Platte County’s opener under new coach Shelby Hoffman ended in a straight-set loss Wednesday, Aug. 26 at Platte County High School. In a rematch of last year’s Class 4 District 16 opener, Park Hill prevailed 25-20, 25-17 behind another dominant offensive performance from Gabby Sweeney. Platte County won the previous matchup on the way to the state playoffs in 2014, finishing the best season in program history with a quarterfinal loss to Liberty. Longtime coach Jan Patterson retired later in the school year, and Hoffman ended up with the job.
Platte County senior Madysen Fine sparkled in the loss, a big part of an inexperienced group looking to replace a large glut of standout seniors lost to graduation. She tallied a team-high 10 assists to go with seven digs. Kennedy Knox, a returning starter, added three assists and tied Fine for the team-high in digs with seven.
Knox also led the attack with eight kills, followed by Kailyn Saxer-Taulbee’s four.
Park Hill improved to 1-1 on the season with Sweeney at 21 kills through two games. Chelsea Edwards recorded 16 digs between the season-opening loss to Lee’s Summit and the win against Platte County.
Lee’s Summit 2, Park Hill South 0
Panthers libero Sydney Stewart tallied 14 digs in a loss Tuesday, Aug. 25 in Lee’s Summit, Mo. Andrea Elley led the offense with eight kills, while setter Allison Sadler dished out 16 assists.
Four-year starter Alex Rothers supplied five kills and five assists while fellow senior Bri Bartosh also added five winners for Park Hill South.
Lee’s Summit North 2, Park Hill South 1
The Panthers lost their second match of the week in three sets Wednesday, Aug. 26. Rothers and Elley each tallied seven kills while Bartosh and sophomore Annika Welty each added five.
Stewart notched 11 digs, and Sadler provided 13 assists.