Platte County’s volleyball team celebrates after freshman Cayler Fowler won the opening set point against Grain Valley on Sept. 10.
The Greater KC White Division volleyball teams have been sent an early-season message that Platte County means business.
The Pirates are off to a 4-0 start to the conference season and have yet to drop a set, with hopes of winning the conference for the first time since 2023. The most recent of those triumphs was a straight-sets victory over Grain Valley on Sept. 10.
“That game just felt different, it felt good,” Platte County head coach Katlyn Donovan said. “That’s a feeling we’ve kind of been missing for the start of the season, but it was a good, quality win. Grain Valley’s a great team.”
The Pirates came out firing on all cylinders early on, jumping ahead 5-1 in the first set and holding a 12-4 advantage before the Eagles took their first timeout. The break in play did little to sway momentum as Platte County continued to fire point after point as freshman Cayler Fowler came in to deliver the final blow with a powerful left-handed swing to seal the opening set 25-8 for Platte County.
“The way we started off that first set kind of set the tone for how the rest of how the night was going to go,” Donovan said. “Overall, just super-pleased with how the girls played.”
Grain Valley finally got going to start the second set, but Platte County managed to pull away once more. Among the highlights was a 25-touch rally when junior libero Mikah Buntz dove into the bleachers to save a point before Kylie Hill dropped the ball deep into Grain Valley’s zone to put the hosts ahead 12-8.
Platte County led by as many as seven points in the second set before taking it 25-20 to secure a 2-0 lead in the match. Again, the Pirates broke ahead early in the third set to take a 5-1 lead, and while Grain Valley got back within a pair of scores, they were unable to keep up with the Pirates as they completed the sweep with a 25-15 win in the third set.
“We were just really in-system,” Donovan said. “Miah Omoike on the right side set the tone in the first set. Ella (Cruce) was feeding her really well, and Miah was making good decisions. I think that kind of helped everyone else get into a good flow too.”
Miah Omoike was pivotal in Platte County’s victory over Grain Valley with 11 kills across three sets.
Omoike, a junior, concluded the match with 11 kills followed by senior Kate Brunner’s seven. Cruce tallied 14 assists with Buntz adding eight of her own.
Platte County opened conference play with a sweep of Truman on Sept. 1 (25-8; 25-14; 25-16) before taking out Raytown on Sept. 3 (25-3; 25-16; 25-9) and William Chrisman on Sept. 8 (25-19; 25-15; 25-22). After a 1-3 start to the season, with a pair of defeats in Nebraska’s Lincoln Northeast Invitational, Platte County’s win over Grain Valley stretched their winning streak to five straight.
“I am coaching a great group of girls who have a common goal of the success that we want this season,” Donovan said. “It’s like a breath of fresh air that these girls want it more than I do. That’s just a testament to who they are as people and as athletes. It’s awesome to see as a coach.”
The Pirates added two more wins at the Lansing Invitational on Sept. 12, defeating Washington and Shawnee Heights 2-0. Their winning streak ended later in the day with a 2-1 defeat to Olathe West before falling 2-0 to De Soto.
Ella Cruce sets up a teammate for a point against Grain Valley on Sept. 10 inside Pirate Fieldhouse.
Platte County’s attention shifts to a big match against Kearney (Sept. 15) before visiting Belton (Sept. 17). The Pirates will then prepare for the Winnetonka Invitational on Sept. 19.
Even with the dominant results, Platte County has plenty of work to do, particularly in serve receive. Donovan continues to remind her team where they are now and where they want to be.
“I don’t want them to settle for being the best where we’re at right now,” she said. “Our main goal is to be the best we can be at the end of the season and fighting for a district championship.”