Louisburg senior Sophie McMullen goes up for a kill Saturday during the Lady Cats’ match with Olathe North at the Louisburg Invitational. The Lady Cats finished in fifth place overall with a 4-1 record.

In most tournaments, going 4-1 and knocking off a pair of state-ranked teams in the process, usually means your team is going to leave with some sort of hardware.

The Louisburg High School volleyball team did just that – well, everything but the hardware part anyway.

The Lady Cats’ lone loss in the Louisburg Invitational on Saturday came in pool play and two other teams in their pool finished with a 2-1 record. Louisburg fell to Shawnee Mission West in two sets, but beat Leavenworth in two and knocked off state-ranked Olathe North in three sets.

The top two teams in each pool moved on to the championship bracket, but Louisburg wasn’t one of those as it lost the tiebreaker and were sent to compete in the consolation bracket at Louisburg Middle School.

Louisburg, the No. 3 team in Class 4A-Division I, didn’t let that get it down as it won its final two matches of the day to finish in fifth place, including a win over No. 2 Basehor-Linwood in the fifth-place match. Despite the good record and big victories, the Lady Cats wanted more.

“The moral of the story is every match and every single set is important,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “It may have been a different story had we beaten Olathe North in two, or if we beat Shawnee Mission West. Every game, every set and every match is important and you can’t take them for granted. Losing that match to Shawnee Mission West, or losing a set to Olathe North is what pushed us into the bottom half of the bracket, going 4-1 and ending in fifth place.”

Pool play started well for the Lady Cats as they opened with a 25-21 and 25-21 win over Leavenworth, but Louisburg saw its one setback happen in its next match. Shawnee Mission West knocked off Louisburg 25-20 and 25-21 that forced a must-win match-up against Olathe North, the No. 4 team in Class 6A, in its final pool play contest.

The Lady Cats (20-6) rallied from behind in the third set against Olathe North to win 25-19, 20-25 and 25-23. Louisburg opened that third set with an 8-2 lead, only to see North go on a 9-0 run to grab an 11-8 advantage.

(From left): Carson Buffington, Sophie McMullen, Haley Cain, Reilly Ratliff-Becher and Anna Dixon celebrate a big point Saturday against Olathe North.

Olathe North led 15-9, but the Lady Cats went on a 7-1 run to tie it at 16-all. Louisburg then came back again from a 19-16 deficit to go up 22-20 and eventually hold on to win.

Junior Anna Dixon and senior Sophie McMullen gave the Lady Cats a big boost when they needed it the most. Dixon had a team-high 14 kills to go along with 12 digs, while McMullen was all over the place on defense with 21 digs and also had 12 kills to go along with a team-best six aces.

“We got down several times where we had to battle back,” Compliment said. “The Olathe North match was a tough one and they are a good team and for them to come and win that third set was good. They showed their confidence, they were aggressive and they didn’t pull back. That is what is frustrating sometimes is that we play our best against certain teams and other teams we relax and don’t play as well.”

The victory gave the Lady Cats a 2-1 record in pool play and finished in a three-way tie for first. Louisburg lost the tiebreaker based on set percentage and were sent to the consolation bracket.

It was there Louisburg opened bracket play with a 25-19 and 25-15 win over Fort Scott and then exacted some revenge in its fifth-place match with Basehor-Linwood. The Lady Cats had lost to Basehor twice already this season, but came through this time with a 25-20 and 26-24 win.

Once again, the Lady Cats had to come from behind and did so with a big comeback in the second set. Louisburg found itself down 22-14, before finishing the match on a 12-2 run.

“I talk to the girls a lot about finishing the match, or finishing the set and don’t sit back and think it is going to happen,” Compliment said. “To see them come from behind and beat Basehor, a team that has beaten us twice already this year, was big. We were down eight points at one time and that was great to see them battle back and not give up.

Mikayla Quinn (left) and Anna Dixon rise up for a block Saturday during the Louisburg Invitational.

“They were disappointed that they had to come over to the middle school. At the same time, we finished 4-1, and yeah we lost to Shawnee Mission West, who we had beaten previously earlier in the year. We didn’t start out well and we didn’t play with a lot of urgency. But for them to get four wins, especially against Olathe North and Basehor-Linwood, those are big confidence victories for the rest of the year. Losing that tiebreaker taught our girls that every set is important. I have seen teams go 2-1 in pool play out at state and have gone home. You can’t take anything for granted.”

Dixon had a big day at the net for the Lady Cats as she had a team-high 59 kills and nine blocks to go along with 54 digs.

McMullen recorded a team-best 10 aces and added to 39 kills and 38 digs to her stat line.

Junior setter Carson Buffington ran the offense well for the Lady Cats with 118 assists and defensively had 24 digs. Sophomore Haley Cain had 21 kills and four blocks, while senior Mikayla Quinn finished with 10 kills and six blocks.

Defensively, sophomore libero Riley Kallevig and sophomore Reilly Ratliff-Becher also had positive impacts for the Lady Cats. Kallevig had 38 digs to go along with eight aces and Ratliff-Becher finished with 27 digs.

