The 2018 Louisburg High School fall homecoming candidates are (front row, from left) Anna Dixon, Billie Casebeer, Carson Buffington, Shaylor Whitham; (back row) Noah Hill, Blue Caplinger, Brayden Gage and Austin Moore.

Homecoming week at Louisburg High School kicked off Monday and events are in full swing. With something going on every day this week, it will be a busy time for students. All of it is, of course, centered around the crowning of the 2018 fall king and queen. Eight students were selected as nominees and here are their names and profiles.

The crowning will take place on Friday before the Wildcats’ home football game with Atchison. Kickoff for that game is set for 7 p.m., with the crowning to take place at 6:30. Good luck to all the participants and make sure to come out on Friday to support the Wildcat football team.

Anna Dixon and Noah Hill

Anna Dixon

Anna is the daughter of Beth and Jerry Dixon. Anna has participated in volleyball for four year and FFA for three years. She plans to graduate in December and will attend Kansas State University to play volleyball and major in Kinesiology and Nutrition.

Noah Hill

Noah is the son of Megan and Andy Hill. Noah has been involved in student council for four years, basketball for three years, football and golf for two years and Leo’s, Debate and Choir for one year. Noah plans to attend Kansas State University and dual major in Marketing and Management.

Billie Casebeer and Blue Caplinger

Billie Casebeer

Billie is the daughter of Chris Casebeer and Linda Shipp. Billie has been involved with debate, cheerleading and band for for years. She has also participated in forensics, FCCLA, Model United Nations and Leos Club for two years and Spanish CLub, TedX and Scholars Bowl for one.

Billie is undecided on what college to attend, but would like to major in political science with an emphasis on international affairs, a minor in Spanish and then would like to further her education by completing law school.

Blue Caplinger

Blue is the son of Sirena and Wade Caplinger. Blue has participated in football, wrestling and track and field for four years and is currently undecided on plans for after high school.

Austin Moore and Shaylor Whitham

Shaylor Whitham

Shaylor is the daughter of Karen and Rusty Whitham. Shaylor has participated in cheerleading, band, FFA and track and field for four years, and has also participated in cross country and musicals for three years. She plans to attend Pittsburg State University and major in nursing.

Austin Moore

Austin is the son of Alison and Tom Moore. Austin has participated in football for four years, wrestling, track and field and choir for three years and student council and National Honors Society for two years. Austin would like to play football after high school, but is unsure of his destination.

Brayden Gage and Carson Buffington

Carson Buffington

Carson is the daughter of Amy and Dave Buffington. Carson has participated in choir, basketball and volleyball for four years, and soccer and musical for three years. She has also participated in FFA for two years. Carson plans to attend the University of Kansas to major in behavioral science.

Brayden Gage

Brayden is the son of Melissa and Jason Gage. Brayden has participated in football, basketball, choir and Spanish Club for four years and baseball and National Honors Society for two years. Brayden plans to attend college after high school, but is undecided on his destination and major.

Louisburg middle hitter Haley Cain goes up for a kill against Bishop Miege on Saturday in the Ottawa Invitational. The Lady Cats fell to Bishop Miege in three sets, but finished the day 4-1 and took second overall.

OTTAWA – The Louisburg High School volleyball team was on quite a roll going into the Ottawa Invitational on Saturday at Ottawa High School.

The Lady Cats won their first two matches of the day to give them at 14-match winning streak, with state-ranked Bishop Miege next on the slate in the round-robin tournament.

Louisburg looked every bit of the No. 2-ranked team in Class 4A as it took the first set 25-22. The Lady Cats were on their way to winning their 15th straight, but Miege had different ideas.

Bishop Miege rallied back to defeat Louisburg, 25-13 and 25-14, and handed the Lady Cats’ their lone loss of the day. Louisburg finished the tournament with a 4-1 record and took second overall.

“The team played well during the first set against Bishop Miege, but we struggled with serve receive during the second and third,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “We made too many unforced errors, and against a good team like Miege, we can’t do that.”

In the three tournaments the Lady Cats have competed in this season, they have finished in the top two in all three events.

Louisburg (23-6) opened the tournament with an easy 25-5, 25-13 victory over Highland Park. Olathe West, a Class 6A program was next, and the Lady Cats won the first set 25-22 and then rallied to win the second 25-23.

Junior Riley Kallevig tries to keep the ball in play during a volley against Bishop Miege on Saturday in Ottawa.

Following its loss to Bishop Miege, Louisburg ended the tournament with a 25-19 and 25-15 win over Ottawa, and then downed Basehor-Linwood 25-23 and 25-18 to complete play on a positive note.

“Overall we had a pretty decent day,” Compliment said. “We saw a few teams we’d played before in Olathe West, Ottawa and Basehor. We actually saw Olathe West twice before and they played us tough again. Sometimes it can be hard to beat a team for the third time.

“It was good to finish the day on two wins, but I don’t feel like we really played our best on Saturday. We were missing some energy throughout the day.”

Senior Anna Dixon provided Louisburg with strong play at the net and also in the back row. Dixon had a team-high 54 kills – including 16 against Bishop Miege and 15 in the win over Olathe West. She also led the team in digs with 34, including 15 in the match against Miege.

Sophomore Carleigh Pritchard was second on the team with 22 kills, including 10 against Highland Park and also led Louisburg with six blocks on the day. Junior Haley Cain finished with 15 kills, while Erin Lemke and Carson Buffington had 14 and 11, respectively.

Freshman Davis Guetterman puts up a set Saturday during the Ottawa Invitational.

Junior Riley Kallevig was strong from behind the service line with nine aces and freshman Davis Guetterman had seven, including five against Highland Park to start the day. Freshman Rinny McMullen had six aces, with five coming in the win over Highland Park as well.

Both Guetterman and McMullen ran the Lady Cat attack well as the two combined for 109 assists in the five matches. McMullen led the way with 57 and Guetterman had 52.

Defensively alongside Dixon, Kallevig was second on the team with 32 digs and libero Reilly Ratliff-Becher finished with 30.

