Platte County opened Suburban Conference White Division play with a demolition of Raytown on Tuesday night, taking out some frustration in a road matchup.
Piling up 22 service aces, Platte County overwhelmed from the beginning on the way to a 25-4, 25-4, 25-9 sweep. The result came four days after the Pirates loss a Class 4 quarterfinal rematch at home with St. Michael’s the Archangel in four sets.
The opposition looked much different on Tuesday.
Platte County seniors Jenna Wheeler (eight) and Kendall Johnson (six) led the way from the service line, while senior Tatianna Murray paced the attack with nine kills. Pirates senior setter Ava Wheeler spread around 17 assists, and seven players recorded at least one kill while using a deep rotation.
Johnson added four kills, while junior Karlee Riggs, sophomore Malin Cole, senior Cierra Poldberg and Ava Wheeler added three kills apiece. Platte County senior Kenadi Brown contributed the final two. The Pirates also had six blocks with Cole, an emerging force in the middle of defense, putting up one solo and three assists.
Platte County senior Ava Filger provided a team-high eight assists.
Now with a 5-2 overall record, Platte County returns to play Thursday at home against Grain Valley in a pivotal conference matchup. The two teams split a pair of meetings last year with the Eagles prevailing in the second to end Platte County’s 46-game winning streak. The Pirates still won the White Division title outright.
St. Michael’s the Archangel 3, Platte County 1
The Guardians took the first two sets and then closed out a 25-22, 25-22, 15-25, 25-17 victory in the fourth Thursday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
The two teams met last fall in the Class 4 state quarterfinals with Platte County using a sweep to advance to the semifinals for the second time in three years. The Pirates finished third in state in both 2021 and 2023.
In the rematch, St. Michael’s won two tight sets then avoided letting momentum slip after Platte County pulled away in the second. The Guardians’ duo of seniors Lily Vanbebber and Mikalah Davis combined for 42 kills total in an impressive showing.
Platte County’s offense ended up much more balanced, but Johnson led the way with 15, while Poldberg (nine) and Riggs (eight) were close to double figures. Jenna Wheeler added three of the Pirates’ six service aces, while Cole, Poldberg and Murray had two block assists apiece.
St. Michael’s made Platte County’s offense work with 67 digs leading to long rallies. Ava Wheeler ended up with 40 assists and nine, and Jenna Wheeler’s 17 digs were a team-high out of the Pirates’ total of 54.
The two teams are again in opposite districts and should end up the favorites to meet up again in the Class 4 playoffs.
