The Louisburg volleyball team finished 4-1 on Saturday at the Circle Invitational and took second overall, falling to No. 3 ranked Circle in the championship match.

TOWANDA — In its final tournament action of the regular season, the Louisburg volleyball team got a much-needed boost of momentum Saturday as the Wildcats inch closer to the postseason.

The Wildcats traveled to Towanda and took part in the Circle High School Invitational. Louisburg won four straight matches to advance to the championship match, before falling to Circle, 3-1, and finished runner-up.

“I think we had a great weekend overall and came out of the tournament feeling more bonded as a team and confident in ourselves and each other,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “Although we didn’t always play our best, we remained consistent and held strong throughout the day, not dropping a set until the final championship match.”

Louisburg faced off Circle, which is currently the No. 3 ranked team in Class 4A. The Wildcats (16-17) pushed the host team, but fell short in a 25-17, 20-25 and 25-19 loss. Louisburg trailed 13-5 in the deciding third set, but couldn’t complete the comeback.

Senior middle blocker Allie Kennedy had a big outing for the Wildcats as she finished with a team-high 13 kills to go along with two blocks and an ace.

Outside hitter Claire Brown added nine kills in the loss and junior Hailey Sword finished with six. Brown and Sword also each had nine digs.

Senior libero Adyson Ross led the Louisburg defense with 10 digs, while juniors Megan Quinn and Madelyn Williams had eight. Quinn also ran the offense well with 33 assists.

“Circle is a strong team,” Willer said. “They were ranked third in the state in 4A and for good reason – they are a well-coached and very solid team. We knew it would be our toughest match of the day going in, but we kept our heads and fought the whole way through. 

“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to stop them on a long run in the third set that we couldn’t quite overcome. That being said, I am proud of how our girls battled.

Louisburg went 3-0 in pool play to start tournament action as the Wildcats defeated Kingman (25-18, 25-18), Winfield (25-18, 25-19) and Eureka (25-19, 25-21).

The Wildcats then advanced to the semifinals with a 25-11 and 25-15 victory over Wichita North.

Kennedy was big for the Wildcats throughout the tournament as she finished with a team-high 44 kills and was second on the team with nine aces. Kennedy also led Louisburg with seven blocks and had a .450 hitting percentage.

Williams was second on the team with 31 kills and a team-high 10 aces. She also finished with 24 digs.

Ross led the Wildcat defense with 41 digs, while Brown had 29 kills and 29 digs. Quinn handed out 128 assists throughout the tournament and also had 30 digs.

“Allie really stood out this weekend,” Willer said. “In addition to her offense, she led the team in blocks and was second in aces from behind the service line. I was also very impressed with our passers all-around. Adyson, Claire, Madie, and Hailey all contributed here and did a great job putting Megan in a position to run the offense.”

Louisburg will end the regular season today as the Wildcats travel to Olathe North for a triangular with Wamego. Matches begin at 6 p.m.

Louisburg seniors Allie Kennedy (left) and Claire Brown team up for a block Thursday at home against Tonganoxie.

OTTAWA — It had been another busy week for the Louisburg volleyball team, and by the time the Ottawa Invitational was done Saturday, the Wildcats had played seven matches in a span of five days.

Although the Wildcats finished just 2-5 during that stretch, they took several positives away from tournament play Saturday.

Louisburg went 2-3 at the Ottawa Invitational, with two of those wins coming against Basehor-Linwood and Ottawa. The Wildcats also lost a close match to state-ranked Bishop Miege.

“We were hoping to end up with a better record on the day, but I felt that we played pretty well for the most part – even in a couple of the games that we lost,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “We are working on our consistency as a team, even when things may not be going our way. I was proud of the resilience and mental toughness we showed throughout the day to persevere through the challenges we faced.”

The Wildcats opened tournament action with a 25-18 and 25-23 loss to Maize South and then fell to Tonganoxie, 25-11 and 25-20.

