The second third-place finish in the Class 4 Missouri State Volleyball Championships in the past three seasons yielded a trio of selections to the Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association all-state teams.
Platte County ended up with senior Karsyn Stehlik, junior Kendall Johnson and sophomore Karlee Riggs on the Class 4 team — three players at distinctly different points in their careers. The Pirates have had regular representation on the all-state teams during a recent run of success, which now includes the first two top-four team trophies in program history.
This past fall, Platte County finished 27-10, coming back from a state semifinal loss to pull out a memorable 25-23, 16-25, 22-25, 31-29, 15-11 victory over Webb City in the third-place game. The Pirates accumulated at least 25 wins for the fourth time in five years, and the previous three occurrences ended with exactly 28.
Platte County went into the season shorter on experience than recent years but with a strong core of juniors plus Riggs to bolster the roster. The Pirates experienced some tough moments early in the season and then saw a 46-match conference winning streak come to an end against Grain Valley in the first of back-to-back five-set losses to close the regular season. They responded with an inspired postseason run that included decisive wins over KC East and Smithville, avenging a season-opening setback vs. Kearney and a sweep of St. Michael’s the Archangel in the state quarterfinals.
A three-year starter, Stehlik was one of just three seniors on the roster and finished as one of the most productive players in Platte County history. She totaled 261 kills, 47 blocks, 22 service aces and 106 digs as a senior outside hitter
Johnson moved into a starring role in her second season, shifting to left outside hitter and producing a team-high 307 kills — the fifth-best single season total in program history. She added 69 blocks, 41 service aces and 232 digs.
Riggs moved directly into the starting lineup after limited playing time as a freshman. She ranked just behind Johnson with 265 kills to go with 29 blocks and 53 digs as another dynamic attacking option up front.
POSTSEASON HONORS
MISSOURI HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION ALL-STATE
Class 4
Karsyn Stehlik, Sr.; Kendall Johnson, Jr., Karlee Riggs, So.
ALL-CLASS 4 DISTRICT 8
First Team
Karsyn Stehlik, Sr.; Kendall Johnson, Jr.; Tatianna Murray, Jr.; Emma Harned, Jr.
Second Team
Karlee Riggs, So.; Jenna Wheeler, Jr.
Honorable Mention
Madison Hoyt, Sr.
ALL-SUBURBAN CONFERENCE WHITE DIVISION
First Team
Karsyn Stehlik, Sr.; Kendall Johnson, Jr.
Second Team
Tatianna Murray, Jr., Emma Harned, Jr.; Karlee Riggs, So.
Honorable Mention
Madison Hoyt, Sr.
