For a program accustomed to success, Platte County encountered a hard reset last season when bumped back up to Class 5 and the top tier of postseason competition.
The district assignments have not come out yet for 2026, but placement could determine a lot about the expectations. A drop back to Class 4 could put Platte County right back into the chase for another playoff appearance, while a return to Class 5 could up the difficult level on accomplishing a strong senior class.
Platte County went 18-11-2 last season but bowed out in the first round of the Class 5 District 8 tournament with a loss to Liberty North. The Pirates reached the Class 4 playoffs in four of the previous five seasons and earned state trophies in 2020 (third), 2022 (third) and 2024 (fourth). A 24-win season in 2021 ended with a loss in a Class 5 district title game.
“The championship factor could open some things up for us in moving back down to Class 4,” Platte County coach Katlyn Donovan said. “Even though we don’t know what class we are in, we want to compete for a district championship regardless of where we are, and I think we are capable of doing it. I am excited for this group to see where we can go and the success we can have.”
Platte County returns seniors Kate Brunner and Emma Brinkman in the front row plus junior setter Ella Cruce but must retool the entirety of the back line, most notably after the loss of two-time all-state libero Gia DeRose. However, the Pirates also have senior Serenity Eschliman (middle hitter/blocker) and juniors Miah Omoike (right side/outside), Phoebe Pennington (defensive specialist) back from injury and a handful of other players who saw important varsity time a year ago.
In total, Platte County lost seven seniors with DeRose, outside hitter Malin Cole, setter/right side hitter Carissa Bacon and middle hitter/blocker Emma Macaluso all earning individual postseason honors as multi-year starters.
“Obviously having all of our girls back from injuries is huge and we have the other key pieces to help with that,” Donovan said.
As a first-year starter, Brunner ranked second for Platte County in kills with 207, while Brinkman added 113 to go with a team-high 42 blocks. She could shift inside with Eschliman and junior Charlotte Schlake, who ended up seeing extensive time last season due to Omoike’s lingering shoulder injury.
Schlake totaled 59 kills and 36 blocks.
“Kate (Brunner) is great at out of system balls and brings good energy to the court. We look for her to be a consistent hitting option for us,” Donovan said. “Emma (Brinkman) also brings a lot of experience to the court for us. She is a very versatile player for us. We are looking at moving her to the middle, and she is willing to do what is best for the team.”
Omoike played a vital role in Platte County’s Class 4 state semifinal run in 2024 but played just 17 sets last season with 38 kills and 11 blocks. As a freshman, she totaled 276 kills and team-high 82 blocks.
Platte County’s attack last season focused on Cole after she shifted outside, and that leaves plenty of opportunity to pick up the slack. The Pirates plan to lean on Brunner plus Omoike on the right side while sophomore Kylie Hill likely takes on a very visible and important role on the outside.
“We are very excited to have (Miah) back,” Donovan said. “Kylie is looking to fill in as a six-rotation outside. This is a lot of pressure for a sophomore, but we know she can handle it. She is a competitor and demands a lot from herself. We look for her and take a lot of swings for us.”
Cruce (team-highs of 68 service aces and 426 assists) will again trigger much of the offense, while junior Collins Cole looks to fill in the other half of a two-setter rotation that matches Bacon’s role from last season. Collins Cole saw limited action as a sophomore with 22 kills and seven assists.
Platte County brings back much less experience on the defensive back line Ella Cruce the only player back that ranked in the top six for digs in 2025. She was second with 216.
DeRose put up 414 digs as a senior, the fourth-best single-season total in program history after she set a school record with 592 as a junior. She finished her career with 1,017, unofficially ranking third all-time at Platte County behind only Carli Hensley (1,212; 2016-2018) and Teryn Scott (1,081, 2011-2013).
In addition, Bacon (166 digs), Malin Cole (150 digs), Evelyn Reith (149 digs) and Ashleigh Cruce (99 digs) also graduated for Platte County after strong defensive seasons. The Pirates’ top candidates to fill back-row positions will be junior Mikah Buntz and Pennington.
Buntz takes over as libero after appearing in 20 sets as a sophomore with 16 digs.
The biggest key for Platte County could be the adaptation of players like Schlake, Collins Cole and Buntz to much larger roles in addition to the form of Eschliman, Omoike and Pennington coming off of injuries.
“(Charlotte Schlake) has improved so much over the last year. We are looking to her to be a huge threat for us in the front row,” Donovan said. “(Serenity Eschliman) has really stepped into a leadership role for us as a senior. She brings great positive energy everyday. Mikah had a little bit of playing time as a defensive specialist but is stepping into a huge role as our libero. In the past few weeks, she has been working on her consistency and being vocal and leading the backcourt.”
Plenty of questions must be answered in the short and long term, but Platte County hopes to move back toward the expected success. Prior to 2025, the Pirates won 20 or more matches in eight consecutive seasons and ran off a long string of conference championships.
Platte County will know the postseason assignment when this season opens Thursday, August 27 with a road rematch against Liberty North — the team that sent the Pirates home one-and-done in last year’s Class 5 District 8 tournament.
“We have high expectations for this season. We bring back a lot of individuals with playing time and a lot of good players,” Donovan said. “We have had a great summer and preseason and hope that continues into season. We have a very competitive group that pushes themselves but also a group that cheers each other’s successes. The coaching staff focus has been to build team unity and continue that throughout the season.”