Louisburg will take a little time off before it returns to action on Oct. 11 when it travels to Olathe North for a dual and will follow it up with the Emporia Invitational on Oct. 13.

Louisburg freshman setter Rinny McMullen prepares to dump the ball over the Tonganoxie front row Thursday during the Lady Cats’ home match. The Lady Cats defeated Tonganoxie, 3-0, to move to 6-0 in the Frontier League.

In the middle of its Frontier League dual with Tonganoxie on Thursday, the Louisburg volleyball team found itself comfortably ahead.

The Lady Cats were never in danger of losing their first league match, but still, they weren’t satisfied with how they were playing.

“They are just a fun group and they enjoy playing together so much and I think that shows for the most part,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “When I asked them in the huddle what the problem was in the first set, they were the ones who were saying what they were doing wrong and that is good to hear them acknowledge that. They weren’t communicating as well and the energy level wasn’t where it needed to be, but they were able to fix that, especially in that third set.

After Louisburg won the first two sets 25-18 and 25-15, the Lady Cats finished the dual with a 25-10 victory in the third set to sweep the Chieftains at home.

Louisburg improved its Frontier League record to 6-0 on the season and 19-5 overall. With two more league matches to go, the Lady Cats have an eye on their first league title since 2015.

“We haven’t won the last two years, thanks to De Soto, and I think that winning league is important to the girls,” Compliment said. “They want to bring back that tradition of winning league after winning it in 2013, 2014 and 2015, and they want to set that standard and expectation again.”

The win over Tonganoxie gives Louisburg its 12^th consecutive victory on the season and the Lady Cats have solidified their No. 2 state ranking in Class 4A.

The Chieftains had a tough time containing the Lady Cat offensive attack at the net as they tallied 46 kills on the night, with 25 of those coming on swings from senior Anna Dixon. Junior middle blocker Haley Cain was second on the team with seven kills.

Senior Anna Dixon gets ready to tip the ball over the net Thursday against Tonganoxie.

Louisburg also served strong as it recorded 12 aces, including three each from junior Riley Kallevig, and freshmen Rinny McMullen and Davis Guetterman. Dixon also added two aces to her line.

Defensively, Cain was active for the Lady Cats as she led the team with nine digs and Dixon finished with eight. Junior libero Reilly Ratliff-Becher, Kallevig and McMullen each had seven.

McMullen and Guetterman each ran the offense well as McMullen notched 20 assists and Guetterman added 17.

“We played ok,” Compliment said. “I thought there were times where we just sat back and got a little comfortable, rather than playing our game. In that third set, we decided to play a little more of our pace and do more things. We were making quite a few errors that we shouldn’t make in the first set and I don’t think that our energy level was there. Even the girls acknowledged it in the huddle, so it was good to see us finish strong.”

The Wildcats will see their competition ramp up on Saturday when they travel to the Ottawa Invitational. Louisburg will match up against state-ranked Bishop Miege in the round-robin tournament that also features Ottawa, Basehor-Linwood, Olathe West and Highland Park.

“It will be a tough tournament with some good challenges for us,” Compliment said. “Seeing Olathe West again will be good after playing them close two times earlier this year, and then playing Bishop Miege is always an exciting opportunity. We don’t know what is going to happen with sub-state or state yet, but to be able to play teams like them during the season is always a plus and it kind of tells us where we are at.”

Louisburg picks up win on the road at Baldwin

The Louisburg volleyball team got its busy week started on the right foot Tuesday when it traveled to Baldwin and picked up a 25-11, 25-12 and 25-15 win over the Bulldogs.

The Lady Cats were strong defensively as they had one of the better performances of the season at the net. Junior middle blocker Haley Cain led Louisburg with four blocks and junior Erin Lemke finished with two.

Junior Riley Kallevig also played well defensively in the back with a team-high 13 digs, while freshman Rinny McMullen and senior Anna Dixon each finished with five.

Louisburg senior Carson Buffington follows through for a kill Tuesday against Baldwin.

“Our serve receive the last week-and-a-half has been a lot better and more consistent,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “Reilly (Ratliff-Becher) and Anna have really stepped up in practice and have been working on that. We served more aggressive as well and did some good things there.

“Blocking-wise, they are getting more comfortable with each other, side-by-side, and reading and being patient. We are just trying to get them all on the same page. It is coming along, but we still have a lot of work to do in that area.”

Offensively, Dixon had another strong game with a team-high 18 kills, Cain finished with seven and Kallevig added four in the win. Kallevig also had a big night from behind the service line as she tallied four aces and Ratliff-Becher added two of her own.

McMullen and fellow freshman Davis Guetterman, ran the offense well as they recorded 17 and 15 assists, respectively.

“They played loose and had fun out there,” Compliment said. “We tried a couple different things with our offense. Carson (Buffington) ran a couple quicks on the inside and ran a couple more slides. We are just trying to work with our hitters on trying different things and spreading the offense around. Carleigh (Pritchard) and Haley had some good hits from time to time as well and I think the blocking stepped up a little bit.”

The Louisburg High School volleyball team captured its home tournament title Saturday for the first time since 2013. Members of the team are (front row, from left) Riley Kallevig, Rinny McMullen, Reilly Ratliff-Becher, Davis Guetterman, Chase Kallevig; (back row) head coach Jessica Compliment, Alyse Moore, Sydni Keagle, Carleigh Pritchard, Anna Dixon, Carson Buffington, Haley Cain, Erin Lemke and assistant coach Mary Quinn.

A year ago, the Louisburg High School volleyball team found itself playing at the middle school of their home tournament.

A trip to the middle school usually means you are playing in the consolation bracket and it was a feeling the Lady Cats had a tough time letting go of last season.

They wanted to make sure it didn’t happen again.

Louisburg put together a dominant performance Saturday during the Louisburg Invitational as it rolled through five matches without losing a set and the Lady Cats captured their first home tournament title since 2013.

