After losing a deep and talented senior class that came up one win short of a third state semifinal appearance in four years, plenty of motivation and opportunity awaits a limited number of returners and the deep list of hopefuls looking to write the next successful chapter for a consistently successful program.
Platte County reached the Class 4 playoffs again but dropped a tight quarterfinal matchup to St. Michael the Archangel, unable to match the third-place finishes for 2022 and 2020. The Pirates finished 22-8-2 and did record the seventh straight season with at least 20 wins and won a fifth straight Suburban Conference title — the last two after moving up to the White Division.
However, Platte County must replace eight seniors, including two-time Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association All-State outside hitter Kendall Johnson, all-conference and all-district setter Ava Wheeler and the entire defensive backline.
“Our expectations are the same as they always have been, which is compete in every match,” Platte County coach Katlyn Donovan said. “We had a lot of success the last few years, and I don’t see that changing. I told our girls (at a recent) practice that I have a sour taste in my mouth from how we ended the season last year. I want us to get back to a district final, a quarterfinal match, and eventually the state tournament.”
Platte County’s attack features senior Karlee Riggs, another two-time all-state selection who posted a career high of 2.8 kills per set as a junior. She totaled 262, just off the 265 she posted in a breakout sophomore season while playing 14 more sets than last fall. However, the Pirates lost three others in the top four, including Johnson — a three-year starter who finished third in program history for kills after posting back-to-back seasons with a team-high 307.
In addition, Tatianna Murray, another three-year starter who spent her first two seasons up front in the middle, moved to the right side as a senior and finished second on the team with 287 kills, while Kenadi Brown recorded another 30 kills as a key reserve in the attacking rotation.
Donovan expects senior Ava Moffitt, junior Carissa Bacon and sophomore Kate Brunner to help fill the voids on the outside. Moffitt recorded five kills in just 14 sets played, while Bacon had just two while mostly filling in as a reserve setter with 92 assists in 28 sets played.
“Kate will be looking to fill a big role for us coming off the bench,” Donovan said. “She is a very positive teammate who encourages everyone. The great thing about Kate is that she can play outside and right side.”
Bacon and senior Sailor Bane look to put Platte County in a position to use a two-setter system again after Ava Wheeler handled those duties mostly solo as a senior. She posted 799 assists after moving up from a back row defensive spot.
Bane (27 assists as a junior) and Bacon have the ability to contribute as outside hitters and then shift to setter.
“Keys to success for us will be getting everyone up to speed with the game,” Donovan said. We have a lot of new faces on the court so we need work on building trust with our teammates. I think once we get a few games under our belt our team will start to mesh well together.”
Many of those new faces must replace an effective trio of defensive specialists that included Jenna Wheeler (349 digs), Ava Filger (223 digs) and Avery Walter (218). Those graduated seniors were first, third and fourth in that category last season for Platte County with Johnson (232) second and Ava Wheeler (211) fifth. The top candidates to make contributions include seniors Daphne Churchill and Rylee Pickett and junior Gia DeRose, who played six sets as a sophomore and recorded 11 digs.
“Daphne can bring some consistency for us when we need it,” Donovan said. “Rylee is the ultimate teammate and encourages everyone. She always wants what is best for the team and is willing to play any position that we need her to.
“Gia is a fierce competitor and will provide a wide range of coverage in the back row. She can read the ball well and will pick up a lot of junk that comes over the net.”
The most experience group for Platte County might end up being at middle hitter/blocker, partially due to Murray’s shift outside and partially due to a key injury last fall. Malin Cole, a junior, began the year up front and ended up with a team-high 76 blocks and added 85 kills, while fellow junior Emma Macaluso moved into the starting lineup in the middle of the schedule after senior Cierra Poldberg went down with a season-ending ankle injury.
Poldberg ended up fifth for Platte County in kills with 86 and added 52 blocks despite missing most of her first season on varsity. Murray also contributed 55 blocks, while Macaluso came on strong and totaled 32 blocks and 59 kills. The combination of Cole and Macaluso ended up key to an 11-match winning streak late in the season that included a dramatic five-set comeback victory over St. Pius X in the Class 4 District 8 title game.
Platte County plans to test freshman Miah Omoike to fill out the middle rotation, and Donovan called her a “dynamic athlete.”
Throughout our practices so far we see a lot of great effort and desire to get better,” Donovan said. “One thing we are continually working on is our communication when things aren’t going our way. I want us to be consistent throughout an entire match whether we are playing our best volleyball or not our best. Consistent is key.”
One uncontrollable, lingering aspect continues to be state classification.
Platte County missed the playoffs in 2022 when bumped up to Class 5, although the Pirates reached the district title game that season before Park Hill mounted a decisive comeback to take the playoff berth. This year’s postseason assignments will be released early next month.
