Platte County’s Karlee Riggs was an all-state player in 2022.
Being one of the more respectable volleyball teams in Class 4 with a pair of third place finishes at state in the last three seasons, Platte County will be in a prime position for another strong season with two all-state players and six starters returning from 2022.
The dynamic outside hitting duo of Kendall Johnson and Karlee Riggs were Class 4 All-State Selections last fall. Johnson is one of five seniors who were starters last season – with three others filling out the large class – while Riggs is a junior.
“We will have a large senior class that we’re looking at to lead this team,” Platte County volleyball coach Katlyn Donovan said. “A lot of the senior class had substantial playing time throughout the past couple of seasons.”
The Lady Pirates are in an interesting position ahead of the season, not knowing what Class they will be in. In 2020, Platte County took third place in Class 4 and was bumped up to Class 5 for 2021 before going back down to Class 4 and bringing home another bronze in 2022.
“With all the experience we return, we’re eyeing a big postseason run. It will be interesting to see what class we fall into for volleyball, but regardless of the class we’re in we want to remain focused on what we can control and not get caught up in what everyone else is doing,” Donovan said.
Avery Walter and Jenna Wheeler are set to hold up the defensive specialist positions for another year, ending their junior campaigns with 307 and 255 digs, respectively. Ava Wheeler will be transitioning from a defensive specialist to a setter and Tatianna Murray will fill in the middle or right side.
“As always, we have high expectations heading into this season and team. We bring back a great group of athletes who have been working so hard throughout summer and the start of the season to become the best team possible,” Donovan said.
Ava Moffitt and Ava Filger were in the rotation on the third-place team and will look to have bigger roles this fall. Seniors Cierra Poldberg and Kanadi Brown along with sophomores Malin Cole and Carissa Bacon will also be fighting for playing time.
“I feel like there is some pressure on our team to make another successful postseason run, but that pressure can be a good thing. Like I stated, we bring back a lot of experience to the court so I feel like we will rise up to that pressure and see success throughout the whole season,” Donovan said.