riley Kallevig both
finished with two. McMullen also led Louisburg with 11 assists.

Louisburg libero Reilly Ratliff-Becher runs down a ball Tuesday during a Frontier League dual at Ottawa High School. The Lady Cats defeated Ottawa, 3-1.

OTTAWA – The Louisburg volleyball
team found itself in a pivotal position on the road Tuesday in Ottawa.

In the midst of a five-game losing
streak, the Lady Cats had just lost a second set to Ottawa and the match was
all tied up at 1-all. They could have gone a couple different directions, but
the Lady Cats responded in dominating fashion.

Louisburg ended its losing skid as
it downed Ottawa, 25-20, 18-25, 25-14 and 25-14, and picked up its second
Frontier League win on the season and are now 2-2 in league play.

“We have had such a tough
schedule, we have seen some really good teams and have picked up some losses
along the way, so it is easy to sometimes second guess your confidence level,”
Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “I was happy to see us respond and get
the win. We came out strong, but that second set we just made too many errors
on our side and we needed to loosen up a little bit.”

It was the win the Lady Cats (6-7)
were looking for as they got off to a good start against the Cyclones.
Louisburg found itself down 8-5 in the first set, only to come charging back to
take the lead after sophomore Rinny McMullen served five straight points.

Sophomore Carleigh Pritchard,
along with seniors Liz Jacobs, Sydni Keagle and junior Alyse Moore all provided
kills to put Louisburg up 14-11 and the Lady Cats never looked back.

The Lady Cats weren’t the same
team in the second set as Ottawa took an early 6-5 advantage and never let up
as it extended its lead eight at one point. The Cyclones were able to tie the
match, but it only fueled Louisburg’s fire.

“Ottawa is an improved team and
they were able to dig up a lot of balls and it produced some exciting plays on
both ends of the floor,” Compliment said. “They have a couple pretty good
hitters, but I was happy to see us respond after that second set. You could
tell the girls were having a lot more fun late in the match and that is what we
need to see from them.”

Louisburg took a 15-7 lead in the third
set behind two aces from McMullen, along with kills from Haley Cain, Pritchard,
Jacobs and Keagle. Senior Riley Kallevig provided three kills down the stretch
to give the Lady Cats an 11-point win.

It was much of the same in the fourth. Pritchard registered three kills, a block, Jacobs had two kills and senior Reilly Ratliff-Becher had an ace to help give Louisburg a 13-7 lead. Chase and Riley Kallevig recorded aces late and Cain sealed it with a kill to give the Lady Cats a nice road victory.

McMullen was a factor all night
for Louisburg as she recorded 16 service points on her way to three aces and
also ran the offense well with a team-high 22 assists.

“Rinny is great as far as being a leader on the court and keeping everyone calm, but at the same time finding that urgency and drive out there,” Compliment said. “She has a way of cranking up the energy and I think her teammates feed off her. Her serves are ones that you can always count on to be aggressive and tough.”

Pritchard, the team’s middle
hitter, was a presence at the net as she led Louisburg with 13 kills on the
night and Jacobs was second with 10. Moore and Riley Kallevig added nine and
eight, respectively.

Defensively, Ratliff-Becher led
the team with 13 digs and Riley Kallevig was right behind her with 12.
Sophomore setter Davis Guetterman also finished in double figures with 10 digs
and added 18 assists to her line as well.

Louisburg will try and build some momentum tonight when it travels to Fort Scott for a triangular with Girard. Matches are set to begin at 5 p.m.

The Kansas State High School Activities Association released its classifications for the 2019-20 school year, along with the football classifications for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

There were a few changes in both areas, but more so on the football side.

Football classifications are determined based on enrollment figures in ninth, 10th and 11th grade. Louisburg is still in 4A with 432 students and is toward the lower half of the classification.

Entering Class 4A beginning in the 2020 school year will be St. James Academy, Lansing and Great Bend, who have all moved down from Class 5A. Wamego also made the jump back in from Class 3A.