Reilly Ratliff-Becher digs up a ball Saturday during the Lady Cats’ home tournament.

“Reilly and Riley do a good job of reading stuff and they are fun to watch in the back row, especially with both of them being sophomores and watching them grow,” Compliment said. “We transitioned Reilly from being a JV setter to being on the back row on defense and has done a good job of embracing that role.”

Louisburg returns to action tonight when it travels to rival Paola for a Frontier League dual. Freshmen is set to begin at 4:30 p.m., with junior varsity and varsity to follow.

Louisburg gets league road win

The Louisburg High School volleyball team didn’t have much of a problem on the road Thursday at Baldwin in a Frontier League dual.

The Lady Cats rolled to a 25-14, 25-9 and 25-9 win over Baldwin as they still have just one league loss on the season, which was to De Soto earlier in the year.

Louisburg recorded 13 aces on the night, including seven from senior Sophie McMullen. McMullen and junior Anna Dixon were big at the net with 15 kills each and sophomore Haley Cain added seven.

Junior Carson Buffington came through with 31 assists. McMullen and sophomore libero Riley Kallevig had 16 and 15 digs, respectively, to lead Louisburg defensively.

“The team played really well for all three sets,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “They came out ready to play and never let up all evening. Sophie and Anna both had a great night on the service line. They both had some big serves, and made some great plays at the net. Our back row defense was pretty spot on all night as well.”

Louisburg sophomore Haley Cain goes up for a kill against Prairie View on Thursday at Louisburg High School. The Lady Cats rolled to 2-0 wins over Prairie View, Fort Scott and Osawatomie in their home quadrangular. 

When the latest Kansas Volleyball Coaches Association rankings came out last week, the Louisburg High School volleyball team got a little bit of good news during what was a rough patch.

The Lady Cats were in the midst of a three-game losing streak when it was announced that they were the No. 2 team in Class 4A-Division I. That good news carried over Thursday into their home quadrangular.

Louisburg snapped its losing skid and replaced it with a three-game winning streak after the Lady Cats rolled to easy 2-0 wins over Osawatomie, Fort Scott and Prairie View at Louisburg High School. The wins improved the Lady Cats’ record to 15-5 on the season.

“The three wins Thursday evening were nice,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “The whole program (freshman and junior varsity) swept their quads as well so nine wins for the program was great to see.

“Overall we played okay. We lost our focus at times and it showed that we need to continue working on our mental game and minimizing errors.”

Osawatomie was the Lady Cats’ first foe and Louisburg didn’t have much of a problem in a 25-10 and 25-12 victory.

The Lady Cats played well all over the court, but got a good performance from Sophie McMullen. The Louisburg senior recorded seven of the team’s 11 aces in the match and also had a team-high seven kills.

Senior Sarah Wilson rises up for a kill against Prairie View.

Sophomore libero Riley Kallevig and junior Anna Dixon both had a team-high six digs, while setter Carson Buffington tallied 14 assists in the match. Sophomore Reilly Ratliff-Becher and McMullen contributed four digs, while Dixon and sophomore Haley Cain had four and three kills, respecitively.

It was much of the same in the Lady Cats’ next game when they squared off with Fort Scott. Louisburg controlled the match from the opening serve in its 25-6 and 25-9 victory.

Dixon had a big performance at the net with a team-high 12 kills. As a team, the Lady Cats had a big night from behind service line with 12 aces. Dixon and Cain led the way with three each, while Buffington and McMullen recorded two.

Buffington ran the Lady Cat offense well with 16 assists, while Kallevig led the defense with seven digs. McMullen and Ratliff-Becher had five and four digs, respectively.

Louisburg didn’t let up in its final match of the day as it continued its dominance with a 25-10 and 25-9 win over Prairie View.

Dixon, once again, had another big outing at the net with a team-high 16 kills and McMullen recorded six. McMullen also served well as she recorded five of the team’s 14 aces. Kallevig, Cain and Buffington each added three each.

Senior Ainsley Vance gets ready to make a pass to a teammate Thursday in the Lady Cats’ home triangular.

Buffington had 22 assists in the win, while Kallevig had another big match on defense with a team-high eight digs and McMullen had six.

The Lady Cats will try to keep that winning streak going tonight when it travels to Baldwin for a Frontier League dual. The freshman match will start at 4:30 p.m., with the junior varsity and varsity to follow.

De Soto wins battle of ranked teams

Going into their Frontier League dual on Sept. 12, both the Louisburg and De Soto volleyball teams were ranked in their respective classifications.

It was a battle between the league’s top two teams – a battle De Soto won.

De Soto, the No. 6 team in Class 5A at the time, defeated Louisburg 25-17, 25-15 and 25-23 to hand the Lady Cats their first league loss of the season.

The Lady Cats struggled to get going in the first two sets, but managed to take a 23-21 lead late in the third to try and force a fourth set. Instead, De Soto scored the final four points to earn the sweep.

Senior Sophie McMullen and junior Anna Dixon were both active at the net with 12 kills each and McMullen also had two aces. Junior setter Carson Buffington recorded 26 assists

Defensively, sophomore libero Riley Kallevig had a team-high 19 digs, while Dixon and McMullen finished with 17 and 14, respectively.

