The euphoria of winning a sub-state championship last Saturday hasn’t diminished much for the Louisburg High School volleyball team.

The Lady Cats are still riding high off earning their second state tournament bid in the last three years. However, don’t confuse that with being satisfied – far from it.

Louisburg achieved its first goal of the season during last week’s sub-state tournament, but there is a bigger goal that lies ahead. It is a goal they set for themselves at the beginning of the season – capture a state title.

“Our expectations is just to go win,” Louisburg senior Sophie McMullen said. “Our first step was to obviously qualify for state. This year’s expectation is we are just looking for that first place trophy.”

The Lady Cats face a tough task if they want to win that final match of the Class 4A-D1 state tournament at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina.

When the brackets were released, Louisburg (30-9) earned the No. 4 seed and was put in the same pool with the last two state champions in No. 1 Rose Hill and No. 8 Bishop Miege. Also included is No. 5 Basehor-Linwood, who Louisburg has seen four times already this season.

“When the brackets came out, we were a little nervous at first,” junior Anna Dixon said. “We have watched film on all three teams and we all decided that if we keep the same energy and effort that we had against teams like Paola and Olathe North, then we will be fine.”

Louisburg will square off with Basehor-Linwood (24-14) in the first match of pool play at 8:30 a.m., on Friday and the Lady Cats are very familiar with the Bobcats as the two teams are 2-2 with each other on the season.

The players realize getting off to a good start will make things easier for them as the tournament progresses.

“We are excited to play them again,” Dixon said. “The two games we lost against them I think we had zero effort and communication. If we improve on those two things, then I think we should be fine.

“The first game means a lot because you have to set the tone for the rest of the day. If you start off bad, it is hard to dig yourself out of hole in those next two games, so hopefully we come out with a bang in that first game.”

The Lady Cats will meet Bishop Miege (10-26) at 10:30 a.m. in their second pool play match of the day. Miege won the state championship in 2015.

At 1:30 p.m., Louisburg will end pool play with a match against Rose Hill (36-3), which is the defending state champion. The top two teams in each pool will advance to the state semifinals at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

“They learned their lesson at our home tournament of what happens when you drop at least one set,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “You can go 2-1 and still not make it out of pool. Setting the tone for the day is going to be important. We need to come out strong against Basehor and be ready to play. We need to play to win and compete.

“It is a tough pool and a tough draw, but at the same time it is going to be good competition. We are going to see Basehor first and we have seen them four times this season and that is going to be tough. We know them, they are familiar with us. With Bishop Miege and Rose Hill, you have two good teams that have been down to state numerous years, but this is a different year and we are a different team. It is just exciting to see what is going to happen when we meet up with those teams.”

Louisburg will enter the state tournament with an arsenal that is set up to make a run at a spot in the semifinals. The Lady Cats will feature two of the top outside hitters in the tournament in both Dixon and McMullen.

Dixon, who has committed to Kansas State, leads the team with 508 kills on the year and McMullen, who will play at Northwest Missouri State next season, has 310. McMullen, on the other hand, leads the team with 105 aces and 362 digs and both players have played in the state tournament before.

Although they know what the state experience is like, the rest of the team has yet to play in a state tournament game as Louisburg features four sophomores in Riley Kallevig, Haley Cain, Reilly Ratliff-Becher and Erin Lemke who will all see playing time.

Setter Carson Buffington, along with seniors Mikayla Quinn, Sarah Wilson and Ainsley Vance will also see their first state tournament action. Quinn and Buffington suited up with the team two years ago when the Wildcats qualified in 2015.

“They are a little nervous, but I think they are excited for the experience,” McMullen said of the underclassmen. “We have hyped the experience so much. The feeling of playing at state is just the best feeling that you could ever feel. They have finally realized that and they are ready to just go out there and play.”

The Louisburg volleyball team hopes to be filled with excitement following the state tournament this weekend in Salina.

There are many players that have seen the past Louisburg teams play in the state environment and they are looking forward to being a part of it themselves.

“I watched from the sidelines and these role models of mine playing at state, and this is just a fulfilling experience for me because now I get to be in their shoes,” Quinn said. “Anna and Sophie have told me it is just indescribable playing at state. I am really looking forward to it.”

Louisburg is also looking to become the first girls team to win a state championship in school history, but the Lady Cats realize that nothing is going to come easy.