“Last year was not good,” senior Carson Buffington said. “We did not enjoy going to the middle school at all. To stay here and win the championship felt really good. It really is exciting because the last tournament we played in we got second and I think we are just getting better and better as the season goes on.”

The Lady Cats (17-5) got off to a great start in pool play as they downed Leavenworth (25-16, 25-8), Shawnee Mission East (25-18, 25-12) and Olathe North (25-16 and 25-12).

Shawnee Mission West was Louisburg’s opponent in the semifinals of the championship bracket and the Lady Cats rolled to a pair of 25-14 victories. The Lady Cats then moved on to the championship against Basehor-Linwood, and saw their toughest competition of the day, but still won in two, 25-20 and 25-23.

“I am very proud of them,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “I wanted them to go after every match and not leave anything to chance. I wanted them to leave it all out on the court and finish it. It was big for them because it gives them a confidence boost and it allowed us to pick up five more wins and a tournament win. The biggest thing though is they had fun out there and that is important too.”

Members of the Louisburg volleyball team celebrate a big point Saturday during the Louisburg Invitational.

Although much of the day happened without a lot of suspense, the Lady Cats did encounter a some adversity in their championship match against Basehor.

After winning the first set, Louisburg built a 14-8 lead on the Bobcats in the second set and appeared as if it was going to run away with the match. Instead, Basehor fought back and took a 20-15 lead late before Louisburg made a run of its own.

The Lady Cats rallied to tie it at 23-all before they won the final two points to secure the championship.

“Teams are going to make good plays over and over again and we just can’t let that get in our head and dig a big hole for ourselves,” senior Anna Dixon said. “We just moved on to the next play and were able to pull it out.

“We knew coming in that we would be playing teams that we haven’t seen before, but we just wanted to come in and play our game. The record really matters this year for the postseason, so we are just taking it game by game and getting that record up for sub-state.”

Louisburg played well in many different areas Saturday, but its defense was a big reason for its success. Libero Reilly Ratliff-Becher, along with Riley Kallevig and Dixon, provided the team with several key digs throughout the day.

Anna Dixon sends one of her team-high 47 kills over the net Saturday.

Kallevig recorded a team-high 43 digs and Dixon finished with 34 as both play all six rotations. Ratliff-Becher also played well with 32 digs and freshman Rinny McMullen had 27.

“I thought our defense, especially Riley and Reilly, had some great digs and some great saves,” Compliment said. “The libero always controls the defense and runs that back court, but one of the advantages we have is Reilly Ratliff, who is the current libero, running that defense and then we have Riley Kallevig who was our libero the last two years. Both of them back there is just amazing sometimes because of the plays that they get to.

“Then you see Kallevig’s defense show on the front row and she gets a lot of dunks and things that trickle over and she reads tips really well. I think that just comes from playing libero before and they both did really well.”

Dixon was a big threat at the net offensively as she recorded a team-high 47 kills to spark the Louisburg offense. Junior middle hitter Haley Cain had 14 kills, while fellow middle hitter Carleigh Pritchard and Buffington each added 13 win the win.

The setter combination of McMullen and Davis Guetterman also distributed a lot of those swing opportunities. McMullen led Louisburg with 46 assists over the five matches and Guetterman added 35.

Louisburg also served well at times as Kallevig led the team with seven aces, while Cain and Dixon each finished with six.

Junior Reilly Ratliff-Becher gets ready to make a pass Saturday during the Louisburg Invitational.

“Our serving was more aggressive this time around, even though we did make some more errors,” Compliment said. “Anna was a little more consistent on her serves, which is big, and we stepped it up there as well.

“Hitting-wise, I think we are moving the ball around more as well and more players are getting more opportunities to swing instead of just setting it to Anna all the time.”

Louisburg will try to keep its winning ways going today when it travels to Baldwin for a Frontier League dual, before the Lady Cats return home for another league dual Thursday against Tonganoxie. They are currently 4-0 in league play.

“One of our main goals to start the season was to win league, and right now we are undefeated,” Dixon said. “As we get closer and closer to the postseason, we are working harder and harder in practice toward our ultimate goal – which is to get back to state.”

For a photo gallery from Saturday’s tournament, make sure to click here.

The Louisburg High School volleyball team accomplished Saturday something it hasn’t done in five years – won its home tournament.

The Lady Cats breezed through its home invitational and they were perfect as they won each of their five matches and didn’t lose a set in the process.

Louisburg defeated Leavenworth, Shawnee Mission East and Olathe North to win their pool. The Lady Cats then followed it up with a win over Shawnee Mission West in the semifinals and defeated Basehor-Linwood in two sets in the championship match.

After five victories, the No. 2-ranked Lady Cats improved their record to 17-5 on the season as they continue Frontier League play next week.

Here are some photos from today’s tournament action. Congrats again to all the Lady Cats and coaches!

Louisburg junior outside hitter Erin Lemke goes up for a kill Tuesday during the Lady Cats’ home match with Ottawa. Louisburg moved to 4-0 in Frontier League play with a 3-0 win over the Cyclones.

The Louisburg High School volleyball team took one step closer to achieving one of its goals Tuesday when it hosted Ottawa for a Frontier League dual.

The Lady Cats remained atop the Frontier League standings following their 25-14, 25-18 and 25-23 victory over Ottawa to move their record to 4-0 in league play. They are halfway to their goal of being crowned league champions.

As much as the Lady Cats liked the win, they still know they have a lot to improve on despite being the No. 2 ranked team in Class 4A.

“Overall I thought we did ok,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “After the second set I told the girls that we were making too many unforced errors, just not going after the ball and missed serves. That third set, Ottawa just came out and played to win and got a lot more aggressive and got some momentum on their side.”

That momentum in the third set provided some excitement for the home crowd as Ottawa nearly forced a fourth that would have given the Cyclones some added confidence on the road.

Ottawa rallied from a 15-10 deficit to take a 19-18 lead in the third set and the two teams traded points from there. The Cyclones held a 23-22 advantage late, but the Lady Cats got kills from Haley Cain and Carson Buffington, and an ace from Cain, to preserve the win for Louisburg.

