Louisburg seniors (from left) Mikayla Quinn, Ainsley Vance, Sarah Wilson and Sophie McMullen were honored prior to the Lady Cats’ 3-0 victory over Ottawa during Senior Night ceremonies Tuesday. All four players played their final match on their home court.
Louisburg senior Sophie McMullen goes up for one of her 18 kills on the night Thursday against Olathe North in Louisburg. The Lady Cats downed Olathe North 3-2, including a 21-19 win in the fifth set.
In the final moments of the fifth set against Olathe North, the Louisburg High School volleyball team gave it all it had.
The Lady Cats swung a little harder, served a little better and dove on the floor to dig up everything they could get their hands on. They needed every ounce of energy as they tried to knock off the No. 2 team in Class 6A.
As it turned out, the Lady Cats had enough to get the job done.
Louisburg had match point on seven different occasions, but couldn’t put it away until Riley Kallevig dug up the Olathe North hit, Carson Buffington put the pass in the air and Anna Dixon smacked a kill to capture the fifth set, 21-19, and won the match 3-2.
The Lady Cats, ranked No. 2 in Class 4A-Division I, left the floor knowing this win can be the springboard they need to even bigger things.
“We were really tired,” Dixon said of the final moments of the match. “This whole week in practice we have been working on giving effort on every play, being competitive and it definitely showed out here. We are really excited to bring that into sub-state next weekend.”
Getting going certainly wasn’t a problem for Louisburg (24-6) as it jumped to a 25-23 and 25-22 victory in the first two sets and was one win from putting Olathe North away. Louisburg had a lead over the Eagles in the third set, but Olathe North rallied to win the third 25-21 and jumped out to a big advantage and held on to win the fourth, 25-23, despite a late Lady Cat rally.
All that set up a dramatic fifth game – one that saw Louisburg down 5-1 to start the first-to-15 set
“We had a lot of fight left,” Dixon said. “We called a timeout and we said we could decide now if we want to win or if we are going to let them take control. We came back out, gave 100 percent and we were able to pull it out.”
Louisburg players (from left) Anna Dixon, Haley Cain, Riley Kallevig, Carson Buffington, Sophie McMullen and Reilly Ratliff-Becher celebrate a big point Thursday against Olathe North.
Louisburg eventually rallied to tie the match, then took the lead late thanks to the Lady Cats’ defense as they dug up several Olathe North kill attempts.
“It was a battle of wills there at the end and that is what it came down to,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “We have been working a lot on defense in practice and we talk about sacrificing yourself and going for every ball and leaving it on the court. It showed out there.
“Our back row defense was great. We were running balls down and getting touches on everything. It might not have been the prettiest pass, but we were going to get a touch on that ball if we could. Our defense really stepped up and played huge for us.”
Senior Sophie McMullen, Dixon, Buffington and sophomores Kallevig and Reilly Ratliff-Becher all came up with several big digs defensively in the match, especially in the fifth set. McMullen had a team-high 27 digs, while Kallevig, the team’s libero, finished with 20. Dixon added 19 digs, while Buffington and Ratliff-Becher each had 17.
McMullen also thrived from behind the service line as she notched seven of the team’s 13 aces on the night, Kallevig and sophomore Haley Cain had three and two aces, respectively.
At the net, no one had a busier night than Dixon and she was able to come through for the Lady Cats. The Kansas State commit recorded a team-high 29 kills in the five sets and McMullen responded with 18 of her own.
Haley Cain (left) and Anna Dixon go up for a block on an Olathe North player Thursday.
Buffington, the team’s setter, set up a lot of those attempts as she finished with 49 assists and ran all over the floor to get the offense started.
Still, as busy as Dixon and McMullen were, Louisburg had other players step up and come through with crucial plays. Cain, who finished with six kills, began the fifth set and with a strong kill, while seniors Mikayla Quinn and Sarah Wilson both had crucial blocks.
“They showed a lot,” Compliment said of her players. “Haley had a big kill to open that fifth set. Having a big kill coming from her was a big boost for us. She has played well for us all season, but that was the first time she really hit the ball hard. That just amps the enthusiasm for everyone on the team. A lot of the girls made some big plays, which took some pressure off Anna and Sophie, so that way their defense can’t just focus on those two.
