The dynamic senior duo of Libby Vandel and Ahlanna Rutherford is primed to lead the way for the West Platte volleyball team that went all the way to the Class 2 District 15 Championship Match during their junior campaigns.
Ahlanna Rutherford, above, is one of West Platte’s six returning starters.
Vandel, a middle blocker, and Rutherford, an outside hitter, are two of six returning starters. They two seniors are joined by Arianna Nower, Maddison McMillan, Lauren Finke and Avery Holmes.
“This team gained quite a bit of experience last season,” West Platte head coach Connor Kellerstrass said. “Every returning starter played a big role in the district tournament last year; they seem hungry this year.”
Along with the returning starters West Platte will have two other seniors, Cosette Clark and Jorja Trelow, in addition to Klaira Groom, who has had a good summer and will be looking to step into a varsity role this season. The Lady Blue Jays have been focusing on playing with consistency and playing with energy during the offseason.
“Last season definitely set the foundation for this season. We constantly heard how young we were last year, in age and varsity experience. Both of those things have changed this year. The girls are excited to get the season started,” Kellerstrass said.
West Platte was 18-11-1 in 2021, where it upset No. 2 seeded Mid-Buchanan in the district semifinals and then fell to top-seeded East Buchanan in the district title match. Coach Kellerstrass told the Platte County Citizen what it would take for West Platte to have similar success this season.
“We have to control what we can control; we can’t control who is on the other side of the net or who is in the crowd. If we play with consistency, communicate at a high level, and bring the energy, we can compete with anyone in the KCI.”