Louisburg responded well as the Wildcats avenged a loss from earlier in the season as they defeated Ottawa, 22-25, 25-22 and 25-21. They got back-to-back victories as the downed Basehor-Linwood, 23-25, 25-19 and 25-22.

In their final match of the day, the Wildcats lost to Bishop Miege, 25-22 and 25-21.

“It was great to get a win under our belt right before the lunch break, especially against Ottawa,” Willer said. “Looking back to our match against them earlier this season, we knew it would be a battle again but we really wanted to come out on top this time. We showed some grit in those final plays and we saw some kids step up to shut down the match.

“Although we lost to both Maize South and Bishop Miege, those games were close, intense, and included a lot of really great volleyball. We were neck and neck with both teams and found ourselves contesting both teams every step of the way. The biggest positive for me to see as a coach in those games was that our confidence never wavered and we continued to play great team ball.”

The Wildcats (12-15) got good play at the net as five players earned double digit kill numbers. Senior Claire Brown led the way with 35 kills on the day and junior Madelyn Williams was second with 30.

Senior Emma Prettyman finished with 23, while senior Allie Kennedy and junior Hailey Sword had 21 and 20, respectively. Prettyman and Kennedy also led the Wildcats defense at the net with eight blocks each.

Junior setter Megan Quinn finished the tournament with 104 assists and was also second on the team with five aces.

Sword led the Wildcats from behind the service line with a team-high seven aces, while senior Adyson Ross and Kennedy each had four.

Defensively, Ross — the team’s libero — led the Wildcats in the back with 37 digs. Brown and Williams were right behind her with 36 each.

Louisburg is back in action tonight as the Wildcats travel to Eudora for a Frontier League match. Varsity is set to begin at 6:30 p.m.

Wildcats fall to Tonganoxie on Senior Night, Baldwin on road

Louisburg seniors Claire Brown, Adyson Ross, Allie Kennedy, Emma Prettyman and Ava Jorn walked onto their home court for the final time Thursday when the Wildcats hosted Tonganoxie on Senior Night.

Unfortunately, it didn’t have the end they all were hoping for.

Tonganoxie handed Louisburg a 25-11, 25-16, 14-25 and 25-17 loss in what was their second straight defeat on the week. Last Tuesday, the Wildcats fell to No. 3 Baldwin on the road, 25-19, 25-19, 11-25 and 25-15.

“Baldwin and Tonganoxie are both strong teams in our league,” Willer said. “Baldwin is currently 24-1 and they have some incredible athletes on their team. Tonganoxie has improved greatly over the past year and their ball control and defense were rock solid on Thursday. They just wouldn’t let anything drop. I give credit to both teams for playing so well, we just weren’t able to match either team’s level of play at the time. 

“That being said, we are so thankful that we were able to honor our seniors on Thursday and are looking forward to putting in the work to continuously improve throughout these final weeks.”

Against Tonganoxie, Kennedy closed out her home career on a strong note as she tallied a team-high 13 kills. Junior Hailey Sword was second on the team with 10.

Setter Megan Quinn recorded 35 assists, while senior libero led the Wildcat defense with a team-high 16 digs. Brown and Prettyman each had a team-best three blocks.

Brown had a big match for the Wildcats against Baldwin as she led Louisburg with 11 kills and had team-highs in aces (4) and blocks (2).

Ross and Williams each had 13 digs to lead Louisburg and Brown was right behind them with 12. Williams was also second on the team with nine kills and also had two blocks.

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week four of the fall sports season, sponsored by Louisburg Family Dental.

CLAIRE BROWN, SENIOR, VOLLEYBALL

The Louisburg volleyball team had a successful stretch of matches last week and senior Claire Brown was a big reason for that. Brown helped the Wildcats to a runner-up finish Saturday at the Louisburg Invitational as they won five straight matches to secure second place. Along with wins over Girard and Fort Scott on Thursday, Brown helped the Wildcats to an 7-2 record on the week.

