Forced to five sets for the second time in a week, Platte County came through this time and picked up an encouraging win over a recent rival.
Platte County junior Kate Brunner hits a spike against St. Pius X on Tuesday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
St. Pius X rallied back but couldn’t complete the recovery from a slow start Tuesday night at Pirate Fieldhouse. Platte County ended up with a 25-19, 27-25, 22-25, 10-25, 17-15 victory, overcoming 28 attack errors and a disastrous fourth set to win a tense tiebreaker that required extra points.
The two teams met in pool play at the Winnetonka Invitational in September and split two sets.
The rematch ended up just as close but with a winner guaranteed this time around. Platte County came up with a different formula to win, totaling 14 aces with strong service and combining for 10 blocks at the net despite continuing to play without a key piece from last year’s team that placed fourth at state in Class 4. The Pirates were in a position to pull a sweep after eking out the second set that went to extra points.
Platte County sophomore setter Ella Cruce, who led the Pirates with 15 assists, put up six of the 14 aces, while seniors Evelyn Reith (four), Ashleigh Cruce (three) and Malin Cole all had at least one.
Cole and junior Kate Brunner paced Platte County’s attack with 11 kills apiece, but more importantly, sophomore Charlotte Schlake continued her emergence in opportunity opened up with standout sophomore Miah Omoike continuing to miss time due to a shoulder injury. Schlake ended up with six block assists, while senior third-year starter Emma Macaluso added four.
Platte County senior Malin Cole hits a spike against St. Pius X on Tuesday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Platte County senior Gia DeRose, a returning all-state libero, led the back row defense with 20 digs — her fourth match with 20 or more this season — while Cole added 15, Ella Cruce 12 and Bacon 11.
Each of the past two years, Macaluso and Cole started the majority of the time on the inside, but Cole shifted outside this year with a need to replace multiple top attackers, including three-time all-state pick Karlee Riggs. Brunner, junior Emma Brinkman (six kills, two blocks), senior Carissa Bacon (five kills and 14 assists as the second setter in the 6-2 formation) and Macaluso (five kills) have also been key pieces in the attack with Schlake and sophomore Collins Cole (two kills) have seen additional court time in an attempt to steady the rotations and make another postseason push.
Platte County has gone unbeaten in the last five matches (4-0-1) against St. Pius X with two of those wins in Class 4 District 8 play on the way to playoff appearances. The Pirates have gone to state in three of the past five seasons with four total district titles but face a move up to Class 5 this season that likely makes the path more difficult.
In addition, Platte County currently sits at 14-9-2 with five matches left in the regular season while looking to hit 20 wins for the ninth year in a row.
Platte County 3, Truman 0
Platte County senior Carissa Bacon hits a set against St. Pius X on Tuesday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Brunner totaled 12 kills in the Pirates’ 25-8, 25-14, 25-10 sweep in Suburban Conference White Division play Wednesday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Cole, Bacon and Ashleigh Cruce accounted for two service aces apiece, accounting for the majority of Platte County’s nine. The Pirates weren’t tested at the net as much with senior Kya Bridges recording three block assists, while Ella Cruce led the Pirates with eight digs.
Platte County dominated both conference matchups with Truman with Malin Cole and Macaluso adding seven kills each in this rematch.
Belton 3, Platte County 0
Belton improved to 8-2 in conference play with a hard-fought 26-24, 25-19, 25-22 sweep on Thursday in Belton.
Platte County saw a three-match winning streak come to an end while dropping to 6-4 in the White Division. Belton won both matchups between the two teams this season, taking the previous meeting in Platte City in four sets.
This time around, Platte County spread out the majority of the offense between Bacon (nine), Brinkman (six) and Cole (five), while Ella Cruce finished with four service aces and 14 assists. In addition to leading Platte County in kills, Bacon also had eight assists and 10 digs. Reith led the defense with 13 digs.
Platte County’s final four conference matchups are against Raytown, William Chrisman, Fort Osage and Grain Valley. Fort Osage and Grain Valley have won the first meeting with Platte County this season.