Louisburg’s Mikayla Quinn (left) and Carson Buffington celebrate a big kill by Sophie McMullen (12) during the Lady Cats’ dual with Lansing on Thursday at Louisburg High School. The Lady Cats competed in the Lansing Invitational on Saturday and finished fourth.

LANSING – The Louisburg volleyball team’s schedule ramped up Saturday when it traveled to the Lansing Invitational and faced off with several bigger programs and ranked teams.

Louisburg more than held its own as the Lady Cats ventured through pool play undefeated and made it the championship bracket. The final two matches didn’t go as the Lady Cats had hoped as they fell to De Soto and Basehor-Linwood in two sets to settle for fourth overall.

“The team played well during pool play,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “We saw a lot of good teams who challenged us. We got behind in a few matches and rallied back to win so I was pleased to see that fight in them.

“We had some great defensive plays throughout the day which helped lift up our offense and lit a fire under the players and team.”

The Lady Cats opened the tournament against Frontier League foe, Spring Hill, and came away with a 25-19 and 26-24 win, thanks in part to their defense.

Sophomore libero Riley Kallevig recorded a team-high 17 digs and senior Sophie McMullen added 13 in the win. Junior Anna Dixon led the way offensively with 14 kills and McMullen added eight.

Louisburg was able to exact some revenge for a loss earlier in the season, when the Lady Cats (12-4) knocked off Basehor-Linwood in the second pool play match, 25-20, 22-25 and 25-16.

McMullen led the Lady Cats from behind the service line as she recorded six of the nine aces during the three-set match. Dixon and McMullen also came up big at the net as the notched 19 and 11 kills, respectively. Carson Buffington led Louisburg offense with 32 assists.

Defense was again key for Louisburg as McMullen tallied 20 digs, while sophomore Reilly Ratliff-Becher had 12. Buffington also had 11 digs in the win.

The Lady Cats, who are currently ranked No. 4 in Class 4A-Division I, had an easy time against Topeka Seaman in a 25-18, 25-15 victory, but they had a tussle in their final pool play match.

Louisburg faced off with Shawnee Mission West, a Class 6A program, and won in three sets – 25-19, 17-25 and 28-26.

Dixon came up big in the match as she led the Lady Cats in three different categories. Dixon finished with six aces, 19 kills and also had 10 digs on defense.

Sophomore libero Riley Kallevig saves a ball from going out-of-bounds Thursday against Lansing.

McMullen added 16 kills in the victory, while Buffington handed out 33 assists in what was a frantic match.

The championship bracket proved to be much tougher for the Lady Cats as they met De Soto in the semifinals. De Soto, which is ranked No. 6 in Class 5A, downed Louisburg 25-19 and 26-24.

“We played well against De Soto, but made a few too many mistakes that they capitalized on that cost us in the end,” Compliment said. “The second match was a well-played match, but we came up short.”

The Lady Cats had a rematch with Basehor-Linwood in the third-place match and came up short this time in a 25-22 and 25-21 loss.

“The Lansing tournament is full of good teams, but it is also a long day with six matches,” Compliment said. “I think fatigue played a role during the last match with Basehor, but it’s also not an excuse for how we came out with zero energy. I would have liked to see more of a fight out of the team, but they were exhausted. Basehor had more energy and made fewer mistakes than we did during the last match.”

In the tournament overall, McMullen had a big day for the Lady Cats, especially on defense. She racked up a team-high 74 digs and also had 58 kills to go along with a team-high 16 aces.

Dixon led the Lady Cats offensively with a team-high 79 kills, 11 blocks and eight aces.

Buffington, the team’s setter, finished the day with 142 assists to go along with 39 digs. Kallevig was second on the team with 64 digs and also had seven aces.

Haley Cain (20 kills, five blocks), Ratliff-Becher (30 digs) and Mikayla Quinn (eight kills, six blocks) also came up big at times throughout the day.

Louisburg will get another chance at De Soto today as it will host the Wildcats for a league dual. Varsity is set to begin at approximately 6:30 p.m.

Louisburg falls to Lansing in home dual

The Louisburg High School volleyball team got off to a good start against the No. 2 ranked team in Class 5A as the Lady Cats captured the first set against Lansing on Thursday.

After that, however, Lansing showed why it is ranked so high.

The Lions won the next three sets to defeat Louisburg 23-25, 25-16 25-15 and 25-18.

Junior Anna Dixon led the Lady Cats with a team-high 25 kills, while setter Carson Buffington added 35 assists. Defensively, McMullen finished the day with 23 digs and libero Riley Kallevig recorded 14.

McMullen and Mikayla Quinn also had 10 and six kills, respectively, to help out the Lady Cat offense.

Louisburg junior Carson Buffington (left) sets up teammate Haley Cain for a kill Thursday against Santa Fe Trail. The Lady Cats defeated both Burlington and Santa Fe Trail during a triangular at Louisburg High School.