Brown finished her week with a team-high 74 kills and also finished tied for the team best with 12 aces. Defensively, Brown was second on Louisburg with 77 digs as she plays all six rotations.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the fall season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous winners:

Week 1: Layne Ryals

Week 2: Nathan Vincent

Week 3: Emma Vohs

The Louisburg volleyball team celebrates a big point against Shawnee Mission West on Saturday during the Louisburg Invitational.

After getting off to a rough start to its season, the Louisburg volleyball team needed something to go its way.

The Wildcats got just that Saturday at the Louisburg Invitational.

In a tournament in which Louisburg is the smallest school of seven, the Wildcats finished second overall with a 5-1 record on the day. Louisburg opened with a loss to Shawnee Mission East, but rallied to win five straight to secure the runner-up finish.

Louisburg improved its record to 10-10 on the season and has now won seven of its last eight matches.

“Saturday was a great day for our team, and it was important for us to finish strong after losing the first match of the day,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “Between last Thursday and Saturday we felt a positive shift in team chemistry and we are really starting to play well together as a team. Our confidence is growing and I think that was evident in our play through a long day of six games.”

The Wildcats had to use a different tournament format than normal at the last minute and changed to a round-robin style. It didn’t take long for them to get tested.

Louisburg squared off with eventual champion Shawnee Mission East in the first match of the day, and despite leading the first set late, fell 25-23 and 25-23.

The Wildcats were on the verge of their second loss against Shawnee Mission West. Louisburg won the first set 25-22, but lost the second 25-19.

In what was a back and forth third set, the Wildcats prevailed with a 27-25 win that ended on an ace by senior Adyson Ross. It was the first of many victories for Louisburg on the day.

“Yes, 1,000 percent that match was a turning point for us,” Willer said. “We’ve been in so many close matches that go into extra sets and have been struggling to close them out, but we finished strong against Shawnee Mission West and that energy carried us through the rest of the day. 

“Ending in extra points is always very intense, but we didn’t shy away from the opportunities we were given. Finishing on an ace from Adyson was really just icing on the cake. She had a great tournament and for her to finish that match for our team that way was awesome.”

Louisburg didn’t lose a set the rest of match as it defeated Shawnee Mission South (25-12, 25-19), Olathe North (25-22, 25-14), Leavenworth (25-22, 25-21) and Basehor-Linwood (25-23, 25-18) in straight sets to get the second-place plaque.

It was a balanced effort throughout the day as several different players got attacks and blocks at the net, while others did the work on the defensive end.

Senior Claire Brown did the work on both ends as she led the Wildcats with 42 kills and was second on the team with 36 digs. Brown also had a team-high nine aces on a day where the team had a total of 36.

Senior middle blocker Allie Kennedy was second on the team with 33 kills to go along with seven blocks and four aces. Senior middle Emma Prettyman had 17 kills and a team-high eight blocks.

Junior outside hitter Hailey Sword added 23 kills and was second on the team with eight aces, while junior Madelyn Williams had 15 kills, three aces and was second on the team with 41 digs.

Defensively, Ross led the back row from her libero spot as she tallied a team-best 50 digs to go along with six aces.

Junior setter Megan Quinn also ran the offense well as she recorded 102 assists and also had six aces and 20 digs.

“I love looking back at our stats and seeing balance among all of our players,” Willer said. “We play our best when we can evenly distribute the ball to all of our hitters and can trust any one of them to put it down. When we see close to an even number of kills and digs from all players across the board, it’s easy to see that everyone contributed. 

“When each player can step up at different moments, it relieves pressure on the individual because we can trust our teammates to help carry the load. We played some really great team volleyball.”

Louisburg will try and keep its momentum going tonight as it travels to No. 3 ranked Baldwin for a Frontier League dual. The Wildcats will then return home Thursday for Senior Night against Tonganoxie.

Louisburg’s Emma Prettyman (pictured) and Allie Kennedy combined for 27 kills in the Wildcats’ 2-1 victory Thursday at Fort Scott.