“I think they are aware of it, but it isn’t something we have touched on,” Compliment said. “You don’t want to apply too much pressure. Making it to state is goal No. 1. We can’t focus on Saturday until we take care of Friday first. Our goal is to come out of pool play and have the opportunity to play for a championship on Saturday. We just try to take it one step at a time.

“The girls want to do well and they are capable of it. They have to work harder than the other team and stay focused and not let one bad play get in their head. I am excited to see how they perform.”

The Louisburg High School volleyball team hoists the Class 4A-Division I sub-state volleyball championship plaque following the Lady Cats’ 25-19 and 25-17 win over Spring Hill in the championship match. 

PAOLA – The Louisburg volleyball team had been waiting for this moment for a year – a moment that couldn’t come fast enough.

Following a home loss to Paola in the sub-state championship a year ago, the Lady Cats have used that defeat as fuel to come back this season even stronger and more poised to try and earn a berth in the Class 4A-Division I state tournament.

The wait is over.

Louisburg punched its ticket to the state tournament for second time in three years Saturday as the Lady Cats avenged their loss to Paola with a 2-0 win in the sub-state semifinals, and followed that up with a 2-0 win over Spring Hill in the championship match at Paola High School.

After it was complete, the Lady Cats stormed the floor and celebrated what they had been working all year for – a chance to compete for a state title.

“Wow, it feels pretty good,” senior Sophie McMullen said. “I think the loss from last year really impacted this team a lot. We came to win and we were not going to take a loss.

“We were really focused on making sure we touched every single ball and stayed focused throughout the whole tournament and I think we did that. We came out ready to go. Our morning practice that we had went really well and we came here and got it done.”

Louisburg showed why it is considered the No. 3 team in Class 4A-Division I, as it put away both Spring Hill and Paola without much problem. All the motivation to get back to state, however, didn’t hurt its cause.

“We all remember the feeling of losing to Paola last year,” junior Anna Dixon said. “After losing that match, we wanted to come out and play again, so it was good to be able to beat them this time and it is a great feeling to be able to go back to Salina. We have worked really hard to get here.”

Members of the Louisburg volleyball team are (front row, from left) Riley Kallevig, Mikayla Quinn, Sophie McMullen, Ainsley Vance, Sarah Wilson, Riley Vohs; (back row) assistant coach Leanna Willer, head coach Jessica Compliment, Reilly Ratliff-Becher, Haley Cain, Anna Dixon, Makenna Allen, Carson Buffington, Erin Lemke and assistant coach Mary Quinn.

To start their season, some of the Lady Cat players decided to create a slogan to help, not only build confidence, but set a standard for Lousiburg volleyball. ‘Believe the Hype’ has seemed to have done the job as the Lady Cats are currently 30-9 on the year and are playing some of their best volleyball at the right time.

“We were just lacking some confidence last year and we wanted to show the girls that this was Louisburg volleyball and that there is a tradition here,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “There is something to be said for wearing a Louisburg jersey, and that you are Louisburg volleyball and you need to wear it with pride. I think they just started believing it more.”

The Lady Cats, who were the tournament’s No. 1 seed, had a chance at the Panthers in the first round of action Saturday and were ready from the opening serve. Louisburg took down Paola 25-16 and 25-9.

McMullen opened the match with an ace and started a 7-1 run in the first set. Louisburg got contributions from all over the floor as it go kills from Dixon, McMullen and sophomore Haley Cain. Dixon led the way with 14 kills, McMullen had eight and Cain finished with four.

Louisburg also served up six aces, with three of those coming from McMullen, and the others coming from sophomores Riley Kallevig and Reilly Ratliff-Becher and junior Carson Buffington. It was Buffington who helped get the offense going with 25 assists.

Setter Carson Buffington passes it up to a teammate for a kill Saturday in Paola.

Defensively, McMullen had a team-high 10 digs and Kallevig, the team’s libero, finished with nine. Cain led Louisburg with three blocks.

In the championship match, the Lady Cats made sure to finish their quest for a sub-state title as they downed Spring Hill 25-19 and 25-17 and it was their defense that helped them pull away.

Not only did Buffington lead the Louisburg offense with 21 assists, but she also led the Lady Cats with 11 digs as she found herself all over the floor.