“I would just like to see us play more of our game from start to finish, rather than kind of yo-yo around,” Compliment said. “When it comes down to it, the girls have a way to buckle down and just finish and push through. I was happy to see them finish it out in three and not let Ottawa back in the match.”

Senior Anna Dixon gave Louisburg a boost all night at the net with some loud kills. Dixon led the team with 22 kills, while Cain and Riley Kallevig each added six. Buffington, Carleigh Pritchard and Erin Lemke each totaled four kills.

Louisburg’s Haley Cain (left) and Anna Dixon team up for a block at the net Tuesday against Ottawa.

Louisburg (12-5) also recorded six aces on the night, including three from Kallevig and two from Davis Guetterman. Guetterman and fellow freshman setter Rinny McMullen spread the offense around well.

McMullen led Louisburg with 22 assists and Guetterman was right behind her with 19. McMullen also had several tips at the net that provided Louisburg with a spark offensively.

“I wanted the setters to try and move the ball around a little more and I think that we did that,” Compliment said. “I wanted to see the middles get involved more, and as the night went on, we did a better job of getting Carleigh going more, and Haley as well. I thought Carson did a good job tonight as well and she is stepping out and being someone who is a threat at the net. It is fun to see that different side of her after setting for the last few years.”

Defensively, the Lady Cats also played well as libero Reilly Ratliff-Becher led Louisburg with 13 digs on the night and McMullen finished with 10. Kallevig and Dixon had nine and eight, respectively, in the win.

The Lady Cats will get another chance to play in front of their home crowd Saturday when they host the Louisburg Invitational. Pool play is set to begin at 8 a.m., with bracket play to follow in the afternoon.

LOUISBURG SWEEPS FORT SCOTT TRIANGULAR

Following its home win over Ottawa, the Louisburg volleyball team made the trek down to Fort Scott for triangular with the Tigers and Girard.

The Lady Cats were able to leave with a pair of easy wins. Louisburg defeated Fort Scott 25-15 and 25-16 to win the first match of the night and then followed it up with a 25-18 and 25-11 victory over Girard.

Against Fort Scott, Louisburg got a lot of different contributions at the net as seven different players registered kills. Anna Dixon led the way with seven, while Haley Cain and Riley Kallevig each added three apiece.

Kallevig also provided the Lady Cats with a strong presence from behind the service line as she recorded a team-high six aces and the team had 10 overall. Kallevig and Dixon also led Louisburg with seven digs each on defense.

Setter Rinny McMullen had 11 assists in the match and Davis Guetterman added six of her own.

In its win over Girard, Louisburg once again dominated at the net as Dixon led Louisburg with 13 kills in just the two sets. Kallevig had a big game as well with six kills and Cain added five.

Kallevig also had another good match serving with three of the team’s six aces, while junior libero Reilly Ratliff-Becher had a team-high 12 digs on defense. McMullen and Guetterman had 14 and 10 assists, respectively, as they ran the offense well.

“The team played well last night,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “Anna, Reilly, and Riley did a good job all night in the back on serve receive. Davis and Rinny moved the ball around a little more, and the team was able to try a few different offensives sets we’d been working on.”

Louisburg juniors Erin Lemke (left) and Haley Cain team up for a block Tuesday at Spring Hill High School. The Lady Cats defeated the Broncos, 3-1, and have a 3-0 league record to start the season.

SPRING HILL – When the Louisburg High School volleyball team ventured to Spring Hill on Tuesday for a Frontier League dual, not only were the Lady Cats trying to protect their No. 2 state ranking, but they also wanted to preserve their perfect league mark.

The Lady Cats were able to do both against a tough-minded Spring Hill team.

Louisburg went on to defeat the Broncos 25-18, 21-25, 25-18 and 27-25 to earn its third straight league win to start the season as the Lady Cats aim for a league title.

“Overall we did alright,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “Spring Hill is tough. We saw them play at Lansing last week and we knew they were going to be a tough team and they made some improvements in the offseason. For our girls, it is a game of momentum. We will go on rush and then we dive back down. It is like a roller coaster for us at times.

“In that second set, we made quite a few mental errors and that was the difference in the game is making those non-negotiable mistakes and errors. Spring Hill just capitalized on those mistakes. We do have experience on our side, and our girls have been down before and we have picked ourselves back up. We just haven’t been able to come out strong and stay that way. We definitely need to work on that because as we go through the season, teams will be getting better.”

The Lady Cats (9-5) opened up strong as it took the first set, but faltered in the second after the Broncos took advantage of some Louisburg mistakes. In a road environment, Louisburg picked itself back up and played well at the net, and on defense, to win the third set and take control of the match.

“I told the girls that they can’t expect to come into their house, play on their court and expect things to be easy,” Compliment said. “They have to earn every point and they have to want it more than they do. For them, they answered back with a couple key plays and we needed to get our serve receive back to where it needed to be. We stepped that up a little bit and we passed it a little better there. We served a lot more aggressive in that one as well.”

Senior Anna Dixon goes up for one of her team-high 18 kills Tuesday against Spring Hill.

Louisburg had the advantage in the fourth set as it took a 21-16 lead late, but the Broncos fought back to tie it at 21-all. The two teams traded points till it got to 25-all and then Lady Cat senior Anna Dixon finished it off with a pair of kills to end the match.

Dixon led Louisburg in kills on the night with 18 and junior middle hitter Haley Cain had a strong night as well with 11 kills. Senior outside hitter Carson Buffington finished with six in the win.

Freshman setter Rinny McMullen had a big night running the offense as she led the Lady Cats with 27 assists and fellow freshman Davis Guetterman had eight.

Defensively, junior Riley Kallevig had a busy evening as she recorded a team-high 24 digs and Dixon was second on the team with 16. Junior libero Reilly Ratliff-Becher also had double figure digs with 13.

Sophomore middle blocker Carleigh Pritchard and Dixon each led Louisburg with three blocks on the night, while Cain and Kallevig each recorded two.