FORT SCOTT — The Louisburg volleyball team walked into the Fort Scott gymnasium Thursday trying to shake a six-game losing streak.

After the Wildcats left Fort Scott, they started a new streak — a winning one.

The Wildcats held on to defeat Fort Scott, 2-1, in the first match of the night and ended with a 2-0 win over Girard. 

“We were due for a win and I am so proud of the girls for how they approached last night,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “They walked into the gym on a mission and were committed to getting those two wins. I thought we played well together as a team and worked hard to make big plays throughout the night. I think everyone stepped up at different moments, which is exactly what we wanted to see.”

The Wildcats were tested at the net in the first match of the night, thanks to the play of Fort Scott’s Kenzie Murphy as she helped keep the Tigers in it the match.

Louisburg’s middle blockers of Allie Kennedy and Emma Prettyman also rose to the occasion and played one of their better matches of the season.

Kennedy had a team-high 17 kills and two blocks in the match, and Prettyman finished with 10 kills to help Louisburg to a 25-20, 20-25 and 25-22 win over the Tigers.

“We bounced back well in the third set,” Willer said. “They never let the second set loss keep them down in the dumps. We used it to fuel our fire going into the third. It was a middle vs middle battle during that game as Fort Scott’s middle Kenzie Murphy is a force to be reckoned with. Our middles were poised and ready to answer back any of her kills with one of their own, and they really couldn’t stop either of them.”

The Wildcats (5-9) also served well as they finished the match with nine aces. Junior Madelyn Williams led the way with four, while senior Claire Brown and junior Megan Quinn each had two. 

Quinn also had a big night for the Wildcat offense as she finished with a team-high 41 assists.

Senior Adyson Ross, who has been up at the net as a hitter for most of the season, switched positions Thursday and was the team’s libero. Ross handled the position well as she helped the Wildcat defense with 15 digs, while Brown had a team-high 18 and Williams finished with 14.

“Moving Adyson to libero has crossed our mind a few times throughout the summer and this season, and we felt like this week was the time to try it out,” Willer said. “Adyson is a great all-around athlete who can play any position, so we love that she is ready and willing to fill any role that the team needs her to play. 

“Her passing and defense were solid all throughout the night and our team recognized her for the big defensive plays she made. Having her consistent presence in the back row seemed to be just what our team needed.”

Against Girard, the Wildcats took care of business from the opening whistle in the 25-15 and 25-22 victory.

Kennedy, Williams and Brown each finished the match with six kills, while Williams and Prettyman eat had two blocks. Brown led the way with 11 digs and Quinn led the Wildcat offense with 18 assists.

Louisburg will try and build on this momentum as the Wildcats host the Louisburg Invitational on Saturday as matches begin at 8 a.m. It is a round-robin tournament that will include Basehor-Linwood, Shawnee Mission East, Shawnee Mission West, Shawnee Mission South, Olathe North and Leavenworth.

“We are excited,” Willer said. “We will play a lot of volleyball tomorrow and we know that we have some great opportunities to grow as a team and win some games in the process. We have a wide variety of teams coming to the tournament that we don’t typically see, so we are focused on taking it one match at a time and playing our best. This is one of the last home events we have this season, so we are hoping to see Louisburg show up and support.”

Louisburg senior Claire Brown puts down a kill Tuesday during the Wildcats’ home match against Ottawa. Brown led Louisburg with 17 kills in the team’s 3-2 loss to the Cyclones.

A difficult early schedule has made life tough on the Louisburg volleyball team to begin the 2022 season

The Wildcats had a chance to get back on track Tuesday when they hosted Ottawa for a Frontier League dual and they were one set win away from stopping a five-match losing skid.

Ottawa had other ideas. The defending state runner-up handed Louisburg a 3-2 loss in what was a highly-contested match on both sides.

Louisburg opened with a 25-21 win in the first set, Ottawa followed with a 25-15 victory in the second, before the Wildcats took the pivotal third set, 25-21. The Cyclones rallied back to take the next two 25-15 and 15-7 to win the match.