“We played really well,” Dixon said. “Our defense was awesome and I think Carson did great running the court. It was one of the best games I have seen her play.

“She has gotten so much better as a setter. She has improved every single day at practice and she is always open for constructive criticism, whether it is from the coaches or the team. She has grown a lot as a player.”

This is Buffington’s first full year as a setter after sharing the duties with McMullen last season. Louisburg moved back to a 5-1 offense this year and it has paid dividends for Buffington.

“I really like it a lot more because I feel I can contribute a lot more to the team as a setter than a hitter,” Buffington said. “It is just so much fun. Setting for people like Anna and Sophie is the best thing ever.”

The win over Spring Hill wasn’t as easy as the final scores indicated. Louisburg found itself down 16-13 in the second set before the Lady Cats got a kill and an ace from Dixon and a block from McMullen to give Louisburg a 17-16 advantage.

Anna Dixon and Haley Cain team up for a block against Paola during the Class 4A-D1 sub-state tournament.

“Spring Hill did make a run in that second set, but I was so proud to see the girls rebound from that and stay aggressive,” Compliment said. “We made some huge defensive plays, both at the net and back row and the girls just played really well.”

Louisburg didn’t waste the opportunity as McMullen took over at the net. Five of the final eight Lady Cat points were on kills from McMullen, some of which were perfectly set up thanks to some bad Spring Hill passes.

“I am not going to lie,” McMullen said, “that was a lot of fun.”

Dixon led the Louisburg attack at the net with 13 kills and McMullen finished with 11 as the Spring Hill defense didn’t have an answer for the Louisburg duo.

After match point, the Lady Cat bench emptied as players rushed the floor to celebrate with their teammates. It was a feeling some of the Lady Cat players hadn’t experienced before.

Sophie McMullen leaps into the arms of teammate Anna Dixon, while senior Mikayla Quinn and junior Riley Vohs celebrate alongside them Saturday.

“It is so surreal,” Kallevig said. “When it happened everyone just started cheering and jumping up and down. It felt so good. I am just excited for what state is going to hold for us because I think we have a really good chance if we all work really well together.”

As good as it felt for the Lady Cats players to earn a bid to the state tournament, they know they aren’t satisfied with just going. They want something more.

“We want to keep our season going as long as possible and hopefully we can bring home a state title,” Dixon said. “There are a lot of tough teams, but hopefully we can pull it out.”

Louisburg will get a chance at that state title as it will begin pool play Friday in Salina. The Lady Cats are the No. 4 seed and will match up with No. 5 Basehor-Linwood at 8:30 a.m. They will then have matches against No. 8 Bishop Miege and No. 1 Rose Hill later in the day as the top two in each pool will advance to the semifinals on Saturday.

“They want to do well and their expectation is to take state,” Compliment said. “They want to take care of business on Friday in pool play and put ourselves in a good position for Saturday. The girls have said that this is their time.

“We have fallen short a few times taking second, third and fourth down there, but at the same time this is a new group that has a lot of energy and focus. We just want to go down there and take care of business.”

Here is a photo gallery from today’s Class 4A-Division I Sub-State Tournament in Paola. The Louisburg volleyball team defeated Paola and Spring Hill, 2-0, to win the sub-state crown and will advance to the Class 4A state tournament Friday in Salina.

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(From left) Sophie McMullen, Sarah Wilson, Riley Kallevig, Mikayla Quinn, Carson Buffington and Anna Dixon celebrate a point during Tuesday’s Senior Night match against Ottawa.

The result was never really in doubt.

The Louisburg High School volleyball team hosted Ottawa for its final regular season match of the season and the Lady Cats had no problems in the 25-17, 25-18 and 25-18 sweep of the Cyclones.

Although they were happy with the win, it wasn’t on the mind of the Lady Cat players – it was more about honoring their four seniors.

Sophie McMullen, Mikayla Quinn, Ainsley Vance and Sarah Wilson walked on the LHS gym floor for the final time as players and were recognized in front of their home fans Tuesday. All four players have left an impact on the program.

McMullen, who is headed to play at Northwest Missouri State next season to play volleyball, has been a four-year starter and helped Louisburg to state appearances her freshman and sophomore seasons.

