Platte County hangs tough again to punch another ticket to Class 4 state semifinals

The eventual triumph seems to feel even better than normal after enduring the difficult circumstances and adversity.

For the second time in the span of a week, Platte County’s players and coaches were able to let loose in an exuberant celebration Saturday afternoon — this one concluding with a jubilant pile after an exceedingly tight 21-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-21, 15-10 win in a Class 4 state quarterfinal over Notre Dame de Sion at Pirate Fieldhouse. The Pirates have gone to five sets in each of the past two postseason matches, first locking up a playoff berth and now advancing to the state semifinals for the third time in five years.

Notre Dame de Sion (15-10) — the upset winner of Class 4 District 7 — nearly played spoiler after taking the first set and then forcing the tiebreaking fifth.

“I’m 35 now, and that’s too old to be having these types of matches,” Platte County coach Katlyn Donovan said. “I was looking at my heart rate; my blood pressure is probably through the roof, but that was amazing. That was amazing to watch. We had a lot of ups and downs, but I’m proud of how we battled out of the lows to rebound to the highs.”

Platte County (22-11-1) now takes a four-match winning streak into Wednesday’s Class 4 semifinal against St. Pius X (Festus) (35-2-1), last year’s Class 4 state runnerup.

To guarantee the third top-four trophy in program history, Platte County needed a well-rounded attacking effort from senior Karlee Riggs (12 kills), freshman Miah Omoike (11 kills) and juniors Malin Cole (10 kills), plus a well-rounded performance from junior Carissa Bacon, who finished with 19 assists, nine kills and an ace as part of a two-setter rotation. The Pirates took a two-sets-to-one lead in the third and pulled away in the fifth thanks to key service runs from junior Gia Derose (team-high 30 digs and 11 service points).

Pivotally, Platte County played strong at the net and recorded 12 blocks spread between junior Emma Macaluso (five assists, one solo), Omoike (three solo), Riggs and Cole (three total apiece) and senior Ava Moffitt (two assists). The Pirates frustrated Notre Dame de Sion at pivotal points and ultimately prevailed with an eight-player rotation featuring only five seniors — Riggs, Moffitt, setter Sailor Bane (18 assists), Rylee Pickett and Daphne Churchill).

Only Riggs regularly played when Platte County last reached the state semifinals in 2022, making the return a special unknown for the majority of the roster.

“I’m feeling really good. We’re going to state,” said Cole, a second-year starter along with Macaluso.

Platte County appeared to take control with a strong closing stretch in the third set after taking a timeout down 14-8.

Notre Dame de Sion continued to lead until a kill from Cole and a tip from Macaluso for one of her five kills drew the Pirates level at 20-20. The Storm came right back with back-to-back points but would not score again in the third.

Instead, Derose came to the service line and served the final four points for Platte County. Omoike used an orthodox two-handed attack at the net to push the lead to 24-22, and the Pirates converted the first set-point opportunity to took a 2-1 lead in the match.

“I’m proud of how we responded after losing the first set and winning the second,” Donovan said. “That’s a good team. That’s a very good team. They were good defensively and picked up a lot of (loose balls). They were very prepared for us.”

Notre Dame de Sion came right back and scored six unanswered early in the fourth to go in front 7-3.

Bacon contributed a pair of dump sets for kills in a strong stretch that created ties at 13 and 15, and Platte County briefly went back ahead at 19-18. The Pirates couldn’t hold the momentum, and the Storm used a 5-0 run on the way to evening the match again.

In Monday’s Class 4 District 8 championship, Platte County also dropped the fourth set in a back-and-forth test against Kearney before winning the tiebreaking fifth to reach the playoffs for the fourth time in five years. That left the Pirates in a familiar spot against Notre Dame de Sion, going four sets or more for the 10th time this season.

“Going forward we can’t have those ups and downs,” Donovan said. “We’ve got to do a better job of controlling our side and not letting people know when we’re down. I can still tell when we’re down, and that’s what we’ve got to work on.”

Notre Dame de Sion immediately took a 2-0 lead in the fifth.