“I thought there were moments where we were playing really, really well, but we were unfortunately not as consistent with those moments as we needed to be to end up on top,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “Playing any five set match is tough, and losing in the end can feel especially draining. That being said, I think we were able to recognize a lot of positive things from our play throughout the night to build on moving forward.”

One of those positives was senior Claire Brown as she made her impact felt all over the floor. Brown led the Wildcats with 17 kills and was also among the team leaders in digs with 12.

“Claire stepped up at the net to lead our team and she became our go-to throughout the night when we needed a kill,” Willer said. “Her court presence was felt by everyone all night long and she seemed to really find her groove.”

After the two teams traded victories in the first two sets, the Wildcats (3-9) came out strong in the third. Louisburg went on an 11-3 run to take hold of the match and seemed to have all of the momentum.

Brown had seven kills in that third set and the Wildcat defense stepped up in the process. Senior Emma Prettyman had a team-high three blocks, while senior Allie Kennedy, along with juniors Megan Quinn and Hailey Sword, each had two.

Junior Madelyn Williams was also strong defensively in the back with a team-best six digs in that third set.

Ottawa took that momentum right back in the fourth. The Cyclones jumped out to a 12-5 advantage and went on to take the set. They used that string of good play to their advantage to take the fifth and final set, as well.

“Ottawa’s outsides are very strong and we had trouble stopping them in the sets we lost,” Willer said. “Additionally, I think Ottawa won the serve and pass game in those final two sets, which cost us in the long run.”

Along with Brown’s play at the net, the Wildcats had six kills each from senior Adyson Ross, Kennedy and Sword. Prettyman finished with a team-high five blocks.

Williams was strong behind the service line with a team-best four aces on the night and also led Louisburg with 17 digs. Ross was second on the team with 14 digs.

Quinn led the Wildcat offense with 34 assists from the setter spot.

Louisburg has a busy rest of the week and will try to get back on track tonight as the Wildcats travel to Fort Scott for a triangular with Girard. First match is set for 5 p.m.

The Wildcats will then host the Louisburg Invitational on Saturday in hopes of righting the ship.

“We are looking forward to the rest of this week as we have seven more games as opportunities to put what we’ve learned about ourselves in action,” Willer said. “We have some great opportunities to showcase what this team can really do in our triangular and home tournament, so I can’t wait to see how our girls attack these next few games.”

Louisburg senior Claire Brown goes up for a kill during a match earlier this season. The Lady Cats defeated Bonner Springs on Thursday, but went 0-4 on Saturday at Lansing.

LANSING — In a week that started with three wins for the Louisburg volleyball team, ended with an appearance in the toughest tournament the Lady Cats will compete in all season.

Louisburg traveled to the Lansing Invitational on Saturday and competed against numerous Class 5A and 6A teams.

The Lady Cats didn’t have the results they were hoping for as they went 0-4 in pool play and saw their tournament come to an end.

Louisburg fell to Lansing, Olathe West, Lawrence and De Soto, and two of those schools (Olathe West and Lansing) are ranked in their respective classes.

De Soto and Lawrence were Louisburg’s first two opponents of the day and the Lady Cats put up a fight early. They defeated De Soto in the first set 25-21, but dropped the next two 25-15 and 25-22.

Louisburg (3-7) then went on to to fall to Lawrence 25-20 and 25-18, before losing to Olathe West (25-10, 25-14) and Lansing (25-10, 25-16).

“The Lansing tournament is tough and filled with strong teams all around,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “Our first two matches of the day against De Soto and Lawrence could have gone our way, but unfortunately we were unable to close them out. We had our opportunities to come out on top but failed to execute in the end. 

“We let errors pile up on top of each other instead of ending runs quickly. That being said, I think we learned more about ourselves and are coming into this week hungry for a win.”

Claire Brown led the Wildcats at the net as she finished with a team-high 17 kills, while Allie Kennedy added 16 kills and a team-high three blocks. 