Quinn has found herself in a varsity role her last two years, while Wilson and Vance are playing varsity for the first time this season. Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment is proud of what her four seniors have accomplished.

“Sophie has obviously done a lot for us these last four years,” Compliment said. “Her first two years, she ran a 5-1 offense for us and helped us to a third and fourth place finish at state. We transitioned her into a new position and she has handled that really well. She has been a good leader on the team and she is one of the players that I am counting on to get stuff done in matches.

“Mikayla has spent the last two years on varsity and we also changed her position this year. We have moved her around a lot, but she has always been open and willing to do whatever the team needs. Both Sarah and Ainsley have worked their way up through the program playing freshmen to varsity and it is exciting to see them both step up and make plays.”

Seniors (from left) Mikayla Quinn, Ainsley Vance, Sarah Wilson and Sophie McMullen were honored during Senior Night, prior to Tuesday’s match with Ottawa.

All four seniors saw the floor and each of them had an opportunity to make an impact on the match. McMullen finished the night with 15 kills to go along with a team-high 19 digs, while Quinn had two kills and two blocks. Wilson and Vance each had a dig in the win.

As for the rest of the Lady Cats, they put together a strong performance as the Cyclones never threatened to win a set. The No. 3 team in Class 4A-Division 1 provided a lot of positives.

“Overall, I think we played well,” Compliment said. “I just felt that all night we were more efficient and we just took care of the ball. We had some good passes, nice sets and good hits and got the points when we needed to. We didn’t have very many mental mistakes or errors on our side. Our energy level might not have been as high as in the past, but I think with it also being Senior Night there were a lot of emotions.”

Junior Anna Dixon provided a lot of offense at the net with a team-high 21 kills and also led Louisburg with four aces and four blocks.

Carson Buffington ran the offense well from the setter position as she racked up 34 assists on the night and also had three aces and three blocks. Libero Riley Kallevig had a big outing in the back row with 16 digs.

Sarah Wilson (left) and Mikayla Quinn go up for a block Tuesday.

The day the Lady Cats have been waiting all season for is almost here as they will travel to Paola on Saturday for the Class 4A-Division I sub-state tournament.

Louisburg, which earned the No. 1 seed with a 28-9 record, will square off with No. 4 Paola (13-21) at 2 p.m. If the Lady Cats advance, they will play the winner between No. 2 Ottawa (17-18) and No. 3 Spring Hill (17-20) in the championship match at approximately 4 p.m.

The Lady Cats lost in the sub-state championship match to Paola a season ago and are ready to put that all behind them Saturday.

“They are excited and amped up for it,” Compliment said of her team. “We  kind of joked around that it is the Frontier League sub-state. This was the first time we saw Ottawa this year, but we have seen Paola twice, Spring Hill three or four times, so they are teams we are familiar with. At the same time we know we can’t take anything for granted and we have to work hard. They are excited for the opportunity, especially after not making to state last year. It has left a bitter taste in their mouths. This year, they have been focused and I think they are ready to go.”

Lady Cats place seventh at Emporia Invitational

Playing ranked teams isn’t something new to the Louisburg volleyball program.

The Lady Cats saw their fair share Saturday during the Emporia Invitational as they faced off with state-ranked Lawrence and Lawrence Free State in 6A and another ranked team in Maize that is Class 5A.

Record wise, Louisburg didn’t fare as it would have liked as it ended the day with a 3-3 record and a seventh-place finish last Saturday. Despite that, coach Jessica Compliment still liked what she saw from her group that had a little different look to it.

Senior Sarah Wilson and sophomore Erin Lemke each saw a lot of playing time as outside hitters, while junior Riley Vohs stepped up and joined the rotation on the back row for defense.

Junior Anna Dixon led the Lady Cats in kills, but sophomore Haley Cain rose to the occasion and was second on the team in kills.

“There were a lot of very good teams there,” Compliment said. “We saw teams like Lawrence, Lawrence Free State and Maize, all of which are ranked in higher classes. We also saw teams like Junction City and Bonner Springs that we don’t see of as much. The girls responded to the challenge well and really played hard.

“Erin got to play a lot on the outside, Sarah got lots of reps on the right side and Riley Vohs stepped in and played some good defense for us. The girls just rallied around each other and had to play some different roles. I thought Haley did a really good job the entire day hitting wise.”