The Lady Cats will try for another league win Tuesday when they host Ottawa for another Frontier League dual. Varsity is set to begin at approximately 6:30 p.m.

Members of the Louisburg volleyball team (from left) Carleigh Pritchard, Carson Buffington, Anna Dixon, Rinny McMullen and Riley Kallevig celebrate a point Saturday during the Lansing Invitational.

It had been six years since the Louisburg High School volleyball team found itself in the championship match of the Lansing Invitational.

The tournament, which features several state-ranked teams every year, is always a test for the Lady Cats and this time around was no exception. If they wanted to get there this time, the Lady Cats had to get through three Class 5A teams, two of which were ranked.

Louisburg put together some of its best volleyball of the season when it needed it most.

The Lady Cats advanced to the championship match for the first time since 2012 as they knocked off No. 3 De Soto in the semifinals and faced Topeka Seaman in the title round. Louisburg ended up losing to Topeka Seaman in three sets, 22-25, 25-16 and 25-21.

Although the Lady Cats came up short of their ultimate goal, they still realized they play strong volleyball throughout the 10-hour tournament.

“It was great to see the girls get back into the championship game at such a tough tournament,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “We had opportunities to make some plays against Topeka Seaman and win it all, but we just didn’t capitalize on some plays when we needed to. The girls played really strong and really well. I was so proud of what they accomplished at Lansing.”

The Lady Cats had a good start to its day as they had four rounds of pool play. Louisburg opened with a rout of Piper (25-14, 25-5) to start the day and then won a tough match against Olathe West (28-26, 25-20).

Riley Kallevig goes up for a kill Saturday in Lansing. Kallevig and the Lady Cats finished second overall during the tournament.

Louisburg then downed Shawnee Mission West (25-8, 25-14) to face Lansing, the No. 2-ranked team in Class 5A, for the right to finish first in the pool. Unfortunately, the Lady Cats struggled in their 25-16 and 25-10 loss to the Lions, but still advanced to the championship bracket.

That set up a rematch with De Soto in the semifinals, who the Lady Cats lost to just a week before.

De Soto came out strong in a 25-18 win in the first, but Louisburg rallied thanks to its defense as it came back to take the match 27-25 and 25-18 and beat the state’s No. 3-ranked team in Class 5A.

“It is just big for them confidence-wise,” Compliment said. “It was a match that they really wanted and it was one they were fired up for the whole time. It was huge the way that we rebounded. Our serve receive and our digging was great and defensively we were really getting after it.

“The girls made a lot of really good plays. All the hitters were stepping up as well, and it wasn’t just one or two, everyone was stepping up and making plays when they needed to.”

Junior libero Reilly Ratliff-Becher provided a defensive presence in the back row with 17 digs and senior outside hitter Anna Dixon was strong at the net with 17 kills in the match.

Junior libero Reilly Ratliff-Becher gets down on the floor for a dig Saturday at Lansing.

Freshmen setters Corinna McMullen and Davis Guetterman both ran the offense well with 15 and 14 assists, respectively. Senior Carson Buffington, juniors Haley Cain, Riley Kallevig and Erin Lemke, along with sophomore Carleigh Pritchard, all provided key kills throughout the match.

The Lady Cats used all that momentum into their championship match with Topeka Seaman as they took the first set, before falling in the final two.

“Topeka Seaman is a very good team and they seem to get better every time we see them,” Compliment said. “Our girls played well together on Saturday and it was a long day. For the girls to have that much energy and drive at the end was good to see, but they were just pushing through at the end and we just made a few too many mistakes.”

Dixon led the Lady Cats at the net once again as she finished with a team-high 61 kills over the six matches, while Cain was second on the team with 27. Buffington was next with 16, Lemke finished with 14, Kallevig had 13 and Pritchard ended up with 10.

Louisburg also served well at times as Guetterman led the Lady Cats with eight aces. Kallevig and Dixon had seven and six, respectively. McMullen had a big day setting with a team-high 78 assists and Guetterman finished with 56.

Defensively, Ratliff-Becher had a busy day with 43 digs and Dixon was second on the team with 33. Pritchard led Louisburg with six blocks.

Louisburg junior Haley Cain goes up for a kill during the Lady Cats’ Frontier League dual Thursday at Bonner Springs High School. The Lady Cats stayed perfect in the league with a 3-0 win over the Braves.

BONNER SPRINGS – Ever since its season opening win over Paola, the Louisburg High School volleyball team has been missing a little something.

Since that time, the Lady Cats have gone 2-3 in their last five matches and something hasn’t seemed right to head coach Jessica Compliment. Her team just wasn’t the same.

“The last week-and-a-half we have benn missing a little bit of energy and fire,” Compliment said. “We came out with so much energy in our first match of the season against Paola, and then we seemed to lose some of that excitement. We have struggled a little bit since then and I told the girls that we need to find the fun in the game.”

The Lady Cats definitely had fun Thursday.

Louisburg traveled to Bonner Springs for a Frontier League dual and the Lady Cats seemed to get some of that fire back as they rolled the Braves in a 25-13, 25-20 and 25-18 win to move to 2-0 in league play and 4-3 overall.

“I think overall we did pretty well,” Compliment said. “We were able to get some of that excitement back against Bonner and it showed. We were having fun again, we were playing together and trusting each other.”

Serving was a big factor for the Lady Cats on Thursday as they tallied 14 aces on the night and had an 89 percent serving percentage. Louisburg was able to go on big runs in each of the three sets thanks to their strong serving.

Riley Kallevig got it started as she served five straight points to give Louisburg a 15-8 lead in the first set behind kills from Anna Dixon, Carson Buffington and Haley Cain.

Davis Guetterman kept going as she served seven straight points of her own late in the match, including three aces, to help give the Lady Cats a 23-10 advantage and would eventually ease to a win in the first set.

Freshman Davis Guetterman goes up for a serve Thursday at Bonner Springs.