Emma Prettyman and Hailey Sword both finished with double figure kills with 10. Junior setter Megan Quinn ran the offense well with a team-best 55 assists.

Sword led the Lady Cats from behind the service line with four aces and junior Bronwynn Williams added three of her own.

Brown finished with team-high 33 digs on defense and senior Adyson Ross had 31.

Louisburg will try and get back on track Tuesday when it travels to Spring Hill for a Frontier League dual. The varsity will start at 6:30 p.m. 

Lady Cats get road win at Bonner Springs

In its second Frontier League match of the season, Louisburg picked up its first victory in the league with a 3-1 win last Thursday at Bonner Springs.

The Lady Cats earned a hard fought 25-21, 29-31, 25-22 and 25-15 win over the Braves to get their third straight victory at the time.

“It was a great game for us against Bonner Springs,” Willer said. “We weren’t perfect and we definitely made a lot more errors than we would like to see, but our energy, enthusiasm, and drive to win was evident as we battled for every point. When we made mistakes or Bonner made a good play, we didn’t let ourselves spiral, but rather we recovered quickly and focused on the next play. That allowed us to bounce back after losing that heartbreaker of a second set.”

Louisburg found itself in a back and fourth second set, but the Lady Cats found a way to bounce back and take the next two.

Defense was big for Louisburg as it helped turn away Bonner Springs’ top hitter, Mariyah Noel, as several different occasions. Offensively, setter Megan Quinn did a good job distributing the ball to different hitters.

“I think our blockers did a good job of finding Mariyah Noel and worked to slow her down a bit, forcing her to try some off speed shots,” Willer said. “Our setter Megan Quinn did a nice job of distributing the ball to all of our hitters to present a balanced attack using all of our threats. 

“I thought our energy and intensity lasted throughout the entire match, and a large part of that had to do with our ‘student section’ of our JV and freshman teams. Our girls on the court fed off of the crowd and loved having everyone so involved.”

Louisburg’s Allie Kennedy (left) and Claire Brown (right) celebrate a Hailey Sword (9) kill Tuesday during the Lady Cats’ home match against Piper.

The start of the season didn’t go as the Louisburg volleyball team had hoped.

Louisburg lost its first three games last week and needed to find a way to get into the win column.

Tuesday’s triangular with Burlington and Piper gave the Lady Cats exactly what they were looking for. Louisburg hosted the two schools and earned a pair of victories, including a competitive 2-1 win over Piper to end the night.

The Lady Cats (2-3) opened the competition with an easy 25-17 and 25-12 win over Burlington.

“It was great to finally get a couple of wins under our belt,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “We played much better and we started to find a rhythm within our team during that second game against Piper. It was really nice to see different girls step up at different times to combine for two good team wins.”

Louisburg made the plays it needed to in the 26-24, 21-25 and 25-16 victory over Piper.

In the first set, junior Madelyn Williams tied the match at 19-all with an ace, but Piper responded to score the next two points. Louisburg then took advantage of two Piper mistakes, and an Adyson Ross ace, to give itself a 22-21 advantage. 

Louisburg senior Allie Kennedy followed the up with a kill and Ross added another ace to make it 24-21. Piper took the next three points to tie it again, before Kennedy had back-to-back kills to end the match.

The Lady Cats put themselves in a big hole in the second set as they found themselves down 12-4, but put together a big rally to tie the match at 13. Even though, Louisburg lost the set, it used that momentum in the third.

“I was impressed with our perseverance during the Piper match as we had a rough start to the second set but kept pushing through and gained momentum that carried us through the third,” Willer said. “We had a lot more energy during this game with the level of competition that Piper brought, and it was so fun to see the crowd feed into it as well.”

Defense came to life in the third set for Louisburg, especially at the net. Kennedy, Ross and Emma Prettyman all had blocks that helped build a 19-13 advantage and an eventual victory.

“We finally started to block some balls and slow down their offense,” Willer said. “We have been working on blocking over the past week so it was great to see that aspect of our game improve. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of getting a block. It definitely fires up every single person on the team.”