Louisburg finished pool play with a 2-2 record and had wins over Bonner Springs (25-19, 19-25, 25-21) and Junction City (29-27, 23-25 and 25-14), and fell to Maize (25-12, 25-15) and Lawrence High (25-13, 25-23).

The Lady Cats moved to the consolation semifinals where they fell to Lawrence Free State (25-27, 25-22 and 25-14), but beat Bonner Springs for seventh place (25-15, 25-7).

Louisburg seniors (from left) Mikayla Quinn, Ainsley Vance, Sarah Wilson and Sophie McMullen were honored prior to the Lady Cats’ 3-0 victory over Ottawa during Senior Night ceremonies Tuesday. All four players played their final match on their home court.

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Louisburg senior Sophie McMullen goes up for one of her 18 kills on the night Thursday against Olathe North in Louisburg. The Lady Cats downed Olathe North 3-2, including a 21-19 win in the fifth set. 

In the final moments of the fifth set against Olathe North, the Louisburg High School volleyball team gave it all it had.

The Lady Cats swung a little harder, served a little better and dove on the floor to dig up everything they could get their hands on. They needed every ounce of energy as they tried to knock off the No. 2 team in Class 6A.

As it turned out, the Lady Cats had enough to get the job done.

Louisburg had match point on seven different occasions, but couldn’t put it away until Riley Kallevig dug up the Olathe North hit, Carson Buffington put the pass in the air and Anna Dixon smacked a kill to capture the fifth set, 21-19, and won the match 3-2.

The Lady Cats, ranked No. 2 in Class 4A-Division I, left the floor knowing this win can be the springboard they need to even bigger things.

“We were really tired,” Dixon said of the final moments of the match. “This whole week in practice we have been working on giving effort on every play, being competitive and it definitely showed out here. We are really excited to bring that into sub-state next weekend.”

Getting going certainly wasn’t a problem for Louisburg (24-6) as it jumped to a 25-23 and 25-22 victory in the first two sets and was one win from putting Olathe North away. Louisburg had a lead over the Eagles in the third set, but Olathe North rallied to win the third 25-21 and jumped out to a big advantage and held on to win the fourth, 25-23, despite a late Lady Cat rally.

All that set up a dramatic fifth game – one that saw Louisburg down 5-1 to start the first-to-15 set

“We had a lot of fight left,” Dixon said. “We called a timeout and we said we could decide now if we want to win or if we are going to let them take control. We came back out, gave 100 percent and we were able to pull it out.”

Louisburg players (from left) Anna Dixon, Haley Cain, Riley Kallevig, Carson Buffington, Sophie McMullen and Reilly Ratliff-Becher celebrate a big point Thursday against Olathe North.

Louisburg eventually rallied to tie the match, then took the lead late thanks to the Lady Cats’ defense as they dug up several Olathe North kill attempts.

“It was a battle of wills there at the end and that is what it came down to,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “We have been working a lot on defense in practice and we talk about sacrificing yourself and going for every ball and leaving it on the court. It showed out there.

“Our back row defense was great. We were running balls down and getting touches on everything. It might not have been the prettiest pass, but we were going to get a touch on that ball if we could. Our defense really stepped up and played huge for us.”

Senior Sophie McMullen, Dixon, Buffington and sophomores Kallevig and Reilly Ratliff-Becher all came up with several big digs defensively in the match, especially in the fifth set. McMullen had a team-high 27 digs, while Kallevig, the team’s libero, finished with 20. Dixon added 19 digs, while Buffington and Ratliff-Becher each had 17.

McMullen also thrived from behind the service line as she notched seven of the team’s 13 aces on the night, Kallevig and sophomore Haley Cain had three and two aces, respectively.

At the net, no one had a busier night than Dixon and she was able to come through for the Lady Cats. The Kansas State commit recorded a team-high 29 kills in the five sets and McMullen responded with 18 of her own.

Haley Cain (left) and Anna Dixon go up for a block on an Olathe North player Thursday.

Buffington, the team’s setter, set up a lot of those attempts as she finished with 49 assists and ran all over the floor to get the offense started.

Still, as busy as Dixon and McMullen were, Louisburg had other players step up and come through with crucial plays. Cain, who finished with six kills, began the fifth set and with a strong kill, while seniors Mikayla Quinn and Sarah Wilson both had crucial blocks.