Goddard, Pittsburg and Spring Hill all saw their enrollment grow and will be moving up from 4A to 5A next year. Baldwin saw their enrollment decline and will move down to Class 3A in football the next two years.

In the rest of the sports, not much changed with regards to Class 4A for this year.

Enrollment figures for all grades in Louisburg this year is 573, which puts the school in the upper half of Class 4A. The biggest school is Buhler with 661 and Bishop Miege is the second biggest at 656 and Ottawa is third at 653.

Three schools will make the move up to Class 4A this year. Clay Center, Girard and Holton all saw their enrollment increase and will come back to 4A, while Osawatomie, Anderson County and Wichita-Trinity Academy will move out of 4A to 3A this year.

Louisburg’s Davis Guetterman (left) sets up teammate Carleigh Pritchard for a kill last week at home against Spring Hill.

In recent years, the Louisburg
volleyball team has experienced a lot of success, so whenever the Lady Cats go
on a losing streak it is unchartered territory at times.

However, in most seasons, the Lady
Cats won’t go through the type of schedule they have seen the last two weeks.
Whether is from ranked teams in bigger programs, or just bigger schools, Louisburg
has been tested early.

The Lady Cats’ woes continued last
week as it fell to the No. 7-ranked team in Class 6A, Mill Valley, 24-26,
25-18, 25-19 and 26-24, on Thursday in Louisburg. In their home opener on
Tuesday, the Lady Cats fell to the No. 3-ranked team in 5A, Spring Hill, in
four sets as well.

Louisburg has now lost five
matches in a row, dating back to the Lansing Invitational earlier this month,
and are 5-7 on the season. In all five matches, the Lady Cats have been without
senior starter Erin Lemke, who has been out with an injury.

“Losing five in a row is rough, but I feel like we’ve made some
big improvements over the past week,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “We
still have some areas we need to improve on and some areas we need to clean up,
but as a whole, the team played well against Mill Valley. They fought hard
until the last whistle.”

It was a good start for Louisburg
against Mill Valley as they were able to take the first set, but came up short
in the next two. The Lady Cats found themselves down 24-20 in the fourth, but
sophomore Rinny McMullen served four straight points to tie the set for
Louisburg, but Mill Valley won the next two volleys to take the set and the
match.

Juniors Alyse Moore and Carleigh
Pritchard were strong at the net with 12 and 11 kills, respectively, while
seniors Liz Jacobs and Haley Cain each tallied seven.

McMullen and fellow setter Davis
Guetterman ran the team well as they finished with 21 and 15 assists,
respectively, and McMullen also added two aces in the match.

Defensively, the Lady Cats played
well at times as senior libero Reilly Ratliff-Becher led the way with a
team-high 20 digs, while senior Riley Kallevig finished with 11 and Guetterman
added 10. At the net, Pritchard led Louisburg with four blocks.

“I thought we played well for the
majority of the match,” Compliment said. “There wasn’t one or two single plays
that would have changed the outcome, but we did make a few mistakes that hurt
us at crucial times or in various times throughout the match. There was some
really good volleyball played against Mill Valley, which should hopefully
provide some needed confidence for the team.”

Against Spring Hill, the Lady Cats
had their second straight setback in the Frontier League as they fell 25-19,
25-22, 20-25 and 25-16.

Pritchard, the team’s middle
hitter, was a force at the net as she posted a team-high 17 kills and was one
three Lady Cat players to reach double figures in that department. Jacobs and
Cain both had 11 and 10 kills, respectively, and Kallevig finished with eight.

“During that first set, we just
had way too many unforced errors,” Compliment said. “Carleigh had a really big
night for us and played well. We talked to the girls about being vocal leaders
on the court and I thought Haley really stepped up as a leader for us.”

McMullen and Guetterman were responsible
for a lot of those big plays on the front row. McMullen finished with a
team-high 27 assists and Guetterman also had a big night with 18.