The Louisburg High School volleyball team had its hands full Tuesday as the Lady Cats saw a pair of ranked teams invade their gym.

Burlington and Santa Fe Trail, who were slotted at No. 4 and No. 7, respectively, in Class 4A-Division II, each had a shot to knock off Louisburg – which is ranked No. 4 in Class 4A-Division 1. In the battle of top teams, the Lady Cats won each time.

Louisburg handed Burlington its first loss of the season with a 25-18 and 25-20 win in the first match of the triangular. The Lady Cats then did the same against Santa Fe Trail as they rallied to win the first set 26-24 and won the second 25-16.

Against Burlington, the Lady Cats (8-1) were in control in both sets but let Burlington hang around due to some miscues. Still, Louisburg was able to pull away when it needed to in both sets.

Junior Anna Dixon led the Louisburg offense with 12 kills and senior Sophie McMullen added eight. McMullen also finished with a team-high three aces and nine digs.

Setter Carson Buffington tallied 20 assists, five digs and two aces in the victory and Dixon had six digs defensively.

“The first match against Burlington, we just didn’t play with a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “We just kind of went through the motions. I think we missed about 10 serves and had way too many errors. I told them they need to find some energy or some spark out there for their next match and I think they were able to do that.”

The Lady Cats needed to find that energy as they found themselves with their backs against wall in their first set with Santa Fe Trail. Louisburg was on the verge of losing the first set as they trailed 23-19, but the Lady Cats rallied behind a pair of kills and an ace from McMullen, and a kill from Dixon, to pull out the 26-24 win.

Louisburg used that momentum to pull away from Santa Fe Trail in the second set and won the match going away.

Senior Sophie McMullen goes up for a kill Thursday against Santa Fe Trail.

“For them to come back in that first set was huge,” Compliment said. “I always tell the girls that they have to stay aggressive. If they start pulling back, then the other team is going to get the momentum. I was proud of how they answered back and dug out of that deficit to come back and win. That energy just carried over into the second one.

“When they play together, and play with high energy like that, a mistake here or there isn’t going to hurt as much as when we play flat. I thought we really picked it up there and it was good to see.”

Defense propelled the Lady Cats against Santa Fe Trail as they recorded 26 digs as a team. Riley Kallevig, the team’s libero, led the team with six digs. Sophomore Reilly Ratliff-Becher and McMullen also added five digs a piece in the win, while Dixon and Buffington added four each.

Senior Mikayla Quinn had a strong game at the net with a team-high four blocks, while sophomores Haley Cain and Erin Lemke each added three.

“Our defense was good there,” Compliment said. “Santa Fe has some good hitters and they were a good team. I thought our defense really stepped up against them and did a good job. Our back row did a great job as Kallevig had some big digs, Sophie had some big saves in the back and our hitters were stepping up. We had some aggressive serves that went in as well.”

Sophomore Reilly Ratliff-Becher chases down a ball Thursday against Santa Fe Trail.

Kallevig and McMullen each finished with a pair of aces and McMullen added nine kills to her line. Dixon led the Lady Cats with a team-high 10 kills and Buffington had 21 assists.

Another ranked team will make its way to Louisburg today as the Lady Cats will face off with Lansing – the No. 2 team in Class 5A. Louisburg will follow that up with a trip to Lansing on Saturday for the Lansing Invitational in what is another tough stretch in its schedule.

“We have to come ready to go because Lansing is going to be a tough match,” Compliment said. “They are always good and it is great competition. We have the home court advantage, so hopefully that plays to our hand. The Lansing tournament is always tough and I think it will give us a good idea of where we are at after playing outside of some of our area schools.”

LOUISBURG SHUTS DOWN OLATHE SOUTH

The Louisburg volleyball team continued its schedule of playing larger programs on Sept. 1 when it hosted Olathe South.

The bigger school didn’t intimidate the Lady Cats as they downed Olathe South 25-10, 26-24 and 25-21 in the best-of-5 dual. Although it wasn’t the cleanest of matches, the Lady Cats were happy to take the win, but they know there are things they have to work on.

“Of Olathe South’s 10 points in the first set, 7 or 8 were on our errors,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “I think we had a lack of focus to start. We got down in the second set and we really had to dig deep and push to come out and win. I think we finished strong in the third set and they just need to find that level of intensity in every match. We lacked a little bit of tenacity and it showed at times.”

Senior Sophie McMullen led the Louisburg attack with 17 kills to go along with a team-high three aces. Junior Anna Dixon added 16 kills in the win and junior setter Carson Buffington recorded 33 assists.

Defensively, Dixon led Louisburg at the net with four blocks, while senior Mikayla Quinn and sophomore Haley Cain each had three. Libero Riley Kallevig, sophomore Reilly Ratliff-Becher, Dixon and McMullen finished five digs on the night.

Louisburg senior Mikayla Quinn tips the ball over the net Tuesday against Blue Valley Southwest at Louisburg High School. The Lady Cats defeated Southwest in five sets to improve its record to 5-1 on the season.

It hasn’t even been a full week into the season, and it was just one win, but the Louisburg High School volleyball team got a big victory Tuesday against Blue Valley Southwest.