“We have been trying to clean up our serves again and be more consistent,” Compliment said. “We have been serving aggressive and getting a lot of aces, but at the same time we have been missing some key serves. We did a lot better job of that as several girls went on big runs. I thought Davis found her serve and I think the whole team did a good job of that.”

It was Dixon’s turn in the second set as she reeled off five straight points from behind the service line, including three aces, to give the Lady Cats a 12-6 advantage. When Bonner Springs tried to creep back in it, Louisburg answered as Kallevig reeled off another five points, including three aces. Carleigh Pritchard and Dixon finished off the set with three straight kills.

Cain got Louisburg off to another big lead in the third set with six straight points before Bonner Springs got back into the match and trimmed an 11-3 Louisburg advantage to just one. The Lady Cats kept the Braves at arm’s length the rest of the way to get the sweep.

Dixon had a big day at the net with a team-high 17 kills, while Buffington finished with five and Cain added four. Dixon and Kallevig tied a team-high with four aces. Guetterman and Cain added three and two aces, respectively.

Kallevig also had a big day defensively with 11 digs and libero Reilly Ratliff-Becher finished with six of her own.

Sophomore Carleigh Pritchard sends the ball over the net for a point Thursday at Bonner Springs High School.

Rinny McMullen and Guetterman ran the offense well for Louisburg. McMullen had a team-high 15 assists in the three sets and Guetterman also reached double figures with 10.

The competition will heat up again for Louisburg on Saturday when the Lady Cats travel to the Lansing Invitational. Louisburg will start with pool play against Lansing, Piper, Olathe West and Shawnee Mission West at 9 a.m. Lansing is currently ranked No. 2 in Class 5A, while the Lady Cats are No. 3 in 4A.

“I think the girls are looking forward to playing Lansing because they know they are good competition and they are a good team that we try to beat every year,” Compliment said. “I really like the competition level of the tournament. De Soto and Basehor-Linwood are on the other side and I think the girls would like a rematch against De Soto after losing to them earlier in the year. It will be a fun day and we need to come ready to play.”

LADY CATS SPLIT ON THE ROAD AT BURLINGTON

On Tuesday, Louisburg made the long bus ride to Burlington to compete in a triangular with Santa Fe Trail and Burlington – both teams who were ranked in their specific classes at the time.

The Lady Cats had a difficult time with both teams, but were able to get one win. Despite falling in the first set, 25-23, to Santa Fe Trail, the Lady Cats responded nicely with a pair of 25-15 victories to defeat the Chargers, 2-1.

Louisburg had a little tougher time with Burlington, which was ranked No. 2 in Class 3A. The Lady Cats won the first set 28-26, but couldn’t get another win as Burlington stole the next two, 25-23 and 25-22.

“Burlington played really, really well,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “We lost our focus and we made a lot of unforced errors on our side and Burlington was able to capitalize on those. We had too many missed serves, we had miscommunication on serve receive and we had a lot of net fouls. I think the girls just got frustrated, and instead of refocusing, we just couldn’t find our game and Burlington played really well.”

Senior Anna Dixon was a force at the net with 18 kills against Burlington, while Cain finished with five. Freshman setter Rinny McMullen had 19 assists for the match and freshman teammate Davis Guetterman had 14.

Junior libero Reilly-Ratliff Becher had 13 digs to lead the Louisburg defense.

Against Santa Fe Trail, Dixon once again led Louisburg with 14 kills and junior Riley Kallevig was second on the team with four. Guetterman finished with 14 assists to lead Louisburg and McMullen was second with nine.

Dixon also led the Louisburg defense with 16 digs, while Ratliff-Becher and Guetterman each added seven.

Former Louisburg High School volleyball players (from left) Bailey Dvorak, Lauren Dunn, Madison Turner, Sophie McMullen and Sydney Dixon have either had a lot of success on the collegiate level or are just getting started following strong careers with the Lady Cats.

Louisburg High School volleyball has certainly had a run to remember in recent years.

The Lady Cats advanced to the state tournament five of the last six seasons and have finished runner-up on two occasions. Louisburg has also recorded third and fourth-place finishes along the way.

In a program that has a history filled with state tournament appearances and top four placings, Louisburg has had several good players that were big contributors in that run.

Now those same players are either currently making an impact on the collegiate level, or are about to make their mark.

Sydney Dixon (Fort Hays State), Bailey Dvorak (Lindenwood), Madison Turner (Arkansas State), Lauren Dunn (Pittsburg State) and Sophie McMullen (Northwest Missouri State) are all former LHS players that have gone on to play Division II level volleyball or higher.

Each player has a different journey that led them to their respective destinations, but the one thing they have all in common is they helped Louisburg volleyball continue its strong tradition. Now they are trying to do the same thing in college.

SYDNEY DIXON

Volleyball has always been in Sydney Dixon’s blood.

Her mother Beth, and aunt Amy, are both currently in the LHS Hall of Fame and both went on to play college volleyball themselves. Like many other college volleyball players, Sydney grew up on the sport.

In high school, she helped lead Louisburg to a second place state finish in 2013 and the outside hitter eventually signed on with Fort Hays State – a Division II program in the MIAA.

Although some players take a while to get acclimated in the collegiate level, Dixon made her mark on the program as a freshman in 2015. She earned honorable mention All-MIAA honors as an outside hitter as she finished with 190 kills, which was fourth on the team.

“College volleyball is a different world for sure,” Dixon said. “It is more of a job than it is in high school and really was a huge change for me. But I got to know a lot of different players and developed a lot more relationships along the way and the experience was a great.”

Her success as a freshman gave her more playing time as a sophomore as she made 22 starts and finished with 173 kills and had six double-figure kill matches, including 16 against Missouri Western.

                                                                          Photo courtesy of Ryan Prickett / Fort Hays State
Sydney Dixon played for three seasons with the Fort Hays State volleyball team.

“My sophomore season was probably the most memorable for me because the team was doing so well and the team had such good chemistry,” Dixon said. “It was a good squad and I just remember the energy surrounding the team and we were able to win some big matches.”