Pritchard was also a force defensively as she recorded six blocks, while Ratliff-Becher led the back row with 29 digs. Kallevig also added 18 in the loss.

In its 12 matches on the season, all
but three of them have been against teams in Class 5A or higher and five have
been against state-ranked opponents.

Louisburg will have a busy week
once again as it travels to Ottawa tonight for a Frontier League dual and then
will go to Fort Scott on Thursday for a triangular with Girard. The Lady Cats
will end it Saturday with the Louisburg Invitational.

Louisburg junior Carleigh Pritchard and senior Liz Jacobs team up for a block Saturday during the Lansing Invitational.

It was an up and down week for the
Louisburg volleyball team last week – one with started with two wins and ended
with losses to three state-ranked teams.

During the Lansing Invitational on
Saturday, the Lady Cats finished with a 1-3 record in a tournament that
featured some of the state’s best teams.

Louisburg opened tournament play
with a 25-23 and 25-9 victory over Shawnee Mission North behind five kills each
from seniors Liz Jacobs and Haley Cain and senior Riley Kallevig added four.

The Lady Cats (5-5) also shined
from behind the service line as they recorded 10 aces in the match, including
five from sophomore Rinny McMullen and two from sophomore Davis Guetterman.
McMullen also handed out 12 assists to lead the Lady Cats.

The schedule got much more
difficult for Louisburg as they lost a pair of 2-0 matches to No. 6 Spring Hill
and No. 3 Lansing, who are both ranked in Class 5A. The tournament ended with a
2-1 loss to Olathe West.

Louisburg was also a little
short-handed as senior hitter Erin Lemke had to sit out with an injury

“Even though we went 1-3 on the day at
Lansing, there were some bright moments throughout the day,” Louisburg coach
Jessica Compliment said. “We struggled to find ‘our game’ and played that way
all day. The Lansing tournament is loaded with great teams, and has always been
one of our toughest tournaments we play in. We stayed with most of the teams
throughout the day, but once it got to 15-14 or 16-14, they took off and
finished, and we struggled to ‘play to win.’

“We became hesitant and played it safe
rather than fighting back and playing to win. There were many instances
throughout the tournament we were playing some great volleyball. Our back row
had some great saves and our offense clicked well. As I told the team, we need
to work on finding that drive, that motivation, that energy, and carry it
throughout every set and every match.”

On Thursday, the Lady Cats hosted
another state-ranked team in their home opener when they faced off with No. 5
Bonner Springs. Louisburg came up short in a 25-23, 25-19, 22-25 and 25-18 loss
to the Braves.

It was a competitive match
throughout, but the Braves were able to make several runs late in each set to
pull away.

Cain led the attack at the net
with 12 kills, Jacobs finished with nine and junior Alyse Moore added eight in
the loss. McMullen and Guetterman ran the offense well with 22 and 19 assists,
respectively, and Guetterman also added two aces.

Defensively, Kallevig paced the
Lady Cats with 18 digs on the night and senior Reilly Ratliff-Becher finished
with 13. Lemke and junior Carleigh Pritchard had two blocks each.

At the start of the week, the Lady
Cats traveled to Santa Fe Trail for a triangular with Burlington. Louisburg
left with a pair of easy wins.

The Lady Cats knocked off
Burlington 25-8 and 25-14 and downed Santa Fe Trail 25-10 and 25-14.

“The team played well,” Compliment said. “They weren’t our cleanest matches this season, but our serving was tough, and we moved the ball around well. It was hard for us to maintain our pace throughout the evening, but we were able to get on some long runs where we were very efficient in both the front and back row.”

Everyone got involved in the win
against Santa Fe Trail as Kallevig led the way with nine kills, while Lemke and
Pritchard each finished with seven. Guetterman had three aces to lead Louisburg
and Kallevig finished with two. Guetterman and McMullen also had 12 and 11
assists, respectively.

Defensively, sophomore Chase Kallevig
had a team-high nine digs and Ratliff-Becher added seven.