Platte County took the lead for the first time on back-to-back points — a kill from Cole and Macaluso’s solo block — at 7-6. Cole then came up with the last of her 10 kills to put the Pirates ahead 8-7, and they did not relinquish the advantage.

Derose didn’t have an ace but used well-placed service to drive a 5-0 run. Omoike contributed a pair of kills late, and a Notre Dame de Sion serve that went long resulted in the final point and brought to an end a match lasting nearly 2 1/2 hours.

“It’s an insane feeling when you get that one point and you’re like this is the one and we’re going to keep running with it,” Cole said. “You kind of just know. It’s a feeling.”

Just like in a Class 4 District 8 semifinal with St. Pius X, Platte County dropped the opening set and created a comeback opportunity.

Neither team led by more than two points until the late stages. Notre Dame de Sion held a 16-14 advantage going into a timeout, but the Pirates responded with three unanswered that included a kill on a tip from Macaluso and the first of Bacon’s kills on a dump set. The run hit 5-0 on a kill from Cole, only for the Storm to respond again.

Notre Dame de Sion scored eight of the final nine to take the first set, but the contributions of Cole and Bacon were a harbinger of what would come in other critical moments later in the match.

“When Malin is on like she was, it just opens up so much more of our offense,” Donovan said. “We also knew they were susceptible to a setter dump, not necessarily off of serve-receive but in transition. She got a couple in transition and then one in serve-receive, and I just told her, listen, you do it until they pick it up. They never really did.”

A two-time all-state performer and third-year starter, Riggs came up with a long service run at a pivotal point in the second set for Platte County. She contributed her ace, one of a team-high 16 service points, while Moffitt, who finished with four kills after posting a career-high 14 in the win over Kearney, added one of her block assists to push the Pirates’ lead to 11-7.

After a timeout, Cole supplied a kill, and after Notre Dame de Sion scored two points, Bane took over at the service line for Platte County. She had a pair of aces as the lead went all the way to 19-9. The Storm closed within three twice late in the second set but ended up level at one set apiece.

“That’s the issue,” Donovan said. “We had to hold on late. We shouldn’t have to hold on when we have a 19-9 lead. Coming from a coach’s perspective, we need to keep a foot on the gas pedal and keep going. If we make a mistake, throw it out; focus on the next ball. We were putting too much pressure on ourselves with one ball that we were playing when the game wasn’t going to be dictated by that one ball.”

Riggs often serves as the focal point of the offense but developed into a full-rotation player this season.

The key for Platte County’s successful stretches of the season have been finding complementary performances from the other members of a tight eight-player rotation. Up front, Cole, Omoike, Macaluso and Moffitt have taken turns posting standout performances in victories while Bane and Bacon have been steady in an almost equal split of setup service.

Platte County’s back row defense also continues to excel with diverse contributors.

Limited in playing time last season behind a strong class of eight seniors, Moffitt and Derose combined for 79 successful serve receives against Notre Dame de Sion and finished in double figures for digs. Riggs recorded 16 digs, while Moffitt added 14.

“I think once districts start, we realized we have so much talent on this team, and we’re finally utilizing it,” Cole said. “We’re finally putting in all the work that we’ve done from practice, and it all came together.”

Platte County started this season with six straight wins but have not won more than four in a row again. Occasional struggles with sustained success haven’t been unexpected for a roster returning just three starters from a 2023 squad that lost a Class 4 quarterfinal in five sets to St. Michael the Archangel.

However, Platte County continues to show immense resolve and development indicative of a program that has posted eight straight 20-win seasons in a lengthening stretch of unprecedented success under Donovan. The Pirates have a chance to better or equal the third-place finishes in Class 4 from 2020 and 2022.

That quest starts with the semifinal against St. Pius X (Festus) but continues in a place match regardless of result. Lutheran St. Charles (23-13) and Jefferson City (26-7) meet on the opposite side of the bracket with the winners facing off at 4 p.m. Thursday for the state title.

“Not a lot of girls ever get to experience this multiple times in a row,” Donovan said. “Obviously, it didn’t go our way last year, but it did this year. These are memories they are going to have forever and us coaches are going to remember forever, too, so enjoy the ride regardless of the outcome. They’ve earned their spots as a final four team in Class 4.”