Louisburg had a well-rounded attack at the net against Piper as Kennedy led the way with 10 kills and two blocks. Ross finished with eight kills and a team-high three blocks, while Prettyman had eight kills and a block.

Junior Hailey Sword also finished with eight kills in the match and senior Claire Brown had seven.

Ross also had a big night from behind the service line as she had four aces, while Sword and Brown each had two.

Junior Megan Quinn ran the offense well with 28 assists against the Pirates and Brown was big on defense for Louisburg with a team-high 21 digs. Sword (13), Quinn (12) and senior Ava Jorn (11) also had double-figure dig numbers.

The Lady Cats controlled their match against Burlington from the start.

Louisburg had 10 aces against the Wildcats. Williams led the way with four and Brown added three of her own. Ross and Kennedy each led the attack at the net with six kills each, while Quinn had 19 assists.

“I loved to see us meshing better together as a team and everyone stepping up in their role,” Willer said. “It takes each and everyone of us doing our jobs to play our best.”

The Lady Cats are back in action tonight when they travel to Bonner Springs for a Frontier League dual. The match is set to begin at 6:30 p.m.

Louisburg senior Allie Kennedy battles two Paola players at the net last Tuesday during the Lady Cats’ season opener at Louisburg High school.

The early season hasn’t been all that kind to the Louisburg volleyball team as it began with three straight losses, including a pair against bigger programs.

Louisburg traveled to Olathe West on Thursday and competed against the Class 6A school, along with 5A De Soto. After a pair of tough 25-14 and 25-13 losses to Olathe West, the Lady Cats found themselves in a battle with De Soto.

After falling 25-12 in the first set, Louisburg rallied to take the second, 25-21. De Soto, however, took control in the third with a the 25-12 win.

“We didn’t have our greatest showing, and I think the girls would agree with that,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “However, we were still able to challenge De Soto and take a set from them, which is an accomplishment against these bigger schools.”

Louisburg senior Allie Kennedy led the charge at the net as she finished with a team-high eight kills and a block. Senior Adyson Ross had seven kills and a team-high two blocks, while junior Hailey Sword also had seven kills.

Setter Megan Quinn added a team-high 26 assists on the night and also had a team-best 17 digs as four Lady Cats had double-digit totals in that area. Senior Claire Brown had 15 digs, while Ross and Sword tallied 12 and 10, respectively.

Junior Bronwynn Williams, Sword and Brown each finished the night with two aces to lead Louisburg in the serving department.

Louisburg will try and bounce back tonight when it hosts Burlington and Piper in a triangular. The Lady Cats will then hit the road Thursday at Bonner Springs. On Saturday, Louisburg travels to the Lansing Invitational and its first tournament action of the season.

Lady Cats fall to Paola in season opener

For first time in five years, Louisburg came out on the wrong side against its rival.

The Lady Cats hosted Paola last Tuesday in their season opener, and despite putting up a fight, came up short against the Panthers, 3-1.

“I am proud of how the girls battled,” Willer said. “I think it was clear we were a little nervous the first set, but we came back with a vengeance in the second and fought hard in the final two sets. We never gave up and gave it our all no matter the score. 

“With this being the first match, we saw inconsistencies in all aspects of the game. However, we saw a lot of positives as well that have us excited for what’s to come.”

Paola took the first set 25-16, but the Lady Cats responded and won the second set by the same score. The Panthers made the plays late in the third and fourth sets to win 25-22 and 25-20.

Senior Claire Brown had a big night for the Lady Cats as she was all over the court. Brown had a team-high 14 kills at the net and also led Louisburg with 14 digs on defense.

Seniors Adyson Ross and Allie Kennedy finished with 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Ross was also second on the team with 13 digs.

Junior Madelyn Williams tallied 12 digs from the back row, while fellow junior Hailey Sword finished with 10 of her own.

Setter Megan Quinn led the way with 43 assists on the night.