Against Burlington, Pritchard had
a team-high four kills in the match, but it was the serving that was the story
of the match.

Louisburg tallied 11 aces against
Burlington, including five from Guetterman and three from McMullen. The two
sophomores also combined for 13 assists.

Louisburg returns to action with a
pair of home duals this week, including a rematch with Spring Hill at 6:30 p.m.
tonight.

A big change to the Kansas High School
Activities Association (KSHSAA) postseason could be coming sooner rather than
later if a proposal, submitted by the Frontier League, passes the KSHSAA Board
of Directors and its member schools.

Last month the Frontier League,
led by Paola High School principal Jeff Hines and Louisburg superintendent Dr.
Brian Biermann, petitioned KSHSAA to separate public and private schools into
their own postseason competitions.

In order for it pass, the petition
must be signed by 20 percent of the 355 member schools according to KSHSAA
bi-laws. The Frontier League got the 71 needed petitions and have now submitted
this to appear in front of the KSHSAA Board of Directors for vote in their
Sept. 18 meeting.

The board of directors would then
have to pass it by simple majority of those in attendance to bring the proposal
to a vote from all the member schools.

“Kansas needs to catch up with
the rest of the country and get this competitive imbalance under control in our
state,” Hines said. “The longer we wait then more students will be negatively
impacted. We have a responsibility as educators to create the best
opportunities possible for our students. No one can honestly say we have
the best system possible right now. It can definitely be improved.”

The proposal submitted by the Frontier League is the same one the state of Texas uses that keeps the schools in their same classification, but only separates the schools come postseason.

Other options were discussed
before submitting the proposal, such as implementing a multiplier on all
private schools like Missouri currently does. In fact, it is the most popular
proposal among the schools that were surveyed by Hines last January.

They also talked about the “Oklahoma
model” where schools are bumped up a classification based on success for
competitive balance.

Seventy-four percent of the
schools said they would support a population multiplier, 64 percent would
support competitive balance factors and 51 percent would support separate
divisions.

However, KSHSAA would not be able
to make this change with a multiplier due to state statute K.S.A. 72-130 that
states a high school association “must establish a system of classification of
member high schools according to student attendance.”

KSHSAA would not be able to pass a
new bi-law that goes against state statute, and therefore, the Kansas State
Legislature would have reword the statue to allow the association to make those
changes.

The Frontier League believes the Texas model, or separate postseason divisions, does not deal with classifications. Also, this model had more support from 5A and 6A schools as neither classification would likely vote for a multiplier.

“We don’t view that as a classification decision as we are not affecting classification, but KSHSAA and their lawyers view that it is,” Biermann said. “5A and 6A schools that we talked to really wanted us to push for the Texas model because they don’t want to play them (private schools) either. The biggest thing for me is if 5 and 6A schools don’t want to play them, then why do we? As a superintendent, I am supposed to create opportunities for kids. We had four teams last year in both soccer teams, football and volleyball that all saw their season end to Bishop Miege. It is not right that we have kids and coaches that work their tails off and they don’t have the opportunity to win.

“Am I all about state
championships? Absolutely not. But we also know the reality of it in the
current system. Winning state championships is important for communities and is
always a goal. I am not ever going to give up on this idea and neither will the
Frontier League.”

The public versus private school
debate has been going on for the last several years and Hines has been leading
the charge since 2015 when he put together a study that displayed the disparity
of state championships won by private schools.

In 2018-19, private schools won 32
percent of the state championships in Classes 5A through 1A. There are currently
no private schools in 6A. Twenty-one of those 24 state titles were won by
private schools in Class 4A and 5A.

That is a high number considering
that out of the 355 member schools, only 27 of them are private.

The Frontier League wanted to see change, so Hines surveyed the 355 member schools late last year and presented his findings to KSHSAA in January. More than 88 percent of the schools responded, that included 22 private institutions, and 87 percent said they want the current system changed.