Dixon was on pace to have a career year as a junior in 2017 as she racked up 185 kills through just 24 matches, including a 17 kill performance against West Liberty. Unfortunately, a knee injury derailed the rest of her season.

As she went up at the net, Dixon felt her knee start to buckle and had to take herself out. It turned out that she had a 60 percent tear in the patella tendon in her knee and had to have knee surgery in the offseason.

That injury also forced Dixon to make a tough decision as she decided to say goodbye to the sport she loved a year earlier than she had hoped.

“It was hard, so hard,” Dixon said. “They said if I didn’t have surgery that the tendon could completely rupture and obviously I didn’t want to take that chance. I just love the sport so much. I don’t regret anything though. I loved playing here and I have met so many great people. Playing college volleyball was a rewarding experience for me and one that I don’t regret.”

Dixon will graduate with a degree in exercise science in December and did work in the classroom after earning a spot on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll each of the last three years.

She also hasn’t left volleyball behind either and is still involved in the Fort Hays program as a student assistant coach.

“I am not sure exactly what I want to do after I graduate, but the one thing I do know is that I want to coach either on the club or high school level,” Dixon said. “I had the chance to coach a club team earlier and I thought it was a great experience. I just want the opportunity to be able to teach and help others. It was very rewarding for me.”

BAILEY DVORAK

When Bailey Dvorak accepted the opportunity to play college volleyball at Lindenwood University, she wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

The transition from high school to college volleyball was a big one, and for the 2015 Louisburg High School graduate, it seemed to be an easy one on the court.

Dvorak made a big impact with the Division II Lions as a freshman as she earned second-team All-MIAA honors as an outside hitter. She played in 30 matches and started in 22 of them and led the Lindenwood team with 290 kills, including a season-best 19 kills against Central Oklahoma.

She also thrived in the classroom as Dvorak earned the MIAA Scholar Athlete Award.

“My experience at Lindenwood has been great,” Dvorak said. “I love the area and the people that I have met. Lindenwood has over 50 sports teams so that brings in a lot of diversity to the school and it has introduced me to people from all over the world. I am happy that I chose to come to Lindenwood to play volleyball. The program has really changed these last few years and I am thankful to be a part of that.”

As a junior, Dvorak had another solid season for Lindenwood as she played in 29 matches and recorded 176 kills as the Lions finished with a 20-13 record and an 11-7 mark in the MIAA.

                               Photo courtesy of Lindenwood University
Lousiburg grad Bailey Dvorak is off to a strong start to her senior season with Lindenwood.

In her final season with the Lions, the team is picked to finish seventh in the MIAA, but they are already off to a strong start after winning their home invitational. Dvorak was a big factor for Lindenwood and was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts.

“It is a little bittersweet because I love my teammates and how much the program has changed,” Dvorak said of her final season of volleyball. “I wish I could play a few more seasons with my coaches and continue to compete in the MIAA. My expectations this year is for us to compete and win.

“We have a pretty solid group of freshmen and quite a few returners that make practices very competitive and my hope is to do well this year so we will have a higher ranking next fall.”

She also has one more opportunity to compete against some of her former Louisburg teammates. Dvorak will face off with Lauren Dunn (Pitt State) and Sophie McMullen (Northwest) later this season and also ran up against Sydney Dixon in prior seasons.

“It has been pretty fun playing against them these last few years,” Dvorak said. “I am glad that all of us were able to compete at the highest level we could. Playing against my old teammates has made me realize how much talent we had during high school. I am thankful that Coach (Jessica Compliment) brought us together on the court and I think that she has done a great job building up the program.”

Dvorak is also excelling on the academic side as well. She will graduate with a major in psychology and a minor in sociology next May.

LAUREN DUNN

Lauren Dunn had her fair share of success during her time with the Louisburg volleyball program.

Dunn was a part of a senior class that helped the Lady Cats to four straight state tournament appearances and placed in the top four each year. She amassed more than 500 kills in her final two seasons and earned all-league and all-state recognition her senior year.

It was a fun four years for Dunn, and it was that time that helped her take that next step – collegiate volleyball.

Dunn signed on with Pittsburg State and the 2016 Louisburg High School graduate has made the most of her time with the Gorillas as she saw playing time as a freshman.

“My experience at Pitt has been amazing,” Dunn said. “The coaches, teachers and community are all on your side to help you, especially student athletes. It reminds me of small town Louisburg, so it felt like home as soon as I got here. As far as the transition, I think that’s what helped me, as well as having a very supportive team and family to help out whenever I needed them.”

Now entering her junior season with the program, Dunn has accomplished a lot since her arrival two years ago.

As a freshman, Dunn played in 19 matches and started in four as a defensive specialist. She had a team-high 15 digs against Northwest Missouri State that year and averaged close to two digs per set.

                                                                                Photo courtesy of Pittsburg State University
Louisburg grad Lauren Dunn is entering her third season with the Pittsburg State volleyball program.

In her sophomore season, Dunn played in 30 matches and started 10 of those. She averaged close to 3 digs per set and had one of her best game’s against Sydney Dixon’s Fort Hays State team when she tallied 26 digs in the match.

At first it was a little different to play against Dixon or Bailey Dvorak’s Lindenwood squad as they are all in the MIAA Conference, but Dunn enjoys the competition and a chance to get to reunite with her former teammates.

“Playing against Syd and Bailey is always fun,” Dunn said. “Being past teammates, it’s almost sad that we can’t play together anymore, but it leads to more competition against them because it’s kind of battle of Louisburg as well as our college team.

“After the games we always go say hi and see how everyone is doing and check up on them. With Sophie playing this year it will be interesting how she fits into her team (Northwest Missouri) and get to see another familiar face on the other side of the net.”

Pittsburg State, which was picked to finish eighth in the MIAA this year, is off to a good start as is Dunn. The Gorillas won seven of their first nine matches to begin the season and won the Christian Brothers Invitational title, in which Dunn was named to the all-tournament team.