Louisburg senior Adyson Ross is one of several returning players to the Lady Cat volleyball lineup this season. Ross, along with senior Claire Brown, were named team captains.

Like every program sees from time to time, the winds of change are blowing through the Louisburg volleyball team.

After finishing one win shy of a state tournament appearance a year ago, the Lady Cats will have a different look to them — at least in some spots, anyway.

For the first time in four years, the Lady Cats will feature a new setter thanks to the graduation of four-year starters Corinna McMullen and Davis Guetterman. 

Add in the loss of strong defenders like Chase Kallevig and Aubryn Berck, Louisburg coach Leanna Willer has had to do some reshuffling to see how the pieces fit for the 2022 season.

“This will be a different team after losing last year’s seniors, but many of our players have solid varsity experience and benefited from awesome leadership the past few years,” Willer said. “So far, our varsity players maintain high expectations for themselves – they refuse to lower the bar and continue to push each other, demanding the best of their teammates.”

However, despite all that change, there is one place where the Lady Cats return a lot of veteran pieces — at the net.

Seniors Allie Kennedy, Emma Prettyman, Adyson Ross and Claire Brown, along with junior Hailey Sword, all return as the team’s top hitters and will be a big strength of the squad this season.

“We do feel that our offense is strong,” Willer said. “We return our No. 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7 hitters when looking at kills per set. With this much experience, we feel that we can compete with just about anyone.”

Putting the hitters in the best position to succeed will fall on the hands of Megan Quinn. The Louisburg junior is the team’s starting setter this season, while another junior, Bronwynn Williams, could also see some setting duties.

Willer has liked what she has seen out of Quinn so far and believes she will do a good job in her first year at her new role.

“Some of our leadership roles have shifted as our captains this year are Claire and Adyson, who are hitters for our team,” Willer said. “That being said, leadership naturally comes from the setting position as we say the setter is the ‘quarterback’ of our team. Megan is an extremely hard worker and a natural leader on the court. No one can expect her to be Rinny or Davis, we just want her to be the best Megan she can be. 

“We know that Megan is fully committed to our team and will give us 100 percent no matter what. In addition to Megan, Bronwynn may also see some setting opportunities. We love the energy and passion that the two of them bring to the court. They are two kids that have fully bought into the program and are willing to do whatever the team needs to help us be successful.”

Defensively, Louisburg will feature some new faces with the loss of those four starters from last season. Serve receive and defense has been a focus so far at practice for the Lady Cats.

Junior Ashlyn Berck will start the season as the libero, while senior Ava Jorn, Sword, Brown and Ross will also provide help in that area.

“All four of last year’s seniors were phenomenal defenders and serve receive passers,” Willer said. “That is definitely an area we work on improving every single day. Both Claire and Adyson have back row experience, and we will look for Hailey Sword, Ashlyn Berck and Ava Jorn to step into those roles as well.”

Like most seasons, the Lady Cats will venture through a difficult schedule, but many of those challenges will come in Frontier League action.

Ottawa (state runner-up), Baldwin (fourth at state) and Spring Hill (5A tournament qualifier) will all be tough matches in Frontier League play, along with tournaments at Lansing, Ottawa and Circle High School.

“Our league is crazy tough with three teams that competed at the state tournament last year in Spring Hill, Ottawa and Baldwin,” Willer said. “While every team lost good players in their senior classes, they each return talented players who have that high level experience. Every league game will be tough, but that’s what makes playing in the Frontier League so exciting. Nothing is guaranteed, and we are fueled by that competitive atmosphere.”

Louisburg, which is currently ranked No. 7 in the Kansas Volleyball Association preseason poll, would love nothing more than to find itself back in the state tournament once again.

That road begins at 6:30 p.m. tonight when the Lady Cats host Paola in a Frontier League matchup.

“We have high hopes and expectations for our season,” Willer said. “They expect to continue the traditions of Louisburg volleyball by competing at the top of the league and working toward that sub-state championship. I think we all recognize the potential this group can have together — we are just excited to get started.”