Although most schools said they
would support the multiplier model more, Hines and the rest of the league
schools, believe it is the best way to proceed at this time.

“Our
survey indicated that separate divisions was the least popular option among
member schools, however as a league we feel like it is the most appropriate
option,” Hines said. “A multiplier will pass through and will be our next
option if this does not go through.  A multiplier will impact many private
schools that are not quasi sports academies that are not very successful in athletics. The
separate divisions avoids this situation.”

If
the proposal does pass the board of directors, KSHSAA will then put it to a
vote with all 355 member schools and it must pass by a simple majority and by
four of the six classes.

From
there, KSHSAA executive director Bill Faflick would take it to the Kansas
Legislature before change could be implemented.

“We
know it won’t happen overnight,” Biermann said. “Even if this passes, nothing
will change this year and probably not the following year. It could be three
years out with the way football schedules take shape. We are honestly ok with
that if we knew that there was light at the end of the tunnel. If this would
not pass, we would turn right around and do the multiplier one.”

Despite what happens at the
upcoming board of directors meeting, Hines believes changes to the system will
happen sooner rather than later.

“I am now confident something will get done,” Hines said. “I
think it will ultimately take a multiplier to get something done. If the
separate divisions fails then we will propose a multiplier for the spring board
of directors meeting.”

 A lot of obstacles are still in the way for change to happen, whether it has to deal with state statues or member votes, but none of the schools in the nine-member Frontier League are going to stop until they see a more even playing field.

“I am very proud of the Frontier League, and even though we compete against each other, we are very unified on this,” Biermann said. “It is about fairness and equality and I am tired of having my kids at Louisburg High School not having the same opportunity as some others. The throttle is down and it is going to stay down.”

Louisburg senior Erin Lemke goes up for a kill during a match earlier this season.

DE SOTO – It is never easy to go
on the road and get a win, especially against bigger school, and the Louisburg volleyball
team found that out Thursday in De Soto.

The Lady Cats took the first set 25-23 over De Soto, but lost the last two 25-18 and 25-22, to fall 2-1 against the Class 5A school. Instead of letting one loss turn into two, the Lady Cats bounced back nicely in their other match against Olathe West.

Louisburg took care of business as it swept Olathe West, 25-16 and 25-19, to end its day on a good note and improved its record to 2-1 on the season.

In that match, junior Alyse Moore
led the way up front with a team-high five kills, while seniors Erin Lemke and
Riley Kallevig each added four.

Serving was also a big key for the
Lady Cats as they tallied six aces, including three from sophomore Chase
Kallevig and two from sophomore Rinny McMullen. McMullen also led the team with
nine assists on the night.

Louisburg was strong defensively
with 17 digs, including five from senior libero Reilly Ratliff-Becher and four
from Riley Kallevig.

“It
was good to see how the team regrouped and rebounded for the Olathe West match,”
Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “Olathe came out strong with some big
blocks at the beginning. We had to work to find the hits around their big
blockers, and once we did, we were able to find our rhythm offensively.

“Our
back row defense made some huge plays during the Olathe West match. Chase Kallevig
did a great job defensively and we served more aggressively as well.”

The
Lady Cats got off to a good start against De Soto as it took the first set, but
had a tough time finding a rhythm offensively in the final two sets.

Middle
hitters Haley Cain and Carleigh Pritchard were big up front for the Lady Cats
as they each finished with nine kills, while senior Liz Jacobs and Moore each
had four. Jacobs also led the team with two blocks.

Chase
Kallevig and McMullen each had two aces for the Lady Cats, while sophomore
setter Davis Guetterman led Louisburg with 12 assists and McMullen added 10.

“During
the De Soto match, I felt like we never found our groove as a team,” Compliment
said. “We played a little tight and nervous. We talked afterwards how everyone
on this team can be a playmaker, and is fully capable of putting the ball
away. But during the second and third set with De Soto, it was almost as
if we were waiting for someone else to step up.”