“Sarah has been battling for playing time all season and she came in and had a couple big plays for us. I was proud to see her make those. Reilly and Riley came up with some huge digs as well. Olathe North has some big outside hitters, and a lot of those hits would go cross court to Kallevig and she was getting good touches on everything. Anna and Sophie both had big digs on the back row, and Mikayla had some big blocks, so it was nice to see it all the come together.”
Sophomore libero Riley Kallevig digs up a ball late in the match Thursday against Olathe North.
Those plays were just a few the Lady Cats had to make with the match on the line.
“We really showed heart there at the end,” McMullen said. “I have never seen a team fight so hard to get those points. We were just going balls to wall there. We just wanted to make sure we got a touch on everything. We have been working on getting to every ball and I think it really showed out there, especially in that fifth set.”
Louisburg will try and continue its winning ways Saturday when it travels to the Emporia Invitational. That will follow a senior night dual with Ottawa on Tuesday, followed by the sub-state tournament next weekend.
“We are super focused,” Dixon said. “Everything in practice has been directed toward sub-state and what we need to work on. Our defense has really picked it up lately. Defense is what wins games, so hopefully we can pull it out next weekend.”
Before its big match with state-ranked Olathe North and the Emporia Invitational on Saturday, the Louisburg volleyball team first had to get by Eudora on Tuesday in a Frontier League dual.
The Lady Cats were able to get a 25-21, 25-19 and 26-24 victory at Eudora High School, but they didn’t do it in the way they would have liked.
“We just didn’t play with a lot of focus,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “I could tell the girls were distracted. They weren’t focused on the court and we made a lot of serving and passing errors. We just weren’t communicating and those are simple focus problems and the girls knew it the next day in practice.
“Still, they made the plays when they needed to make them. They were able to finish the game out and I told them that we were not going to go four and we were going to win it in three. We needed to play to win and I think we did that.”
Senior Sophie McMullen led the Wildcat attack with 14 kills, while junior teammate Anna Dixon added 12. Junior Carson Buffington also notched 26 assists as she ran the Lady Cat offense.
Louisburg also recorded eight aces from behind the service line as Dixon tallied three aces, while sophomores Reilly Ratliff-Becher and Haley Cain finished with two.
Defensively, McMullen had a big night from the back row with a team-high 18 digs, while Dixon and sophomore libero Riley Kallevig each finished with seven. Ratliff-Becher added six digs in the win.
Louisburg junior Carson Buffington sets up a teammate during a Frontier League dual against Spring Hill last Tuesday in Louisburg. The Lady Cats rolled to a 3-0 win over the Broncos and improved their record to 22-6 on the season.
It was the calm before the storm – so to speak – for the Louisburg High School volleyball team.
The Lady Cats competed in just one dual last week as they gear up for two duals and a tournament this week, followed by senior night and the sub-state tournament the week after.
Louisburg’s dual against Spring Hill last Tuesday might not seem big in the grand scheme of things, but the Lady Cats showed they are continuing to improve as the season begins to wind down. Louisburg rolled the Broncos 25-17, 25-8 and 25-14 at Louisburg High School and is now 22-6 on the season.
“The team played with a lot of energy against Spring Hill and played loose throughout the entire match,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “We made a few mental mistakes during the match, but the majority of our mistakes were because we were being aggressive and trying a few new things out. We really picked up steam in the second set and never let up. I was happy to see the girls maintain the aggressive play throughout the night.”
Senior Sophie McMullen celebrates a big point last Tuesday against Spring Hill.
Like they have most of the season, the Lady Cats played well at the net and got good production from junior Anna Dixon and senior Sophie McMullen. Dixon led Louisburg with 20 kills in the three sets and McMullen finished with 11.
Serving was also a strong point for the Lady Cats as they recorded nine aces on the night and had a serving percentage close to 90 percent. In her 20 serves, sophomore Haley Cain recorded a 100 serving percentage and also had an ace.
Sophomore libero Riley Kallevig had three aces to lead Louisburg and McMullen finished with two. Junior Carson Buffington, senior Ainsley Vance and Dixon also added an ace.