The win was important but the way the Lady Cats pulled it off could pay dividends for the rest of their season.

Down 2-1, and on the verge of elimination, the Lady Cats rallied to win the final two sets and defeat Blue Valley Southwest 25-20, 19-25, 23-25, 26-24 and 15-9 in Louisburg. It was a victory the Lady Cats hope gives them confidence later on in the season.

“Coming back down 1-2 to win the last two sets is huge,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “The fourth set was 26-24, so it wasn’t easy, but the players battled to the end. We seemed to start each set strong but would hit a wall and start pulling back once Southwest made a few runs. That is something we’ll need to work on as the season progresses – establishing mental toughness and persevering.

“We lost some energy during the second and third set which Blue Valley Southwest capitalized on. Overall, I was pleased with how the team rallied back, played together and finished the night.”

Louisburg senior Sophie McMullen guided the Lady Cats back from the brink of defeat to give them new life. McMullen recorded eight kills, three aces and a block in the fourth set alone to help the Lady Cats to the two-point win.

McMullen finished the match with 22 kills, 19 digs, nine aces and four blocks to lead Louisburg in a back-and-forth night.

“Sophie did a great job of making some big plays down the stretch that kept us in the match and helped us pull out the win,” Compliment said. “She had a few huge hits as well as some big serves. Our middles (Haley Cain and Mikayla Quinn) established themselves early in the match which helped all of the hitters stand a better chance for a split block or a one-on-one opportunity. Carson (Buffington) did a good job of moving the offense around to each of the hitters.”

Junior Anna Dixon goes up for a block Tuesday against Blue Valley Southwest.

Buffington had a good evening running the offense with 46 assists in the five sets and set up several teammates in the process.

Junior Anna Dixon had a team-high 30 kills to go along with four aces and six blocks. Cain finished with six kills and five blocks in the middle.

Defensively, Dixon added 16 digs to her line, while Buffington and sophomore libero Riley Kallevig added 10.

Louisburg (5-1) jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the first set and kept the Timberwolves at arm’s length to get off to a good start. Louisburg again got out quickly for a 5-1 lead in the second set, but Southwest stormed back to take the lead midway through the set and held on.

The Lady Cats held a 13-11 lead in the third, only to watch the Timberwolves come back again and capture the set.

Louisburg had to win the final two to pull off the comeback – and it did.

McMullen helped give Louisburg an early 5-1 lead after a pair of aces, and after Southwest tried to comeback again, McMullen responded with four kills and an ace to give Louisburg a 14-12 advantage.

The Timberwolvers eventually took a 17-16 lead, but a Quinn kill tied the match and the Lady Cats responded with a McMullen kill and an ace from Dixon to regain the lead at 19-17.

Blue Valley Southwest led 22-21 late, but a kill and a tip from McMullen gave the Lady Cats the advantage back and Louisburg held on thanks to a pair of Dixon kills that ended the set when it was tied at 24-all.

Louisburg used that momentum and left no doubt on who would take that deciding fifth set. The Lady Cats jumped out to an 11-3 lead thanks to three kills and an ace from Dixon and cruised from there.

The Lady Cats will try for another dual win tonight when it hosts Olathe South. Freshmen begins at 4:30 p.m., with junior varsity and varsity to follow.

Louisburg junior Anna Dixon sends a kill past the outstretched arms of two Paola blockers Saturday during the Frontier League Tournament at Louisburg High School. Dixon and the Lady Cats finished third overall with a 4-1 record on the day.

The Louisburg High School volleyball team is considered one of the top teams in the Frontier League and its No. 3 state ranking is one of those reasons.

On Saturday during the Frontier League Tournament, the Lady Cats looked strong early as they didn’t lose a set in pool play. However, it was one match that tripped them up.

Louisburg lost to Basehor-Linwood in the semifinals 25-22 and 26-24 and the Lady Cats were denied a spot in the championship match at Louisburg High School. The Lady Cats did end the day on a positive note as they ousted Spring Hill 25-14 and 25-18 to finish in third place.

De Soto cruised to win its second consecutive league tournament and didn’t lose a set on the day.

“For the first go-round this season, I think we started stronger to start the day and I just think we had more energy in the morning,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “I think the girls were excited with the anticipation of getting the season going and our energy level was higher in the first two matches. After that, I think we started to level off and play more comfortable and more timid.”

The Lady Cats (4-1) opened pool play the right way as they rolled Baldwin 25-14 and 25-11. Senior Sophie McMullen gave Louisburg the boost it needed from behind the service line as she recorded 11 aces between the two sets and also added five kills.

Junior Anna Dixon led the Lady Cats with nine kills and junior setter Carson Buffington tallied 18 assists to lead the Louisburg offense. Defensively, sophomore libero Riley Kallevig added three digs.

Louisburg didn’t let up as it defeated Spring Hill 25-23 and 25-11 to earn its second pool play win behind 10 kills and six blocks from Dixon and five kills and five digs from McMullen. Kallevig and McMullen each had a pair of aces the win.

