A lengthy winning streak might have come to an end but only while Platte County started to establish an identity with a still-meshing roster. The Pirates finished fourth overall in the always-challenging Lansing Invitational on Saturday in Lansing, Kansas.
Platte County sophomore Kylie Hill digs the ball during a match with Grain Valley on Thursday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Platte County went 3-1 in pool play and ended up closing with back-to-back losses after Desoto (Kansas) swept the third-place between the two teams in the afternoon.
Now with a 9-5 record overall and facing a second straight season in Class 5, Platte County entered the tournament having won five straight and added three to that total before a three-set loss to Olathe West (Kansas). The Pirates ended up in the third-place match after coming up just short of completing a comeback in the pool finale.
Platte County junior Miah Omoike, who missed most of last season, tied a season-high with 13 kills in Olathe West’s eventual 25-15, 23-25, 25-21 victory. She has reached double figures in each of the last three matches that went three sets. The Pirates totaled 31 kills with junior setter Ella Cruce accounting for 25 assists.
However, Platte County ended up with just three service aces — one each for senior Emma Brinkman, Cruce and sophomore Kylie Hill — with the defense continually tested. Pirates junior first-year libero Mikah Buntz led the way with 12 digs.
Platte County senior Kate Brunner hits a spike in a match with Grain Valley on Thursday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Platte County started Saturday strong with a 25-7, 25-9 win over Washington (Kansas) with Brinkman totaling seven kills and junior Charlotte Schlake adding six from her spot in the middle. Cruce’s seven service aces were a big part of the blowout while she finished with 12 assists and no errors for the Pirates, who also gave junior Collins Cole (eight assists) time at setter in the blowout.
A 25-23, 25-22 victory over Spring Hill (Kansas) behind seven kills apiece for Omoike and Hill while Buntz accounted for half of Platte County’s four aces. She added a team-high 13 digs. The Pirates then swept Shawnee Heights (Kansas) before the back-to-back losses.
Platte County 3, Grain Valley 0
The Pirates went into Lansing off of a 25-8, 25-20, 25-15 Thursday at Pirate Fieldhouse with Omoike (11) and senior Kate Brunner (seven) accounting for more than half of the Pirates’ kills.
In addition, Platte County totaled 11 service aces with Hill and Brinkman leading the way at three apiece. Hill also finished with six kills, while Cruce added two to go with 14 assists and a team-high 11 kills.
The win improved Platte County to 4-0 in Suburban Conference White Division play with a test looming this week on the road at Belton.
Platte County 3, William Chrisman 0
On Tuesday in Independence, the Pirates were pressed in all three sets of a 25-19, 25-15, 25-22 sweep of William Chrisman.
Omoike (13) and Brunner (10) both finished in double figures for kills, while Brinkman added eight and Schlake six in a well-rounded showing for Platte County’s offense. Cruce finished with a career-high 35 assists, bettering a mark of 25 she set in a loss to North Platte (Nebraska) in the season-opening Lincoln Northeast Blastoff Tournament.
Cruce, who added a team-high five aces, took over as the featured setter after being a key part of a two-player rotation as a sophomore.
Platte County junior Phoebe Pennington turned in the best performance of her career on defense with 19 digs, while Buntz added 15. Buntz and Brinkman both contributed three aces, as well, to help the Pirates total 14.