“We
also seemed to be fairly reserved or cautious with our serving. We are normally
a tougher serving team, but we didn’t show De Soto that. Good teams like De
Soto will capitalize and take advantage of those types of situations.”

Louisburg
is back in action at 6:30 p.m., tonight when it travels to Santa Fe Trail for a
triangular with Burlington. The Lady Cats will face off with Bonner Springs on
Thursday in their home opener.

Louisburg senior Liz Jacobs goes up for a kill in between two Paola blockers Tuesday during the Lady Cats’ season opener at Paola High School.

PAOLA – The Louisburg volleyball team is ranked toward the top in the state again in Class 4A this season, and on Tuesday, Paola found out exactly why.

The Lady Cats got off to a hot
start and never let up in a 3-0 dual win over the Panthers in their season
opener at Paola High School. It was exactly the start Louisburg was looking for
as it begins its quest to get back to the state title game for the third
straight season.

“For the first time out, I think they
did well,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “We knew coming in that
Paola is always tough, and it is a good rivalry, and the girls were ready for
that. We obviously have some ideas of some things that we can work on, and how we
can keep building from here.”

Louisburg opened with a 25-14 victory in the first set after jumping out to a big lead and then followed it up with a 25-13 win in the second. Paola made things interesting in the third set, and the match was tied at 23-all late, before Louisburg scored the final two points to compete the sweep.

“They had high energy in those
first two sets and some in the third,” Compliment said of her team. “That resilience
in that third set was good to see, instead of just throwing in their hat and
saying we will win the next one. To finish the match out like that was
important.”

The Lady Cats had balance all over
the floor as several girls chipped in and made impacts.

At the net, seniors Liz Jacobs and
Erin Lemke each finished with a team-high six kills, while senior Riley
Kallevig and junior Carleigh Pritchard each added five in the win.

Sophomore setters Rinny McMullen
and Davis Guetterman ran the offense well as they recorded 11 and nine assists,
respectively. Sophomore Chase Kallevig had a big game from behind the service
line as she tallied a team-high four aces and senior Haley Cain added three.

Defensively, the Lady Cats were
strong as well. Senior libero Reilly Ratliff-Becher had a team-best nine digs.
Chase and Riley Kallevig were right behind her as they had eight each.

Cain and Pritchard also had strong
games in the middle for Louisburg as they each had three blocks to lead the
team.

“I think Reilly did a really good
job getting to balls, and on the front row, I thought Haley had some big plays at
the net and so did Carleigh,” Compliment said. “They both had some good blocks
and were key up there. I thought Rinny did a good job with her serves and
moving things around offensively. Davis did a great job as well from the setter
spot.

“To be honest, we are just a well-balanced team and I thought each of the girls did something well out there. We are just more spread out offensively and it could make us more of a threat down the road.”

As well as they played at times on
Tuesday, the Lady Cats know it will get tougher as the season goes along. That
begins today when they travel to De Soto High School for a triangular with
Olathe West. Those matches begin at 5 p.m.

“We hit aggressive and we blocked
aggressively,” Compliment said of her team’s performance on Tuesday. “The thing
I really like about this group is that they just have so much fun, as has been
the case with the team’s past. They just enjoy playing together.”

Senior middle hitter Haley Cain is one of several returning players from last year’s state runner-up volleyball team for Louisburg.

In the last two seasons, the
Louisburg volleyball team has found itself one win away from capturing its
ultimate goal – a state championship.

Most programs would relish the opportunity to play in one state championship game – much less two. Still, as proud as the players are of their accomplishments, they have concluded each season with a rotten feeling in their stomach.

That feeling provided the Lady
Cats with extra motivation as they head into the 2019 season – trying to get
that elusive first state title.

“The players understand that nothing has been given
to them in the past,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “Because of
their past experiences, they understand how important summer
weights/conditioning/open gym/camps, etc are. They’ve been working really hard
and have set high expectations for themselves this season. They also understand
the history and tradition of Louisburg volleyball and want to continue that
tradition of not only qualifying for state, but for placing at state.”