“They showed a lot,” Compliment said of her players. “Haley had a big kill to open that fifth set. Having a big kill coming from her was a big boost for us. She has played well for us all season, but that was the first time she really hit the ball hard. That just amps the enthusiasm for everyone on the team. A lot of the girls made some big plays, which took some pressure off Anna and Sophie, so that way their defense can’t just focus on those two.

“Sarah has been battling for playing time all season and she came in and had a couple big plays for us. I was proud to see her make those. Reilly and Riley came up with some huge digs as well. Olathe North has some big outside hitters, and a lot of those hits would go cross court to Kallevig and she was getting good touches on everything. Anna and Sophie both had big digs on the back row, and Mikayla had some big blocks, so it was nice to see it all the come together.”

Sophomore libero Riley Kallevig digs up a ball late in the match Thursday against Olathe North.

Those plays were just a few the Lady Cats had to make with the match on the line.

“We really showed heart there at the end,” McMullen said. “I have never seen a team fight so hard to get those points. We were just going balls to wall there. We just wanted to make sure we got a touch on everything. We have been working on getting to every ball and I think it really showed out there, especially in that fifth set.”

Louisburg will try and continue its winning ways Saturday when it travels to the Emporia Invitational. That will follow a senior night dual with Ottawa on Tuesday, followed by the sub-state tournament next weekend.

“We are super focused,” Dixon said. “Everything in practice has been directed toward sub-state and what we need to work on. Our defense has really picked it up lately. Defense is what wins games, so hopefully we can pull it out next weekend.”

LOUISBURG GETS ROAD WIN AT EUDORA

Before its big match with state-ranked Olathe North and the Emporia Invitational on Saturday, the Louisburg volleyball team first had to get by Eudora on Tuesday in a Frontier League dual.

The Lady Cats were able to get a 25-21, 25-19 and 26-24 victory at Eudora High School, but they didn’t do it in the way they would have liked.

“We just didn’t play with a lot of focus,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “I could tell the girls were distracted. They weren’t focused on the court and we made a lot of serving and passing errors. We just weren’t communicating and those are simple focus problems and the girls knew it the next day in practice.

“Still, they made the plays when they needed to make them. They were able to finish the game out and I told them that we were not going to go four and we were going to win it in three. We needed to play to win and I think we did that.”

Senior Sophie McMullen led the Wildcat attack with 14 kills, while junior teammate Anna Dixon added 12. Junior Carson Buffington also notched 26 assists as she ran the Lady Cat offense.

Louisburg also recorded eight aces from behind the service line as Dixon tallied three aces, while sophomores Reilly Ratliff-Becher and Haley Cain finished with two.

Defensively, McMullen had a big night from the back row with a team-high 18 digs, while Dixon and sophomore libero Riley Kallevig each finished with seven. Ratliff-Becher added six digs in the win.

Louisburg junior Carson Buffington sets up a teammate during a Frontier League dual against Spring Hill last Tuesday in Louisburg. The Lady Cats rolled to a 3-0 win over the Broncos and improved their record to 22-6 on the season.

It was the calm before the storm – so to speak – for the Louisburg High School volleyball team.

The Lady Cats competed in just one dual last week as they gear up for two duals and a tournament this week, followed by senior night and the sub-state tournament the week after.

Louisburg’s dual against Spring Hill last Tuesday might not seem big in the grand scheme of things, but the Lady Cats showed they are continuing to improve as the season begins to wind down. Louisburg rolled the Broncos 25-17, 25-8 and 25-14 at Louisburg High School and is now 22-6 on the season.

“The team played with a lot of energy against Spring Hill and played loose throughout the entire match,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “We made a few mental mistakes during the match, but the majority of our mistakes were because we were being aggressive and trying a few new things out. We really picked up steam in the second set and never let up. I was happy to see the girls maintain the aggressive play throughout the night.”

Senior Sophie McMullen celebrates a big point last Tuesday against Spring Hill.

Like they have most of the season, the Lady Cats played well at the net and got good production from junior Anna Dixon and senior Sophie McMullen. Dixon led Louisburg with 20 kills in the three sets and McMullen finished with 11.

Serving was also a strong point for the Lady Cats as they recorded nine aces on the night and had a serving percentage close to 90 percent. In her 20 serves, sophomore Haley Cain recorded a 100 serving percentage and also had an ace.