Sophomore Erin Lemke (left) and senior Mikayla Quinn rise up for a block Saturday against Spring Hill.

The Lady Cats got to exact some revenge in their final pool play match against Paola. The Panthers ended Louisburg’s season a year ago, but the Lady Cats rallied to win the first set 25-17 and won the second 25-18 to finish pool play undefeated.

Dixon had nine kills to lead the Lady Cats in the winning effort. Louisburg also served well with nine aces, including four from Dixon and three from Kallevig. Buffington also had 16 assists in the win.

Basehor-Linwood proved to be a much tougher opponent for the Louisburg in the semifinals. The Lady Cats had to play from behind most of the match, but did rally late in the second set to try and force a deciding third, but couldn’t overtake a pesky Bobcat team.

“Basehor has always been a scrappy team,” Compliment said. “We just kind of struggled getting around their blocks and coming together as a team. I think we just let them dominate us mentally more than anything on that front. We didn’t play together as well as we should have.”

Sophomore Haley Cain stepped up in the front row to lead Louisburg with seven kills, while McMullen and Dixon each finished with six.

Senior Mikayla Quinn added four kills and Buffington tallied 18 assists. McMullen led the Louisburg defense with six digs.

Haley Cain goes up for a kill in the semifinals Saturday against Basehor-Linwood.

Louisburg responded well in its final match against Spring Hill and the Lady Cats didn’t let that one loss bother them to come back and take third.

“I was proud of the way the girls responded by coming back and beating Spring Hill and finishing the day with a win,” Compliment said. “It just wasn’t the ending they had anticipated or wanted. There was still a lot of good things that happened. I was impressed with our serve receive and how Riley and Reilly (Ratliff-Becher) passed the ball. Also having Sophie back there as well just adds more consistency to our serve receive.”

Kallevig had four aces to lead the Lady Cats behind the service line against Spring Hill and Dixon added three aces and eight kills. McMullen and Quinn finished up with six and five kills, respectively.

Buffington ended the day with 16 assists and Kallevig had a team-high six digs. McMullen and Ratliff-Becher each had four digs.

Louisburg players (clockwise from left) Erin Lemke (14), Carson Buffington, Sophie McMullen, Riley Kallevig and Anna Dixon celebrate a big point Saturday.

“I was proud of Carson and how she ran the offense,” Compliment said. “We changed the offense again this year to the 5-1 and she has done a good job. We have four sophomores out there at times, so we are still kind of young and it all about getting court time for them. Sophie and Anna both had some good runs there on the front row as did Mikayla, so we did some good things.”

Louisburg will try and continue its winning ways tonight when it hosts Blue Valley Southwest. The freshman team opens play at 4:30 p.m., with the junior varsity and varsity to follow.

A photo gallery from Saturday’s tournament can be found here.

Louisburg drum major Chloe Philgreen directs the band during the Fall Community Pep Rally on Thursday at Louisburg High School.

Parents and students at Louisburg High School flooded the LHS gymnasium Thursday for the 20th Annual Community Pep Rally that was sponsored by First National Bank.

They were all provided with a free meal courtesy of First National and Chris Cakes, which was followed by the introduction of all the fall sports and activities. The LHS cheerleaders and Jazzy Cats performed routines, while the Wildcat band also performed musical numbers throughout the evening.

Below is a photo gallery from the event on what was a great way to kick off the school year.

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Louisburg senior Sophie McMullen digs up a ball during a match last season. McMullen who earned first-team all-Frontier League honors along with junior teammate Anna Dixon, return to lead the Lady Cats.

The image is still planted in the minds of the Louisburg High School volleyball team.

It is a picture the Lady Cats haven’t been able to shake almost 10 months later as they watched rival Paola celebrate a substate championship on their home floor after losing the match in two sets.

However, instead of letting that one match do more damage, the Lady Cats are trying to turn it into a positive. Louisburg, which opens its season Saturday when it hosts the Frontier League Tournament, wants to make sure it doesn’t have that same sinking feeling at the end of this year.

“I think it has motivated us a lot, especially seeing teams ahead of us go to state,” junior Anna Dixon said. “We were super motivated going into that game, but the loss I think really hit us hard. Our new motto this year is ‘Believe the Hype.’ I really think this is going to be our bounce back year and I think that we are ready to go.”

That new motto is something Louisburg head coach Jessica Compliment believes will give her team confidence – something that wasn’t there at times last season.

“Louisburg volleyball has a long standing tradition of being a strong athletic program,” Compliment said. “League championships, state qualifying teams and state rankings date all the way back to the 1970s. Wearing a Louisburg uniform is something that should bring pride to the athlete because they are part of a program with a rich history and a program with recent successes.

“‘Believe the Hype’ hopefully brings confidence to the athletes that they are deserving of wearing that uniform. Last year I think we were missing that confidence. We didn’t quite believe that we could beat or play with anyone if we put our mind to it and worked together as a team.”

People around the state are starting to “Believe the Hype” as well as the Kansas Volleyball Coaches Association tabbed the Lady Cats as the No. 3 team in Class 4A-Division I in its preseason rankings, just below No. 1 Rose Hill and No. 2 Bishop Miege.