So far this season, Dunn has racked up 154 digs on the year to go along with 21 aces.

Along with her success on the court, Dunn is also winning the classroom. She is a member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll and currently has a 3.65 GPA as a nursing major.

Dunn realizes she has accomplished a lot so far during her time at Pittsburg State, but the program she came from, along with hard work, helped her get to this point.

“The MIAA is a hard conference and having 4 ex-Louisburg volleyball players playing in it says a lot about the Louisburg program,” Dunn said. “Also, the fact that Madison (Turner) is playing D1 at Arkansas State and Anna Dixon being committed to play at K-State is awesome. A lot of talent comes out of Louisburg and it’s because of all the time athletes put in during the season and in the off season. It also helps to have so much support from the whole town.”

MADISON TURNER

During her time at Louisburg, Madison Turner seemed to stand out among the rest when it came to volleyball and for good reason.

Turner, who stands at 6 feet, 4 inches, was a force at the net for the Lady Cat program as she led the team in blocks (266) and kills (327) her senior season in which the Lady Cats finished third at state in 2015. She was also a part of a senior class with Lauren Dunn that helped Louisburg to four state tournament appearances.

All that success brought her all-Frontier League and all-state honors, which eventually catapulted her to Division I volleyball when she signed with Arkansas State. Turner, who graduated from Louisburg High School in 2016, has enjoyed her time with the Red Wolves program.

“My time at Arkansas State has been really good for me because it has pushed me in everything that I do,” Turner said. “Playing Division I volleyball and have school on top of that requires a lot of hard work and discipline. I still have a lot of fun being around my teammates and even meeting people in the community has been a great experience for me so far.”

Turner’s time at Arkansas State has had its challenges as she has had to deal with injuries that has limited her playing time.

As a freshman, Turner didn’t see the court, but she changed all that in 2017 where she played in 11 matches and totaled 42 kills and 23 blocks. She had a career-best 11 kills against Little Rock and a career high six blocks against Troy in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

Playing volleyball in college is a challenge for a lot of athletes around the country, but one that Turner enjoys, despite dealing with nagging injuries from time to time.

“I’ve had to deal with a lot of injuries throughout my college career,” she said. “I try not to let the pain keep me from playing and I do my best to push through it so that I don’t have to miss matches.

“College volleyball is very different than high school because it requires a much higher commitment. It requires you to have better management skills because you have to travel a lot and still do academics on the road, which can be hard at times. The game is also much more competitive because everyone on your team, and the teams you play against are just as committed as you are and want to compete at this high level.”

                                                                                                        Photo courtesy Arkansas State
Madison Turner is hoping for a big junior season for the Arkansas State volleyball program.

So far this season, Turner has seen a lot of playing time with Arkansas State. Through six matches, she has played in 18 sets and recorded 20 kills and 14 blocks as the team’s middle blocker.

The Red Wolves are 2-4 to start the season and have wins over Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Memphis.

“I have high expectations for myself to be the best I can be to finish out my career,” Turner said. “I have had a lot of injuries which has been tough, but it has made me grow as a player because I push through it all so that I can keep playing volleyball.”

Turner, who is currently majoring in accounting, is also thankful for being a part of Louisburg program that has sent so much talent to the collegiate level.

“I think it proves that even small programs like Louisburg can produce talent through hard work and dedication,” she said. “It isn’t all about being known in a big program.”

SOPHIE MCMULLEN

In her final season with the Louisburg High School volleyball team, McMullen and the rest of the Lady Cats nearly pulled off the best finish in program history.

The Lady Cats lost a close match to Rose Hill in the Class 4A-Division I state championship in 2017 and eventually settled for second place. Once the season was complete, honors starting rolling in for McMullen as she was a first team All-Frontier League and all-state selection.

She had a busy career in which she was a four-year varsity player and helped the Lady Cats to three state tournaments. McMullen compiled some lofty stats during that time in which she finished with 1,141 digs, 783 kills and 272 aces.

That success eventually sent McMullen to Northwest Missouri State, where she is just beginning her collegiate career.

“The season is going great,” McMullen said. “We have gotten into a schedule where we are practicing every day and lifting Monday and Wednesdays. We are getting into the real swing of things and focusing a lot on technique and the little things.

“I just love it here. The atmosphere is amazing and so are the girls. Coming from the little town of Louisburg, my eyes have been opened. Everything is so different, the grind, the people, the difficulty and most definitely the level of intensity.”

                                                                                     Photo courtesy Northwest Missouri State
Northwest Missouri State freshman Sophie McMullen is excited for her first season of collegiate volleyball after helping Louisburg to a second place state finish.

McMullen will begin her Bearcat career as an outside hitter, but is currently working behind a pair of upperclassmen at the same spot, so she realizes she will need to keep working hard to get to where she wants to be.

“I could not be more excited for this season to finally begin,” McMullen said. “I am very hard on myself because of the amount of experience I have had in this sport, therefore my expectations for myself are very high. I came here in the summer and really worked hard in the weight room. I hope to find more of myself this season and to really truly push myself to be that better person, not just as a player.

“I hope to work hard and grind through the struggles and to get on the court and make an impact and contribute all that I can. These girls are my new family and I am so blessed to be a part of this program.”

Throughout the season, McMullen will see some of her previous volleyball family along the way as well as the Bearcats will face off with Pittsburg State and Lindenwood, along with her former teammates Lauren Dunn and Bailey Dvorak.

“I could not be more excited to see my girls that I played with just 3-4 years ago,” McMullen said. “That is one of the main reasons that I picked Northwest so that I could see my girls on the other side of the net rather than on my side.

“I think that the Louisburg program speaks for itself, seeing the amount of girls and talent that leave that gym and go on to become collegiate athletes. For me to be a part of that program for 4 years was honestly just a blessing. I loved all my girls and teammates and I can’t wait to go back home to see my little sister (Rinny McMullen) and the girls kill it on the court. It warms my heart knowing that is where I get to say I played and where I grew up.”