Sophomore libero Riley Kallevig had three aces to lead Louisburg and McMullen finished with two. Junior Carson Buffington, senior Ainsley Vance and Dixon also added an ace.

Buffington had 33 assists on the evening compared to just two errors from the setter spot to guide the Louisburg attack.

Defensively, McMullen had a strong night in the back row with 17 digs and Cain was second on the team with 10. Sophomore Erin Lemke led Louisburg with two blocks.

The Lady Cats, the No. 2 team in Class 4A-Division 1, will see their schedule start to heat up beginning Tuesday when they travel to Eudora for a Frontier League dual. Louisburg will then host Olathe North for a dual Thursday before traveling to the Emporia Invitational on Saturday.

The Kansas State High School Activities Association released sub-state and regional pairings today for volleyball and cross country.

The Louisburg High School volleyball team will compete at Paola High School on Oct. 21 along with Ottawa, Paola and Spring Hill.

Atchison HS – Matt Renk, Manager(s) (1 Court)
Atchison HS; Basehor-Linwood HS; Kansas City-Piper HS; Tonganoxie HS;

Chanute HS – Eric Flaton, Manager(s) (1 Court)
Andover Central HS; Augusta HS; Chanute HS; Rose Hill HS;

El Dorado HS – Brian Engelken, Manager(s) (1 Court)
Abilene HS; El Dorado HS; Towanda-Circle HS; Wamego HS;

Fort Scott HS – Larry Fink, Manager(s) (1 Court)
Altamont-Labette County HS; Coffeyville-Field Kindley HS; Fort Scott HS; Independence HS;

Paola HS – Darin Gagnebin, Manager(s) (1 Court)
Louisburg HS; Ottawa HS; Paola HS; Spring Hill HS;

Shawnee Mission-Bishop Miege HS – Mike Hubka, Manager(s) (1 Court)
Bonner Springs HS; Eudora HS; Kansas City-Sumner Academy; Shawnee Mission-Bishop Miege HS;

Ulysses HS – Jason Kenny, Manager(s) (1 Court)
Buhler HS; Hays HS; McPherson HS; Ulysses HS;

Winfield HS – Billy Tipps, Manager(s) (1 Court)
Arkansas City HS; Mulvane HS; Wellington HS; Winfield HS;

The Louisburg High School cross country team will travel south to Burlington for its regional meet on Oct. 21.

CLASS 4A

(Saturday, October 21, 2017)

4 Regionals…3 Teams Qualifying Per Regional,
Top Ten Runners With Possibility of Additional Individual Qualifiers

BURLINGTON HS (Burlington-John Redmond Res. Dam) Dave Watkins, Manager

GIRLS – 10:00a.m.

BOYS – 10:40 a.m.

Baxter Springs HS, Burlington HS, Chanute HS, Columbus HS, Fort Scott HS, Frontenac HS, Galena HS, Garnett-Anderson County HS, Girard HS, Iola HS, LaCygne-Prairie View HS, Louisburg HS, Osawatomie HS, Ottawa HS, Paola HS, Parsons HS

EL DORADO HS (El Dorado Lake State Park) Brian Engelken, Manager

GIRLS – 10:00 a.m.

BOYS – 10:40 a.m.

Altamont-Labette County HS, Andale HS, Andover Central HS, Arkansas City HS, Augusta HS, Clearwater HS, Coffeyville-Field Kindley HS, El Dorado HS, Independence HS, Mulvane HS, Rose Hill HS, Towanda-Circle HS, Wellington HS, Wichita-Collegiate HS, Wichita-Trinity Academy, Winfield HS

LANSING HS (Wyandotte County Park) Gary Mattingly & Brian Malm, Managers

GIRLS – 10:45 a.m.

BOYS – 12:15 p.m.

Atchison HS, Baldwin HS, Basehor-Linwood HS, Bonner Springs HS, Eudora HS, Holton HS, Kansas City-Bishop Ward HS, Kansas City-Piper HS, Kansas City-Sumner Academy, Marysville HS, Meriden-Jefferson West HS, Sante Fe Trail HS, Shawnee Mission-Bishop Miege HS, Spring Hill HS, Tonganoxie HS, Topeka-Hayden HS

MCPHERSON HS (McPherson-Rolling Acres Golf Course) Shane Backhus, Manager

GIRLS – 10:30 a.m.