Louisburg returns six players that saw starting time at one point or another last year during its 23-17 season. Dixon and senior Sophie McMullen return to lead the Lady Cats as both players earned all-Frontier League first team honors in 2016.

Dixon, a Kansas State commit, led the Lady Cats as a sophomore with more than 500 kills and 160 blocks. McMullen, a Northwest Missouri State commit, still had a strong season despite missing some of the year with an injury. She had a team-high 58 aces on the year and had nearly 300 kills to go along with more than 200 digs and assists.

“It’s always nice to have seasoned players returning,” Compliment said of Dixon and McMullen. “They both have a lot of experience, and I’ll be looking to them to lead the team. Sophie is a versatile player and has experience playing every position. It will be a different position for her on our team, but it’s a position she’s confident and comfortable playing.”

Setter Carson Buffington (middle) returns and will help set up Haley Cain (left), Anna Dixon and the rest of her teammates.

McMullen, who was the team’s full-time setter her first two seasons, shared setting duties last season with Carson Buffington. Now heading into this year, McMullen will serve as an all-around player as the setting duties will fall to Buffington.

Louisburg will revert back to a 5-1 offense, which have just one setter and it will give Buffington that role full-time after a good season as a sophomore.

“This year we have a little more of that chemistry that maybe a new team wouldn’t have,” McMullen said. “I think we are all used to each other now. Anna can hit off Carson, I can hit off Carson and Carson is used to our passes now. I think it all kind of clicks more now than it did when we had new players last year.

“I am excited about the new position because that is what I will be doing in college. I miss setting, because that was my favorite, but I really love to hit and pass just as much.”

Sophomore Haley Cain and senior Mikayla Quinn also return after having big roles on the Lady Cats a season ago as both players will play on the front row, along with sophomore Erin Lemke and senior Sarah Wilson, who will move up to the varsity level.

Defensively, sophomore Riley Kallevig returns as the team’s libero and fellow sophomore Reilly Ratliff-Becher has also moved up to varsity in the defensive rotation with senior Ainsley Vance.

“Despite having six returning starters, I feel like we are still a young team,” Compliment said. “We are taking each day at a time, and making the most of each practice. The team is focused on getting better each day and each match at a time. The team has their sight set on winning league and qualifying for state, but they also understand that nothing will come easy.  We have a tough schedule but one that will help prepare us for post season.”

Their schedule may be tough, but the Lady Cats will get to play a bulk of their games on their home floor. Louisburg will host two tournaments this season to go along with eight duals, a triangular and a quadrangular.

The Lady Cats have just five away dates on their schedule and they hope it gives them an advantage throughout the season.

“It is awesome,” Dixon said of the home schedule. “Last year I really think our crowd stepped up a lot and they made a huge difference in a lot of our wins because the game is so mental. A big crowd can be a difference, so hopefully that can give us a couple more wins.”

Louisburg starts its home schedule Saturday when it hosts the Frontier League Tournament. Pool play will begin at 8 a.m. and the Lady Cats will start play at the high school.

The top two teams in each pool will advance to the championship bracket later in the day.

The Lady Cats open play against Baldwin to start off, followed by matches against Spring Hill and Paola to end the pool. De Soto, Eudora, Ottawa and Basehor-Linwood will compete in pool play at the middle school.

Being toward the top of the state rankings isn’t anything new for the Louisburg High School volleyball team.

The Lady Cats have been among the top teams in the state for the last five seasons as they earned a trip to the state tournament four of the last five years.

If the coaches have anything to say about it, Louisburg will be right in the thick of it again this season. The Lady Cats are ranked No. 3 in Class 4A-Division 1 according to the latest rankings put out by the Kansas Volleyball Coaches Association. Rose Hill is ranked No. 1 in the state, followed by Bishop Miege at No. 2.

Louisburg opens its season Saturday when it hosts the Frontier League Tournament. Pool play matches are set to begin at 8 a.m.

Check out how the rest of the teams across the state are ranked below.

Class 4A – Division 1

1. Rose Hill
2. Bishop Miege
3. Louisburg
4. Andover Central
5. Abilene
6. Paola
7. McPherson
8. Kansas City-Piper
9. Maize South
10. Ulysses

Class 6A

1. Olathe Northwest
2. Blue Valley West
3. Blue Valley Northwest
4. Manhattan
5. Lawrence-Free State
6. Blue Valley
7. Gardner-Edgerton
8. Blue Valley Northwest
9. Olathe North
10. Olathe East

Class 5A

1. Shawnee Heights
2. St. James Academy
3. St. Thomas Aquinas
4. Lansing
5. Newton
6. Goddard-Eisenhower
7. Kapaun Mt. Carmel
8. Maize
9. De Soto
10. Emporia

Class 4A – Division 2

1. Topeka-Hayden
2. Nickerson
3. Concordia
4. Baxter Springs
5. Andale
6. Santa Fe Trail
7. Girard
8. Wichita Trinity Academy
9. Holcomb
10. Holton