The Lady Cats have had a big advantage on their side
the last two years as they have had the Class 4A Player of the Year on their
roster in Anna Dixon. After putting up big numbers as a four-year starter for
Louisburg, Dixon has moved on to play for Kansas State and left a big hole to
fill on the Lady Cat team.

Although one player might not be able to replace her production, Compliment is looking to several players to fill that role.

“Anna has
probably been the best volleyball player to come through Louisburg in my 13 seasons,
so losing her is huge,” Compliment said. “However, I think this year’s team
could be just as good, if not stronger, because each player is taking more
ownership and owning their role on the team more.”

Louisburg will
continue to run its 6-2 offense with returning setters Rinny McMullen and Davis
Guetterman. The two Lady Cat sophomores played well last season as freshmen and
their coach has seen them take a big step forward in the offseason.

McMullen was a second-team All-Frontier League selection a year ago, and both her and Guetterman, were considered among the best setters in nine-team league.

“They did a
great job last year as freshmen, and they each continue to get better and
better,” Compliment said. “They were both awarded with the ‘Best Setter Award’
at Nebraska’s team camp. We have five players that are versatile across the net
and that gives us lots of options to run different offensive plays. Our key
defensive players are returning as well, and a few new faces are going to make
our defense stronger.”

Defense also
will be another strength for the Lady Cats as they return all of their
defensive specialists – including senior libero Reilly Ratliff-Becher. Senior
Riley Kallevig will also play a big role in the back from her 6-rotation spot,
as will sophomore Chase Kallevig, who will see full-time varsity action for the
first time this season.

“We are a
versatile team with players who are comfortable and willing to play at any
position,” Compliment said. “That is huge when I can play with rotations, and
it gives the setters multiple options at the net. Reilly Ratliff-Becher has had
a great summer. She was good last year, but this summer and so far this season,
I’ve been really impressed with her go-get-it attitude and her leadership.
Riley Kallevig is returning and is solid as a 6-rotation player.”

Louisburg also
returns its two middle hitters as senior Haley Cain and junior Carleigh
Pritchard both bring experience to the position and the Wildcats will have
several options on the outside with senior Erin Lemke, senior transfer Liz
Jacobs, senior Sydni Keagle, Riley Kallevig and junior Alyse Moore.

Cain is in her fourth-year as a starter and will be one of the leaders at the net for the Lady Cats. Cain, Riley Kallevig and Ratliff-Becher were all honorable mention all-league players last season and Compliment expects them all to take another step forward.

“Between Haley’s
leadership and experience, we’ll look to her to be more of a threat at the net,”
Compliment said. “Erin Lemke and Carleigh have both improved their play since
last season as well. I’m really excited to see what they can bring to the team.

“We also have a
few new faces. Liz Jacobs is a transfer senior who joined us this summer and
fit right in with the team. She’ll be able to help us both offensively and
defensively. There is a lot of depth in positions this season, which is
awesome. These players have great chemistry and are unselfish.”

The Lady Cats, which are currently No. 4 in the Class 4A preseason rankings, will have some competition for their second consecutive Frontier League title as they will play a difficult schedule in and out of league.

Louisburg
begins its season at 6:30 p.m., on Tuesday as it travels to Paola. The Lady
Cats open their home schedule Sept. 12 against Bonner Springs.

“Spring Hill
and Eudora will be two strong teams in league this season,” Compliment said. “The
Lansing and Emporia Tournament will continue to be tough, and we’ve added a few
different teams to our schedule this year. I’m excited to kick the season off
Tuesday at Paola.”

Last fall, each of the four
Louisburg High School athletic programs had something to brag about.

Whether it was football’s 10-1
season that ended with a regional championship, volleyball’s state runner-up
finish, cross country’s two state medalists and state qualifying girls team or
the boys’ soccer regional championship appearance – the Wildcats had plenty to
cheer about and several athletes took notice.