BOYS – 11:10 a.m.

Abilene HS, Buhler HS, Chapman HS, Clay Center Community HS, Concordia HS, Hays HS, Holcomb HS, Hugoton HS, Larned HS, Lindsborg-Smoky Valley HS, McPherson HS, Nickerson HS, Pratt HS, St. George-Rock Creek HS, Ulysses HS, Wamego HS

Louisburg’s Haley Cain (left) and Anna Dixon team up for a block Tuesday during the Lady Cats’ league dual with Paola at Paola High School. Louisburg improved its record to 21-6 with a 3-1 win. 

PAOLA – Focus and energy wasn’t a problem for the Louisburg High School volleyball team Tuesday as rival Paola had its full attention.

The Lady Cats, the No. 2 ranked team in Class 4A-Division 1, traveled to Paola for a Frontier League dual and they put all that energy to good use as they jumped out to a quick 25-17 win in the first set. Although that focus might have gone away a little after falling in the second set 21-25, Louisburg responded with a convincing 25-12 and 25-15 victory in the final two sets to win the match, 3-1.

“They were pumped,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “It is always a good rivalry between Louisburg and Paola every time we play. The girls were excited and ready for the match. I think in that second set our energy level went down a little bit because we used a lot of that adrenaline early on and we made a few more mistakes. But overall I thought we played well.”

Paola didn’t have much of an answer for Louisburg’s Anna Dixon as she caused havoc at the net for the Panthers. Dixon, a 6-foot-2 junior, put away a team-high 20 kills to lead the Lady Cats.

Sophomore Haley Cain also had a big night with 10 kills and senior Sophie McMullen added nine in the win.

A lot of those kills were thanks to junior setter Carson Buffington as she tallied 36 assists on the evening.

“Anna swung well on the outside and she and Carson are really starting to connect,” Compliment said. “Carson is starting to connect well the hitters across the board, and with that happening, she is starting to get more confidence. Anna, and others like Sophie and Haley, really had some nice hits.”

Louisburg (21-6) also did some damage from behind the service line as the Lady Cats recorded 15 aces in the four sets. McMullen and Cain both led Louisburg with four aces, while Buffington, Dixon and libero Riley Kallevig each added two.

“The girls served really well and were a lot more aggressive,” Compliment said. “Carson and Riley both stepped up and served well and did well on their spot serves.”

Senior Mikayla Quinn goes up for a kill Tuesday against Paola.

Defensively, McMullen was busy as she recorded 21 digs on the night and Dixon finished with 11 from her all-around spot. Kallevig added nine digs in the victory.

The Lady Cats got off to a good start as they ended the first set on a 12-3 run to go up 1-0 and then staked themselves a 16-13 lead in the second before Paola stormed back and went on a 12-5 run of its own to tie the match.

In a pivotal third set, Louisburg made sure the match wasn’t going to be in doubt. The Lady Cats took leads of 10-3 and 20-8 to win the third set easily and did much of the same in the fourth.

“One of the thing we have been working on is just finishing things and coming out with an attitude of going after every point,” Compliment said. “I thought the girls did a good job of that, especially after the second set.”

Louisburg will have the rest of the week off before it hosts Spring Hill on Tuesday for another Frontier League dual.

The Kansas High School Activities Association released the classifications for the 2017-18 season on Tuesday morning, and for Louisburg High School, much remains the same.

The Wildcats are currently a Class 4A-Division I program with 532 students, but after this season the classification system will change. Class 4A will get rid of the divisions and 4A will have just 36 schools. Louisburg is still expected to be in 4A for the foreseeable future.

However, several schools across the state made classification changes.

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Arkansas City and Sumner Academy dropped from Class 5A to 4A for the upcoming season, while Galena, Hugoton and Marysville all moved up to 4A. Maize South jumped from 4A to 5A.

Colby , Goodland, Scott City and Haven all dropped from 4A to 3A schools, while McLouth moved up from 2A to 3A.

Hays is currently the largest 4A school with 791 students, followed by Sumner Academy (782), Andover Central (764), Bonner Springs (762) and Arkansas City (757).

Sub-state and regional assignments for the fall season will be released in the coming days.