Buffington had 33 assists on the evening compared to just two errors from the setter spot to guide the Louisburg attack.
Defensively, McMullen had a strong night in the back row with 17 digs and Cain was second on the team with 10. Sophomore Erin Lemke led Louisburg with two blocks.
The Lady Cats, the No. 2 team in Class 4A-Division 1, will see their schedule start to heat up beginning Tuesday when they travel to Eudora for a Frontier League dual. Louisburg will then host Olathe North for a dual Thursday before traveling to the Emporia Invitational on Saturday.
The Kansas State High School Activities Association released sub-state and regional pairings today for volleyball and cross country.
The Louisburg High School volleyball team will compete at Paola High School on Oct. 21 along with Ottawa, Paola and Spring Hill.
Atchison HS – Matt Renk, Manager(s) (1 Court)
Atchison HS; Basehor-Linwood HS; Kansas City-Piper HS; Tonganoxie HS;
Chanute HS – Eric Flaton, Manager(s) (1 Court)
Andover Central HS; Augusta HS; Chanute HS; Rose Hill HS;
El Dorado HS – Brian Engelken, Manager(s) (1 Court)
Abilene HS; El Dorado HS; Towanda-Circle HS; Wamego HS;
Fort Scott HS – Larry Fink, Manager(s) (1 Court)
Altamont-Labette County HS; Coffeyville-Field Kindley HS; Fort Scott HS; Independence HS;
Paola HS – Darin Gagnebin, Manager(s) (1 Court)
Louisburg HS; Ottawa HS; Paola HS; Spring Hill HS;
Shawnee Mission-Bishop Miege HS – Mike Hubka, Manager(s) (1 Court)
Bonner Springs HS; Eudora HS; Kansas City-Sumner Academy; Shawnee Mission-Bishop Miege HS;
Ulysses HS – Jason Kenny, Manager(s) (1 Court)
Buhler HS; Hays HS; McPherson HS; Ulysses HS;
Winfield HS – Billy Tipps, Manager(s) (1 Court)
Arkansas City HS; Mulvane HS; Wellington HS; Winfield HS;
The Louisburg High School cross country team will travel south to Burlington for its regional meet on Oct. 21.
CLASS 4A
(Saturday, October 21, 2017)
4 Regionals…3 Teams Qualifying Per Regional,
Top Ten Runners With Possibility of Additional Individual Qualifiers
BURLINGTON HS (Burlington-John Redmond Res. Dam) Dave Watkins, Manager
GIRLS – 10:00a.m.
BOYS – 10:40 a.m.
Baxter Springs HS, Burlington HS, Chanute HS, Columbus HS, Fort Scott HS, Frontenac HS, Galena HS, Garnett-Anderson County HS, Girard HS, Iola HS, LaCygne-Prairie View HS, Louisburg HS, Osawatomie HS, Ottawa HS, Paola HS, Parsons HS
EL DORADO HS (El Dorado Lake State Park) Brian Engelken, Manager
GIRLS – 10:00 a.m.
BOYS – 10:40 a.m.
Altamont-Labette County HS, Andale HS, Andover Central HS, Arkansas City HS, Augusta HS, Clearwater HS, Coffeyville-Field Kindley HS, El Dorado HS, Independence HS, Mulvane HS, Rose Hill HS, Towanda-Circle HS, Wellington HS, Wichita-Collegiate HS, Wichita-Trinity Academy, Winfield HS
LANSING HS (Wyandotte County Park) Gary Mattingly & Brian Malm, Managers
GIRLS – 10:45 a.m.
BOYS – 12:15 p.m.
Atchison HS, Baldwin HS, Basehor-Linwood HS, Bonner Springs HS, Eudora HS, Holton HS, Kansas City-Bishop Ward HS, Kansas City-Piper HS, Kansas City-Sumner Academy, Marysville HS, Meriden-Jefferson West HS, Sante Fe Trail HS, Shawnee Mission-Bishop Miege HS, Spring Hill HS, Tonganoxie HS, Topeka-Hayden HS
MCPHERSON HS (McPherson-Rolling Acres Golf Course) Shane Backhus, Manager
GIRLS – 10:30 a.m.