Class 3A

1. Hesston
2. Thomas More Prep-Marian
3. Silver Lake
4. Cheney
5. Kingman
6. Douglass
7. Nemaha Central
8. Wellsville
9. Humboldt
10. St. Marys

Class 2A

1. Heritage Christian
2. Central Plains
3. Republic County
4. Kiowa County
5. Valley Falls
6. Jefferson County North
7. St. Mary’s Colgan
8. Flinthills
9. Oswego
10. Maranatha Academy

Class 1A – Division 1

1. Centralia
2. Goessel
3. Hanover
4. South Central
5. South Barber
6. Beloit-St. John’s/Tipton
7. Stockton
8. La Crosse
9. Olpe
10. Rural Vista

Class 1A – Division 2

1. Northern Valley
2. Sylvan-Lucas
3. Wheatland-Grinnell
4. Otis-Bison
5. Axtell
6. Blue Valley-Randolph
7. Wallace County
8. Cunningham
9. Waverly
10. Fowler

Louisburg senior Kris Light goes through a drill during the first day of soccer practice Monday. All four Wildcat teams got their season started with workouts on Monday as the fall sports season kicks off.

Summer time and vacations are coming to an end just in time for fall sports to heat up as four Louisburg High School teams had their first day of practice Monday.

The Wildcat cross country, football, soccer and volleyball teams got the 2017 season kicked off right with either two-a-days or tryouts. Each program also had strong numbers out as they either increased or stayed the same from the year before.

All four Louisburg teams experienced success last season and they hope it carries over into this year.

Louisburg soccer made program history as the Wildcats advanced to the state semifinals for the first time. Cross country also had a big season as it qualified three for the state meet.

Football is coming off a regional championship, while the volleyball team was one victory away from reaching the state tournament.

Louisburg had a lot of positives going its way in 2016, but all four coaches realize it is time to start anew.

The Wildcat football team opened practice with approximately 60 players out as they start two-a-days for the rest of this week under first-year coach Robert Ebenstein. The players will practice in helmets and shoulder pads through Thursday and full pads Friday. They will conclude the week with a scrimmage Saturday morning.

Louisburg junior Austin Moore and the rest of the Wildcat football team begin two-a-day practices this week.

Louisburg, which finished with eight wins last season, is hoping build on that success.

“I thought practice went well,” Ebenstein said. “The guys and coaches were excited to get going and the guys brought a ton of enthusiasm and had a great first day of practice.”

The Wildcat soccer team saw a big jump in numbers as they had 45 players sign up to play this season and the team will be going through tryouts through Wednesday.

Practice opened at the track as the players ran the mile at 7 a.m. Monday, watched a concussion video in the afternoon and hit the practice field for the first time shortly after. The Wildcats are hard at work under second-year coach Kyle Conley, making sure they use the momentum they created after their fourth place finish at state last season.

“I know for the boys and coaches it is fantastic to get back to the field,” Conley said. “We are very excited and anxious to prove last year was not a fluke. We will have to work even harder than we did last year, because we will not be able to fly under the radar. The boys are ready for that challenge and I think they are going to give it their all to see how this journey transpires. The boys are focused and determined. I am really excited to also see what this group can achieve as a team.”

Sophomore Trinity Moore is one of three returning state qualifiers for the Louisburg cross country team.

The cross country team also has high expectations for itself as the Wildcats return three state qualifiers in seniors Wyatt Reece, Tim Smith and sophomore Trinity Moore. Moore garnered a state medal after finishing 19th as a freshman at the Class 4A meet and became the first female runner in Louisburg history to earn a state honor.

Runners hit the streets around town on Monday for a 30-minutre workout to begin to build their base for the season and will progress as the season goes along. Head coach John Reece has 35 runners out this season, which is close to last year’s number, as the Wildcats prepare for what they hope is a special season.

“My summer crew of runners are excited to get going, some even started altering their summer runs on their own to start preparing for the season,” coach Reece said. “We are working on duration runs vs. miles. Instead of going for a 5-mile run, I will have them run for a minimum of say 45 minutes and allow some to extend up to 60 minutes of training, which some runners could reach close to eight miles within the hour. Our non-duration days will be focused on speed and lots of repeats with active recovery. There will be no walking for us.”

The Lady Cat volleyball team felt out of place at the end of last season. Louisburg’s year ended sooner than it would have liked after losing in the substate championship game and didn’t qualify for state for the first time in five years.

Louisburg senior Sophie McMullen goes through a drill during the first day of tryouts Monday at Louisburg High School.

Louisburg is hard at work in hopes of earning a state tournament bid. Head coach Jessica Compliment has 35 players out this season, and after two more days of tryouts, will get practice in full swing.

The Lady Cats open their season at home on Aug. 26 when they host the Frontier League preseason tournament and the junior varsity will compete in Paola. All three teams will play again at home on Aug. 29 against Blue Valley Southwest.

“The coaching staff is excited to get the season started and begin preparing for the preseason league tournament for varsity and junior varsity,” Compliment said. “We are looking forward to a lot of home matches this season and the athletes were ready to start tryouts and get the season kicked off.”