Numbers are up for all four programs following the first day of practice Monday and the coaches and athletes are excited to get the season started after last year’s successes.

The Wildcat football team saw a big jump in numbers as they have 70 students out this season and football coach Robert Ebenstein and has liked what he seen through the first couple days of workouts.

“Our numbers are up and based on the numbers at the middle school and youth programs and I expect them to keep growing,” Ebenstein said. “I am very excited for practice to get going. When you finish the season off with a loss in the playoffs it sticks with you and the opportunity to go play another game creates that energy and that eager feeling to get going. So far I am very pleased with our kids’ focus and effort. We need to continue to get better every day.”

Louisburg volleyball has also seen a spike in its numbers as 40
athletes have attended tryouts. Those tryouts will go through Wednesday and
head coach Jessica Compliment believes those high numbers will be beneficial
down the road.

“The players are excited, but I
think some are nervous as well with tryouts and cuts these first few days,” Compliment
said. “Forty is the most we’ve had tryout for quite some time. Generally we
have around 35. The higher numbers leads to more competition for uniforms and
playing time.”

Cross country head coach John Reece is pulling
double duty this season as he, and assistant coach Paul Restivo, will also be
leading the new Louisburg Middle School program. The Wildcats have a combined
59 runners out between the two programs, including 37 on the high school side.

Louisburg returns a majority of its girls team
that qualified for state a year ago, including its two state medalists in
senior Trinity Moore and sophomore Reese Johnson.

Despite a little hiccup with the heat during
the first two days of workouts, coach Reece likes what he sees from both teams.

“It was great to get started, and yes the
heat caused us to change our workout a little bit, but we still got in our
miles,” Reece said. “We had a good turnout during summer running, so as a whole
they are ready to get to the good stuff and go compete.

“There is definitely a huge difference
with LMS joining the crew. Two coaches managing 59 kids is a lot, and we might
need more help for supervision as we get more personalized with workouts for
different levels of runners, but this is a good thing for Louisburg’s cross
country program. It is going to be a fun year.”

Soccer also saw a big increase in
interest as the Wildcats have 44 athletes trying out this season and they will
continue the tryout process through Thursday. It is a good problem to have for
head coach Kyle Conley and he has liked what he has seen so far as the Wildcats
look to take another step forward this year.

“The kids worked hard, but showed we have
a lot of work to do,” Conley said. “We had a really, really good summer, but we
got a little rusty with the month off. This year we are getting back to focus
on our culture and getting back to playing for each other. The boys have been
focused and determined to improve this season.”

However, the first two day of practices weren’t without their challenges as intense heat and humidity caused some of the programs to change their schedules, including soccer, which moved its practice to the evening on Tuesday and spent some time indoors Monday.

“The
heat was an interesting factor to go along with the late start due to the
KSHSAA schedule,” Conley said. “We started in the AUX gym for the first hour
and 15 minutes then transitioned outside for an hour. It was frustrating but
the boys handled it very well.”

With
the heat advisories, teams had to take precautions with their athletes and
everything seemed to go smoothly with the hot weather.

“There is nothing you can do about the heat, and it is not centralized to Louisburg, so everybody has to deal with it,” Ebenstein said. “So you just do what you have to do when it comes to moving practice to the evening or whatever. I do not mind these hot early practices as it sets the tone that athletes need to take care of their bodies, and the acclimatization process gets going from the beginning. I would much rather have it this way instead of it being cool and the first hot week comes on a game week.”

With the first day of practice starting
later than normal, the start of competition will also be pushed back. Team
scrimmages will be the Friday before Labor Day and actual competition won’t
start until Sept. 3.

Soccer will host Fort Scott in its season
opener on Sept. 3 and volleyball will travel to Paola for dual on the same day.
Cross country opens its season on Sept. 5 at the Anderson County Invitational
and football will travel to Spring Hill on Sept. 6.