BOYS – 11:10 a.m.
Abilene HS, Buhler HS, Chapman HS, Clay Center Community HS, Concordia HS, Hays HS, Holcomb HS, Hugoton HS, Larned HS, Lindsborg-Smoky Valley HS, McPherson HS, Nickerson HS, Pratt HS, St. George-Rock Creek HS, Ulysses HS, Wamego HS
Louisburg’s Haley Cain (left) and Anna Dixon team up for a block Tuesday during the Lady Cats’ league dual with Paola at Paola High School. Louisburg improved its record to 21-6 with a 3-1 win.
PAOLA – Focus and energy wasn’t a problem for the Louisburg High School volleyball team Tuesday as rival Paola had its full attention.
The Lady Cats, the No. 2 ranked team in Class 4A-Division 1, traveled to Paola for a Frontier League dual and they put all that energy to good use as they jumped out to a quick 25-17 win in the first set. Although that focus might have gone away a little after falling in the second set 21-25, Louisburg responded with a convincing 25-12 and 25-15 victory in the final two sets to win the match, 3-1.
“They were pumped,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “It is always a good rivalry between Louisburg and Paola every time we play. The girls were excited and ready for the match. I think in that second set our energy level went down a little bit because we used a lot of that adrenaline early on and we made a few more mistakes. But overall I thought we played well.”
Paola didn’t have much of an answer for Louisburg’s Anna Dixon as she caused havoc at the net for the Panthers. Dixon, a 6-foot-2 junior, put away a team-high 20 kills to lead the Lady Cats.
Sophomore Haley Cain also had a big night with 10 kills and senior Sophie McMullen added nine in the win.
A lot of those kills were thanks to junior setter Carson Buffington as she tallied 36 assists on the evening.
“Anna swung well on the outside and she and Carson are really starting to connect,” Compliment said. “Carson is starting to connect well the hitters across the board, and with that happening, she is starting to get more confidence. Anna, and others like Sophie and Haley, really had some nice hits.”
Louisburg (21-6) also did some damage from behind the service line as the Lady Cats recorded 15 aces in the four sets. McMullen and Cain both led Louisburg with four aces, while Buffington, Dixon and libero Riley Kallevig each added two.
“The girls served really well and were a lot more aggressive,” Compliment said. “Carson and Riley both stepped up and served well and did well on their spot serves.”
Senior Mikayla Quinn goes up for a kill Tuesday against Paola.
Defensively, McMullen was busy as she recorded 21 digs on the night and Dixon finished with 11 from her all-around spot. Kallevig added nine digs in the victory.
The Lady Cats got off to a good start as they ended the first set on a 12-3 run to go up 1-0 and then staked themselves a 16-13 lead in the second before Paola stormed back and went on a 12-5 run of its own to tie the match.
In a pivotal third set, Louisburg made sure the match wasn’t going to be in doubt. The Lady Cats took leads of 10-3 and 20-8 to win the third set easily and did much of the same in the fourth.
“One of the thing we have been working on is just finishing things and coming out with an attitude of going after every point,” Compliment said. “I thought the girls did a good job of that, especially after the second set.”
Louisburg will have the rest of the week off before it hosts Spring Hill on Tuesday for another Frontier League dual.
The Kansas High School Activities Association released the classifications for the 2017-18 season on Tuesday morning, and for Louisburg High School, much remains the same.
The Wildcats are currently a Class 4A-Division I program with 532 students, but after this season the classification system will change. Class 4A will get rid of the divisions and 4A will have just 36 schools. Louisburg is still expected to be in 4A for the foreseeable future.
However, several schools across the state made classification changes.
Arkansas City and Sumner Academy dropped from Class 5A to 4A for the upcoming season, while Galena, Hugoton and Marysville all moved up to 4A. Maize South jumped from 4A to 5A.
Colby , Goodland, Scott City and Haven all dropped from 4A to 3A schools, while McLouth moved up from 2A to 3A.
Hays is currently the largest 4A school with 791 students, followed by Sumner Academy (782), Andover Central (764), Bonner Springs (762) and Arkansas City (757).
Sub-state and regional assignments for the fall season will be released in the coming days.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.